FLIPGRID

With Flipgrid you can bring the back row in class to the FRONT row! Flipgrid, a FREE video discussion platform, gives all students a voice. Flipgrid is a video response platform where educators can have online video discussions with students or other educators. Teachers can provide feedback to students and better yet students can provide feedback to one another.

1. The reading response goes digital.

After your class reads an article, chapter or book have them respond to a question about their reading. Take the conversation further by having students comment on each other’s responses.

2. Celebrate The Global Read Aloud all year long.

The Global Read Aloud is a set 6 week period that spans from early October through mid-November and teachers all over the globe read one book and connect with other classrooms all over the world. With a tool like Flipgrid, you can connect with educators all over the world anytime and share as you read a novel together.

3. Record an ongoing story.

Have one student think of a title then the next record a 30-second beginning the next builds on that and so on and so forth. What a fun way to get the whole class involved in and create a unique story to share!

4. Virtual vocabulary word wall.

When working on a unit have your students record a video describing the meaning of important vocabulary words. They can hold up a card in their selfie video with the word written on it so the words are easily accessed by other students.

5. Speaking skills assessment.

With Flipgrid you can provide written feedback to students and give them a rubric score for performance and ideas. With Flipgrid, you can even customize the rubric. Speaking well is an important and often undertaught skill.

6. Reflect on a lesson or unit.

It seems simple but having your students reflect on a lesson is great feedback for us as teachers. How did it go? What changes would you make? What was your favorite part? Take a look at their responses for planning next year.

I recorded this video from Flipgrid. There is a couple of effects and emoji which you can use.

STORYBIRD

Storybirds are short, art-inspired stories you make to share, read, and print. It is a fun, collaborative, storytelling website.

Storybird was designed to allow children to work with parents and friends in creating art-inspired stories to share and save. It is also now a very popular tool to for use by teachers with their students around the globe. Users choose from art hosted on the site and build a story around those images that can then be shared with family and friends. Storybird encourages creativity and is a web tool that supports working collaboratively.

The final product can be printed, watched on screen, or shared in an online library with the world. You also have the option to keep it private on the network.

Storybird can help students bring abstract thoughts in their mind to life and adds a dynamic, digital component to traditional storyboards.

Without requiring any artistic ability, students drag and drop characters and images onto a digital storyboard. Students are inspired by the themes and artwork available on Storybird: abstract thoughts and emotions students could not express easily come to the surface.

A concrete visual representation of their abstract thoughts can now be transformed into wonderful writing. Students can use the finished Storybird to write a paper that expands their abstract thoughts into a traditional essay.