Microsoft has decided to retire Flip (formerly Flipgrid) their video discussion app as of September 2024. Instead of being a standalone app, it will now be included as part of Teams for Education. Microsoft justified the decision by saying it would make it easier for Educators by reducing the number of separate apps they would need to use.
As regular readers of my blog will know I am a big advocate of developing students' Digital creativity and skills. As I have mentioned in previous posts, most students now have a smartphone with a good-quality camera and a range of applications available to aid them with editing.
With the popularity of video-sharing tools such as TikTok you will find that many of your students are already creators themselves. What I liked about the Flip was its ease of use, you could either access it via the app or via the browser, you pose a question or challenge, then students could record a short video, either appearing in it or just a voice with images in response to that, or they could record videos in response to each other’s posts. It was a terrific way to build student confidence when it came to communicating a particular point.
However, now that Microsoft has decided to include it as part of Teams for Education, those of us whose organisations, do not use Teams for Education are going to have to find an alternative way to use video with our students.
So here are some alternative tools for creating videos or discussions with students.
My first thought is the perennial favourite, and that’s Canva. Canva keeps getting better and better with each update they launch. For those not familiar with it, it is a digital creative tool that allows you to create a range of distinct types of media, including video, images, infographics, social media posts, and presentations. great tool for students to develop their creativity.
Their video features are easy to use, you can choose the format of the video to suit the social media platform you are going to share it on. You can then pick one of their templates as a starting point or simply upload or record content directly. You add as many frames once you have recorded or uploaded the video you can then add text, shapes, icons, and images just as you do when creating graphics.
When it comes to the sharing of videos, Canva has a whiteboard tool that is remarkably like Google Jamboard in that multiple users can collaborate at once. You can add a link and with a YouTube video, you can have it set to embed the video.
Here is my video guide to Canva video
My next choice may surprise some as it is not video but audio instead, and it is Adobe podcast. For me, podcasting is still a wonderful way to develop your student's communication skills whilst also enabling them to develop their Digital skills.
Adobe Podcast is available for free, the premium subscription is included as part of your subscription to one of the core products such as Photoshop.
My favourite feature of Adobe Podcast is the way you edit the audio, unlike other platforms where you end up listening to the audio multiple times to work out where to cut it. With Adobe Podcast you simply edit the transcript text, and it automatically edits the audio for you. It also has the added benefit that it will help the students to develop written communication skills whilst raising their awareness of how they speak.
Here is my guide to using Adobe podcast.
My final suggestion is ClipChamp, a free and easy to use Video creator tool, which has recently been purchased by Microsoft. You wither upload content you have already recorded from your device, Google drive, One Drive and Drop box. Or you can record content directly choosing to record, Screen and Camera, Camera, Screen or Audio. You also make use of their text-to-speech feature to add a voice-over.
Here is my guide to using ClimpChamp
One other suggestion for sharing content is Padlet like Canva whiteboard multiple users can collaborate by adding text and links to video content if you have a teacher subscription.
Here is my guide to Padlet
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