SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition)
As introduced in my last post, the SAMR model is commonly used for technology integration (Puentedura, 2012). For a refresher, the acronym, SAMR, stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition (Puentedura, 2012). As shown in the image of the model, technology can either serve as an enhancement or a transformation. The idea is that technology integration ebbs and flows between the four levels of the SAMR model, mimicking an individual swimming laps. With this in mind, the use of SAMR as a model for technology integration helps educators to transform their students’ educational experiences in a way that provides meaningful and rigorous tasks. Flipgrid
Flipgrid is a newer program that embraces student voice. As “the leading video discussion platform for millions of PreK to PhD educators, students, and families in 180+ countries,” Flipgrid has paved the way for global and collaborative learning (Microsoft, 2019). Essentially, Flipgrid is a free platform for educators that provides a space for students to create videos on a specific topic. Those videos can then be viewed by classmates, who can also respond to their peers through additional videos. As Microsoft (2019) shares, “Ever student has a voice, so let’s amplify! Students record short, authentic videos and can reply to each other’s videos. Educators are 100% in control with video moderation, access controls, and much more.” The collections of videos, referred to as “topics,” can also be safely shared with families, other classes, administrators, etc. So how does it work? Educators create grids and topics using their free account. While creating the grids, educators approve a specific email domain, which allows access only to the students within their class. For example, in my classroom, I have approved the “students.abss.k12.nc.us” email domain so that any student in my classroom can login using their Chromebook. If a common email domain is not available in a classroom, there is also the option to provide students with a “Flip” code or QR code to access the video topics.
Once a teacher creates a grid or topic, it can be accessed by students with a code or through a link. The link can easily be added to Google Classroom, Google applications, or Pear Deck presentations. Flipgrid is accessible on any device – Surface, Chromebook, laptop, iPad, iPhone, or Android device (Microsoft, 2019). There are also apps available for Windows 10, iOS, and Android (Microsoft, 2019).
After the set-up and sharing of the topics, the students record their video with easy-to-use tools that allow for students to “capture widescreen videos, pause while recording, add more after reviewing, and trim to perfect” (Microsoft, 2019). Videos can extend from 15 seconds to 5 minutes, depending on the settings provided by the educator. Flipgrid provides the platform for students to “perfect the elevator pitch or give a short presentation” (Microsoft, 2019).
In addition to these features, there are also:
After the set-up and sharing of the topics, the students record their video with easy-to-use tools that allow for students to “capture widescreen videos, pause while recording, add more after reviewing, and trim to perfect” (Microsoft, 2019). Videos can extend from 15 seconds to 5 minutes, depending on the settings provided by the educator. Flipgrid provides the platform for students to “perfect the elevator pitch or give a short presentation” (Microsoft, 2019).
In addition to these features, there are also:
- Video downloads
- Stickers & drawings
- Custom assessment rubrics
- Video feedback
- Topic invites
- Private share links
- Vibes
- and more on the way, including Mix Tapes
Flipgrid provides the space for collecting every student’s voice. With this format, the videos on Flipgrid can be used for a formative or summative assessment, depending on the standard and/or task. Flipgrid can also serve as a brainstorming ground, where students can embrace the learning process and share their thinking. Flipgrid appeals to students who are linguistic and auditory learners and thinkers. The platform is also highly engaging to students because the format mimics that of YouTube, which students are highly drawn to in their free time. Overall, Flipgrid provides a space for engaging students in a risk-free environment that invites everyone’s voice to be heard. The collections, or “Topics,” allows for students to interact and learn from one another; they also provide teachers with content that can assist them in making decisions for how to support or guide students as they progress.
Planning Ideas
Planning Ideas
Flipgrid provides a plethora of “ready-to-rock” topics in their Discovery Library, where “educators share their best Topics for a wide-range of ages and subjects” (Microsoft, 2019). This resource is available with an educator account. The topics that are included do not share student content, only the template and linked resources (Microsoft, 2019). The topic template can then be copied to any educator’s account and quickly shared with students.
Flipgrid also provides an “Inspire” page where one topic idea is displayed at a time. Educators can choose to copy the topic to their own grid, or produce a new inspiration.
A quick scroll through Twitter can provide a surplus of planning ideas. Check out these ideas from fellow tweeters:
A second way I use Flipgrid in my first grade classroom is during literacy stations. A Flipgrid Topic is provided for the “Read to Self” and fluency stations. For the “Read to Self” station, the students record themselves reading a differentiated text of their choosing. Altogether, the Flipgrid Topic provides a plethora of read-aloud’s for the students to listen to at school or at home! During the fluency station, the students read a text that reflects our DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency assessment.
We also occasionally use Flipgrid as an assessment tool for our English Language Arts standards. A question related to the standard is posed and students answer with a Flipgrid video. Then, given a rubric, the students go back to watch themselves and grade their response according to the standard.
In my experience with Flipgrid, I appreciate the tool for the safe space that it provides for empowering student voice. As a teacher, I am thankful for the controls that Flipgrid allows me to set and for the changes made this summer to make Grids and Topics more secure. Access to the platform is quick and easy for my students, and the tools within the program are user-friendly, too. Students love creating Flipgrid videos so their engagement is very high during these activities.
One of the greatest downfalls with using Flipgrid is not with the program itself, but with the premise of students creating videos. I have found that I have the largest amount of classroom management issues when Flipgrid access is available to my students on Google Classroom. We have had to review the expectations for using computers safely and appropriately, particularly with Flipgrid, over and over again. The students like to replicate what they have viewed on YouTube, and to watch themselves, so we have had to also talk about the purpose of Flipgrid as an educational tool that helps us with tasks that we are completing at school. One way I have started managing this is by scheduling Google Classroom links for Flipgrid to only be accessible during the time that we will be using them. I have also started making Flipgrid Topics “inactive” while substitutes are in the classroom to avoid unsafe behaviors outside of my supervision.
Another downfall of using Flipgrid in my first grade classroom is the ability to calculate views and likes for each video. Even though my students are only six years old, they have already been exposed to social media and the value that society places on the views and likes that are calculated for posts that their families and friends are posting. Therefore, when I first introduced Flipgrid, many tears were had over peers not liking their videos or a low number of views. This option ended up having the opposite effect than what I had intended to use Flipgrid for. Thus, I explored the settings on Topics in Flipgrid, and discovered that the option to calculate views and likes can be disabled so that students cannot view that information. This has helped tremendously!
Going back to the SAMR Model that was introduced at the beginning of this post, I would suggest that Flipgrid can be used in all four forms. Flipgrid is a great resource that can be used by educators, but it is truly up to the educator to use the tool in a way that engages students. It is appropriate to have activities ebb and flow through the SAMR Model, as if swimming laps in a pool, but it is the responsibility of the teacher – not the program – to provide these opportunities for students. In my own experiences, here are some lesson activities that reflect each of the stages of the SAMR Model:
Flipgrid also provides an “Inspire” page where one topic idea is displayed at a time. Educators can choose to copy the topic to their own grid, or produce a new inspiration.
A quick scroll through Twitter can provide a surplus of planning ideas. Check out these ideas from fellow tweeters:
- “Presenting and teaching our classmates about forces and interactions using Flipgrid. Then, classmates viewing and giving positive detailed feedback.” (@MrsDino2)
- “Students in Mrs. Morton’s 7th grade English class made fractured fairy tales using Flipgrid.” (@dmscdps)
- “I love @flipgrid & seeing students interact w/families! Students filmed sharing choice persuasive essay topics so A) I know parents are cool with topic choices & B) parents can share ideas.” (@katearthur)
- “Using Flipgrid to explain how to solve two step equations.” (@diannaritter)
Beyond using Flipgrid in an individual classroom, the platform also provides the opportunity to engage with #GridPals, which allows educators to “take [their] classroom global and connect with another educator to step up a #GridPals collaboration” (Microsoft, 2019). For more information and ideas on planning a global connection using Flipgrid, check out the GridPals Guide.
Useful Websites
Useful Websites
Flipgrid lists the following resources for accessing additional information and inspiration on getting started with and using Flipgrid:
What are people saying about the program?
- The Educator’s Guide to Flipgrid: an eBook that includes tips, tricks, and resources
- Flipgrid Integration Docs: a collection of age-and subject-specific documents that include topic ideas
- #GridTip Party: a resource for diving deeper into best practices for implementing and engaging learners with Flipgrid
What are people saying about the program?
Flipgrid is receiving excellent reviews on social media platforms. A quick search of the hashtag, #flipgridfever, or a scan of Flipgrid’s Twitter reveals the many wonderful things that educators are saying about Pear Deck as a tool in the classroom. Here are some of the tweets:
My Review & Reflections
- “Flipgrid is revolutionizing the way teachers teach and students learn!” (@MissNikkiIn5th)
- “Flipgird has not only amplified my students’ voice but their confidence, as all voices are heard.” (@BreSchwandt)
- “Flipgrid transforms discussions by extending the learning environment beyond classroom walls.” (@mr_meighen)
- “Flipgrid is amplifying student’s ordinary voice to extraordinary!” (@ContempoIssues)
- “Ownership, voice, collaboration, creativity, global connections, problem solving, reflection…Flipgrid is this and so much more!” (@techamys)
- “Flipgrid changes the game in education by empowering student voice like never before.” (Flipgrid changes the game in education by empowering student voice like never before.” (@danklumper)
- “I use @flipgrid to give #studentvoice and to allow them to show what they know. If they choose, they can make this part of their assessment. I love it. They love it. Its awesome (and…shhhh its easier to grade)” (@VidalTeacher9)
- “@Flipgrid Everyone has a voice to make a contribution. It removes barriers to participation. I love it!” (@efpawlak)
- “As someone who was shy in elementary school, applications such as @Flipgrid allow students who are shy to speak out share their thoughts in a safe way.” (@beccajoy9)
- “Pretty incredible that – with the technological help of Google docs and @Flipgrid -- #IBEnglish students in @BayPortHS, WI, USA can annotate on and video-confer about essays written by peers from across the world!” (@LAwithMrsHR)
My Review & Reflections
I currently use Flipgrid in a variety of ways in my first grade classroom. The primary use of Flipgrid is to help my students voice their brainstorming and planning before writing. Writing with pencil and paper can often be a frustration during first grade because the students are so focused on sounding out and spelling words that they lose sight of the content they are writing. By having the students create a video on Flipgrid during the beginning stages of the writing process, the students can get out all of their thoughts – messy or coherent – in a format that is saved for them to review. Then, as the teacher, I have the ability to watch the videos on Flipgrid to know how I can support each student in their writing pieces. The students can also listen to their peers to gain ideas and to provide support to one another.
A second way I use Flipgrid in my first grade classroom is during literacy stations. A Flipgrid Topic is provided for the “Read to Self” and fluency stations. For the “Read to Self” station, the students record themselves reading a differentiated text of their choosing. Altogether, the Flipgrid Topic provides a plethora of read-aloud’s for the students to listen to at school or at home! During the fluency station, the students read a text that reflects our DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency assessment.
We also occasionally use Flipgrid as an assessment tool for our English Language Arts standards. A question related to the standard is posed and students answer with a Flipgrid video. Then, given a rubric, the students go back to watch themselves and grade their response according to the standard.
In my experience with Flipgrid, I appreciate the tool for the safe space that it provides for empowering student voice. As a teacher, I am thankful for the controls that Flipgrid allows me to set and for the changes made this summer to make Grids and Topics more secure. Access to the platform is quick and easy for my students, and the tools within the program are user-friendly, too. Students love creating Flipgrid videos so their engagement is very high during these activities.
One of the greatest downfalls with using Flipgrid is not with the program itself, but with the premise of students creating videos. I have found that I have the largest amount of classroom management issues when Flipgrid access is available to my students on Google Classroom. We have had to review the expectations for using computers safely and appropriately, particularly with Flipgrid, over and over again. The students like to replicate what they have viewed on YouTube, and to watch themselves, so we have had to also talk about the purpose of Flipgrid as an educational tool that helps us with tasks that we are completing at school. One way I have started managing this is by scheduling Google Classroom links for Flipgrid to only be accessible during the time that we will be using them. I have also started making Flipgrid Topics “inactive” while substitutes are in the classroom to avoid unsafe behaviors outside of my supervision.
Another downfall of using Flipgrid in my first grade classroom is the ability to calculate views and likes for each video. Even though my students are only six years old, they have already been exposed to social media and the value that society places on the views and likes that are calculated for posts that their families and friends are posting. Therefore, when I first introduced Flipgrid, many tears were had over peers not liking their videos or a low number of views. This option ended up having the opposite effect than what I had intended to use Flipgrid for. Thus, I explored the settings on Topics in Flipgrid, and discovered that the option to calculate views and likes can be disabled so that students cannot view that information. This has helped tremendously!
Going back to the SAMR Model that was introduced at the beginning of this post, I would suggest that Flipgrid can be used in all four forms. Flipgrid is a great resource that can be used by educators, but it is truly up to the educator to use the tool in a way that engages students. It is appropriate to have activities ebb and flow through the SAMR Model, as if swimming laps in a pool, but it is the responsibility of the teacher – not the program – to provide these opportunities for students. In my own experiences, here are some lesson activities that reflect each of the stages of the SAMR Model:
- Substitution Example: Students record themselves reading a text.
- Augmentation Example: Students record themselves answering a prompt and then answer and respond to other students in their class.
- Modification Example: Students answer a prompt on Flipgrid, then use a rubric to go back and assess themselves on a particular standard.
- Redefinition Example: Students learn and share internationally with another class.
In moving forward, I would like to expand my use of Flipgrid to include math, science, and social studies topics. I am envisioning students solving and explaining word problems, building numbers with base ten blocks, speaking from a historical figure’s point of view, etc. I would like to explore the Flipgrid Integration Docs for more ideas and the #GridTip Party for more information on best practices with using Flipgrid.
In addition, I would like to get Flipgrid Certified. In order to do this, I will go through a learning pathway on Flipgrid that includes completing my profile, using Flipgrid with my students, receiving responses to student videos, and adding my own responses to student videos.
Lastly, I would like to get better about responding to my students’ videos. I allow them to respond to one another but I am not very good about adding my own responses. I think my students would really enjoy this, and it would be a good accountability piece, as well.
In addition, I would like to get Flipgrid Certified. In order to do this, I will go through a learning pathway on Flipgrid that includes completing my profile, using Flipgrid with my students, receiving responses to student videos, and adding my own responses to student videos.
Lastly, I would like to get better about responding to my students’ videos. I allow them to respond to one another but I am not very good about adding my own responses. I think my students would really enjoy this, and it would be a good accountability piece, as well.
Continuing My Learning
As I continue learning about useful digital resources, I would like to explore more uses of Class Dojo for the classroom and in a school-wide context. The school I am teaching at currently uses Class Dojo as part of our PBIS matrix and to communicate with our families, but I know that there are extended uses of the online tool that I have yet to explore. Class Dojo is a free online resource, modeled similar to Facebook, which allows for quick and easy communication between the school and student families. The website also allows teachers to reward and deduce points for student behavior, and then creates a stream of data for each student’s behavior over time. I look forward to exploring this digital resource in depth during my next post.
References
References
[Flipgrid certified educator]. Retrieved from https://i2.wp.com/mamaestes.com/blog2/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/flipgrid.png?fit=650%2C650
[Flipgrid logo]. Retrieved from https://www.jetsisrael.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/flipgrid.png
[Flipgrid topic example]. Retrieved from https://catlintucker.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Flipped-Grid-1-1024x561.png
Microsoft. (2019). Flipgrid. Retrieved from https://flipgrid.com/
Puentedura, R. R. (2012). The SAMR model: Background and exemplars. Retrieved from http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/2012/08/23/SAMR_BackgroundExemplars.pdf
[The SAMR model for technology integration]. Retrieved from https://sbtechpd.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/5/0/10502433/samr-deep-dive_orig.png
Puentedura, R. R. (2012). The SAMR model: Background and exemplars. Retrieved from http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/2012/08/23/SAMR_BackgroundExemplars.pdf
[The SAMR model for technology integration]. Retrieved from https://sbtechpd.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/5/0/10502433/samr-deep-dive_orig.png
