Time to share what you've learned - Flipgrid

As we rushed to shift our classroom into the cyber space, a lot of us had to learn to use a variety of new tools as we went.  It's mind-boggling looking at all the tools available to us.  I don't know if you do this, too, but I tend to find a couple of tools that work well for me and narrow in on varying its uses to serve my objectives.  In other words, I work them to death.  Years ago, when recording homework became popular amongst Chinese language teachers, I tried out Voki, Google Voice, Voicethread, Vocaroo... Now, a lot of people use Flipgrid.  They are all very similar, but I'd like to explore what we can do in addition to recording and presenting ourselves using these applications.  Again, it's not about the technology, but how we use them. One thing that I love about Flipgrid is that it has the capability to read aloud the prompts to my students.  So my prompt in the target language can be delivered not only textually, but also aurally.

Recently, I assigned a Flipgrid for students to present about one thing they learned to do since all schools went virtual.  They may show us "how" by doing that task, or simply talk into the camera.  I guess, other than getting the students to use the language, it also helped to shed light on the "silver lining" of this indefinite, unstructured period of time at home.  We all have more time at home to try out things we never thought of.

I love making demos to model for my students.  More than showing them how to complete an assignment, I also get to experience challenges just like my students trying to complete this task for the first time.



What can I do with my tens of Flipgrid presentations?  My students can now pick one thing they want to learn from their peers.  I can post listening comprehension questions.  I can teach them proper online etiquettes for complimenting someone's post so they can "react" appropriately to others' online feeds.  My students can also use this opportunity to appreciate the little things in their daily life.  The opportunities are endless.