Ya'll! Have you tried Flipgrid? If not- you need to NOW! It is seriously the best! It is so easy to use, and it's FREE!
What is flipgrid? Flipgrid is a website where you can make "grids" for each class and then topics within each grid where students can record videos. Once they are done with the video, the are asked to "snap a selfie" and can add stickers to it. This is what others see when they pull the grid or topic up. I have a grid for each grade, and then topics within each grade to break it down even more. You can set the privacy settings differently for each topic. Grids can be public, accessible within a certain email domain, or even accessible only with a code.
I use it mostly for projects. Some projects my students have done with flipgrid are Parodies, instruments of the orchestra, and more. For the parodies, students wrote a parody and then recorded it using flipgrid. Then others had the opportunity to respond to the parody to guess which original song was used. This was a 5th grade GM project and they loved it. Some ended up just singing their song, while others got really into the video aspect and made up dance routines to go along with their music!
For instruments of the orchestra, 3rd grade students worked in groups to research a family of the orchestra then used flipgrid to record a mini-lesson describing their family. They could also upload attachments like slideshows or google docs to accompany their lesson. Students then watched the videos and learned about all the families of the orchestra from the experts in their class! This was great before our trip to see the Columbus Symphony! After the field trip, we were able to record reaction videos saying our favorite songs or other favorite parts of the concert. While everyone can respond and reply to videos- the teacher can always set each grid or topic so that approval is needed before a video is posted AND teachers can leave private feedback/ grades.
I also use flipgrid to allow students to give each other shout-outs when they do something awesome or kind in class. Each student recorded a video of just their name and then others can reply to this name video with a shout-out. Students shout-out to each other for great singing, kind acts, awesome instrument patterns, being a good sport, and more. This has been a great way to build community in each class and grade.
Many music teachers use flipgrid for playing tests as well. It is awesome for recorder karate and rainbow ukulele (or similar programs).
In addition to all the awesomeness from above, guests can be invited now! Make a highlights topic or grid and invite guests to view while keeping most your grids/topics private to the class. This is an amazing feature that I am so excited to be using. It is a great way to show off to parents and community members what is happening during music without making EVERY video or topic public!
If you want more ideas on how to use flipgrid you can check out their blog OR their "Disco" (discovery) Library where teachers from all over have posted grid topics they are using in their class. You can search by keyword, subject, and level (elementary, middle, high, etc.). There are some awesome music topics in the DL. I found a 2 minute opera scene topic that my students will be doing soon!
Do you have #flipgridfever? Be sure to add me as a #gridpal!
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