Wow! What a busy year this has been. I've been lucky to be working with some awesome teachers this year and providing lots of fun PD, but it's definitely kept me from blogging as much as I wish I could- I have so much to share with you!
Today, I can't wait to share FlipGrid with y'all- I've really been meaning to get to this for months. Have you heard about this tool? Flipgrid allows teachers to create a "video discussion community". The teacher posts topics, adds a video and/or text prompt, then students can record a video to respond. Teachers can choose 1 minute 30 second responses, or 3 minute responses. Students can upvote/like each other's responses, and with paid versions, even respond to their classmates' videos. Another thing I love is that students do not need a login to leave their response. Who needs another login for kids to remember, right?
There is a free version, and I totally recommend trying it- i it's been everything I've needed. But, you may find yourself wanting the additional features, and the subscription price isn't outrageous for one teacher.
What can it be used for?
- Practice of social or academic language
- Practice to improve speaking fluency
- Differentiation
- Assessment
- Reading Response
- Exit Ticket
- Explaining an idea or concept
Why FlipGrid is great for ELLs:
Well, for one, our students need opportunities to practice the language! FlipGrid allows them to do that in a way that feels comfortable to them. It's very nonjudgemental- students can re-record their response until they're happy with it. Teachers can choose to allow students to like or view other students' responses- or not!
This is great for allowing students to demonstrate content knowledge and oral language proficiency by providing an oral response to a question or prompt. Students at all levels of proficiency can participate in this type of activity, and the teacher can go back to student responses later to assess them with their state's ELD-aligned speaking rubric.
Another reason that this is great for ELLs is because in WIDA states, ACCESS 2.0 requires students to do their speaking test online- recording their responses to the prompts. This is great practice to get them comfortable to responding to online prompts and recording their voices.
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