Ways to share!

One of the most powerful ways technology can be used to is to share information with a "real audience"or with each other.  There is a myriad of  ways that  we can allow students to do this, but here are a few fun ways for students to share with each other, with their parents, and/or with the world.

Flipgrid

Flipgrid is a a website where teachers create "grids" of short discussion-style questions that students respond to by creating videos.  The site lays out like a message board, and students can see respond to the discussion question and then even comment on other students' responses.  It offers a free account option, which allows you to have one "grid".  I found that to be enough, because you can have multiple topics in one grid.

When I first heard about Flipgrid, I tried it out with a general question, just to see how it worked, and I found that it was very easy to set up for the teacher and easy for the students (and teachers) to respond to.

Uses

I see this as a great tool for students to use when explaining their answers.  It could be given as an option for students who have a hard time with writing, or with students who need to work on their oral language skills.  It could also be a fun tool to use in an foreign language class or even with instrumental music students who could share parts of a song. 

There are tons of resources out there that help you to think of ways that Flipgrid could be used in your classroom. Here are some links to get you started!

17 Ways to Incorporate Flipgrid Fever in Your Classroom

10 Ways to Enhance Math Lessons with Flipgrid 

Flipgrid Ideas (Padlet) - You can add your own ideas too!

Final Tidbits

Being a middle school, I do see a students sometimes a little hesitant to video record themselves.  I know elementary school teachers that have much success with the video recording, so it might be just a question of getting them started.  Flipgrid gives you the option to set the visibility to public or just classroom, so perhaps if the students knew that the topic would only be seen by their classmates, it might bring down the apprehension. That said,  I think that once they try it, they will definitely like it. 

Flipgrid allows interactions such as commenting, emojis, "likes" , and drawings, all of which can be fun, but also a little dangerous if you have a "spirited" group of students.  Fortunately, all of these options are controlled in the teachers dashboard, so you can set up the grids at the level you are comfortable with.

Flipgrid provides a teacher and student guide that help you get started, as well as varied resources!

Padlet 

Padlet is basically an online bulletin board that students can collaborate on.  It is a resource that has been around for a long time, but fortunately the company seems to keep updating and adding new features.  With the new updates, the benefits mentioned about Flipgrid apply, but because students don't have to record their actual image, they might be a little less hesitant. 

Here are a few of the newest updates, and a few of my favorites: 

Templates:  Sometimes it is nice to start with a "fresh slate" but sometimes there is no need to recreate the wheel.  Padlet provides various templates that can get you started with. 

Reactions:  Students can vote on different posts. For example, let's say you were having the students brainstorm on ideas for an investigation, or for a field trip. Students could "like" or vote on these options.  Obviously, since everyone can see these votes, you would have to set the expectations so that students are kind and fair in their voting. 

Formats-  In the past, when we have used Padlet, students have been able to post all over the bulletin board.  Sometimes students would cover up other students posts, or maybe a post would be off screen.  By using layouts, it is easier to control how and where students post their ideas.  There are wall, canvas, stream and grid layouts, and you can choose the layout that works best for the activity you are doing.  Finally, the new "shelf" layout is perfect for word sorts or tables! 

There are numerous updates to Padlet, all of which are listed on the official Padlet Blog.

Uses

Padlet can be used as an online bulletin board in any of the ways that you would use a physical one.  From brainstorming, to collaborating, to vocabulary boards, the list goes on and on! Looking for some more ideas? Here are a few creative ways to use Padlet for teachers and students!