RES introduces new video-based learning
Russellville Elementary School teachers have introduced the video-based learning program FlipGrid into the classroom.
Teachers learned about FlipGrid during their professional development days the first week of January. Dr. Barry Wiginton, an instructional technology specialist with the University of North Alabama’s Technology in Motion program, came to RES to show the teachers how to effectively use the program.
According to RES assistant principal Paula Young, teachers were surveyed in the fall about their technology needs in the classroom, and FlipGrid sparked a lot of interest.
“I love teacher-led professional development, but none of us felt confident enough with the program to teach it to others, so I contacted Dr. Wiginton,” Young said.
FlipGrid provides a platform through which teachers post topics and questions for student discussions, and students share their thoughts on the posed topics through video response. Teachers are able to assess students’ comprehension of a variety of subjects and class assignments.
Teachers tried the program themselves from the student perspective, filming their own video responses to posts during professional development.
Young led the professional development sessions for math teachers and introduced them to Number Talks, a multimedia resource to help math teachers. The teachers then had to make their own video responses to explain how they could use FlipGrid in their classrooms in coordination with Number Talks.
“A lot of math teachers thought it was something that could only be used for English or reading, but FlipGrid is great for all subjects,” Young said.
Third-grade reading teacher Alicia Stanford has already started using it in her classroom.
“Some students struggle with putting their thoughts down on paper, but they find they can express themselves better vocally,” Stanford said.
She said FlipGrid is a great way to better understand her students through their vocal expressions and accurately develop a formative assessment of each student.
Student Madi Willis said she enjoys the different ways she can be creative with the videos because FlipGrid allows users to apply different decorations and stickers at the end of the video and even use avatars instead of the user’s real face.
“It’s fun getting to see how yours looks different from other people’s and the fun we have with it,” Willis said.
FlipGrid keeps the students engaged in a new way, Young and Stanford agreed. Plus, it is a free service that can be used at school or home, and it can be accessed through the website or the free downloadable app.
