We will be using Flipgrid for Digital Technologies as a way of having an ongoing discussion about school projects. It’s a simple concept:

1. Teachers create a topic – with questions, images, links etc
2. Students login to the website or the iPad app using the account provided by the school
3. Students respond to the topic by posting short videos. This can include screen recordings, pictures, drawings, sticky notes etc

Here are a few steps to get started…

Step 1 – Navigate to website or install app

The Flipgrid website can be accessed via a direct link to a topic or by navigating to the website and entering a join code:

https://info.flipgrid.com/

For those with personal iPads you can install the app using this link:

https://apps.apple.com/au/app/flipgrid/id756972930

Step 2 – Enter the join code or use a link to the topic

If you have a direct link to the topic then you don’t need a join code as it’s included in the link. Join codes consist of letters and numbers like ‘ab12cd’. I just made that up so don’t enter that code. I’m not going to include a join code here as this page is public and I wouldn’t want just anyone trying to access it.

Step 3 – Enter your student username

I should have communicated what your student username is so hopefully it’s something you can remember or find when you need it. You should only ever use your OWN student username. I probably shouldn’t have to say this, but some students may attempt to push this boundary. There’s no real benefit of NOT using your own username unless you intend to post something negative to try and get someone else in trouble. Needless to say that would not be acceptable. Topic responses can be moderated by teachers – in other words – they are not automatically published and must be approved first. Ideally, we would never have to do that as it slows down the flow of ideas. We would much rather trust students to do the right thing and then deal with any problems later.

Step 4 – Respond to the topic

This is where the fun happens. Students respond to the topic posted by the teacher with a video response. Time limits are set by the teacher and usually this is 2 – 5 minutes.

I created this topic in September so it’s already a bit outdated regarding the online classes assumption. When you click the ‘Record a Response’ button you will need to enable the use of your camera and microphone. There’s plenty of opportunities to edit the video so don’t be too nervous – it’s actually quite fun.

You might notice that for this first topic I have set the maximum video time to be 2 minutes. You can always do multiple responses of course. The text box also says that the topic is moderated which means I will have to approve each video response before it is published. Only students that have access to this topic will see the responses. Student names area also beside each response so please make sure you think about what you include in your videos.

Step 5 – Respond to the responses

Once responses are posted you can then comment and provide feedback on them. I’ve posted the first response which was me having a play with the options and effects. It’s ok to have fun as we try out this tool.