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Free Books for Your Classroom
Classroom CloseUP
How I Use This App in My Classroom
After students have read their book(s) on Epic!, completed an assignment on Seesaw, and given feedback to each other, they are now ready to reflect on their learning.
Students tend to be more successful when they are given some guidelines for their reflections. Questions such as, “What did you learn?” are open-ended and simple, but questions that are more specific to the lesson are what I have found to be the most beneficial. Examples include: “How will you use story elements when you read other books?” “How will using text features help you the next time you read a non-fiction book?” “When making text connections, which connection was the most difficult for you to make and why?” Question stems are also appropriate here. All videos, when finished, can be moderated by the teacher and published to the grid. Here, other students can view and like videos, and they can even reply with text or another video, similar to Seesaw. Teachers have the ability to turn this feature off as well. Flipgrid provides me, as the classroom teacher, an excellent informal assessment tool to check for understanding that is a different medium that shows a different perspective. It is also fun. My students love when I post my own video to their grid, and it provides a great model of how to complete their reflection.
Technology can create a thriving learning environment. Students examine relevant content, explore meaning, and delve into engaging opportunities for increased rigor, challenges, and connections (Routman, 2018). Many apps can be smashed in order to make the most meaningful learning experiences for your students.
References
Kulowiec, G. (2013). App smashing: Part 1. Retrieved from http://kulowiectech.blogspot.com/2013/02/app-smashing-part-i.html
Routman, R. (2018). Literacy essentials: Engagement, excellence, and equity for all learners. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
LInda Meckem has taught elementary school for 13 years in the Waynesville School District in Waynesville, MO. Currently, she teaches fifth grade at an elementary school at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.
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