Lights, Camera, LEARN! - Screencast, Instagram, and Flipagram in the Classroom

Technology has wired the generation of digital natives differently than the previous generations. "Technology writer, Nicholas Carr, observed that the emergence of reading encouraged our brains to be focused and imaginative. In contrast, the rise of the Internet is strengthening our ability to scan information rapidly and efficiently." (Taylor, 2012, para. 3) The type of technology and frequency of use will determine the effects in the development of children's thinking.

Below are three web applications that are widely used by digital natives and ways teachers can utilize them that will be beneficial to their students' mental development. It is very important that students not only understand digital citizenship, but also practice it before using any social media apps.

SCREENCAST

Screencasting or video screen narration allows you to record your computer screen and voice. It does not require you to show your face which could be intimidating to a lot of people. Screencasting allows teachers to become virtual instructors which is essential in flipped, blended, and individualized learning.

Here are some ways you can utilize screencasting in your classroom:

1. Virtual lessons - teachers record lessons to give students a preview of what they will learn ahead of time as part of flipped learning model or view it at their own pace for individualized learning. Virtual lessons can also be used as part of a substitute plan so that students can continue to learn even when the teacher is absent.

2. Workstations - to provide directions and support when students are working in different workstations.

3. Teacher feedback - give students a feedback regarding their work, especially on assignments that were submitted online.

4. Student think alouds - students record themselves and provide an analysis on digital texts.

5.Assessment tool - students create their own videos teaching a lesson or explaining a concept they learned.

INSTAGRAM

Instagram is becoming more popular in this age of "selfies." Taking pictures is a breeze because cellphones are now equipped with cameras. Sharing pictures is also instantaneous because most cellular networks provide data connectivity. Teachers can take advantage of this technology to increase student engagement.

Here are some ways to integrate Instagram in the classroom:

1. Assessments - quizzes can be done as individuals or teams. Students can explain the pictures based on the concepts they have learned using newly acquired academic vocabulary words.

2. Showcase student learning - share pictures of student products and classroom activities to parents and staff members to provide a sense of ownership and validation of student efforts.

3. Share book recommendation - share pictures of books with a short description that will motivate their classmates to read.

4. Build classroom culture - students share pictures about themselves to build relationships with one another.

5. Writing Prompts - teacher and students post pictures that can be used as writing prompts.

Here's how Kayla Delzer, 3rd grade teacher, used Instagram in her classroom: topdogkids.

FLIPAGRAM

Flipagram is a free-video creating app that allows you to create a 30-second video. It has a ton of music soundtracks that you can use as a background and special effects to customize your video.

Despite the limited amount of time and customization, it can be used to increase student engagement and provide learning through repetition because it replays automatically.

Ways to use Flipagram in the classroom:

1. Showcase class products - A video with pictures of different student products. A maximum of 10 pictures can be uploaded at a time.

2. Concepts involving categories, steps, stages, and sequences -create videos with each picture showing the different things in a category or stages of a cycle, sequence of events, procedure, scientific method, etc.

3. Storytelling -students create a wordless video story while other students will infer what the story is about.

4. Historical events -students make a video showing the different historical events either by taking a picture of their drawing or re-enactment of historical scenes.

5. Book trailers - students promote a book by doing a book trailer to motivate other students to read.

VERDICT:

I enjoyed creating Flipagram the most because it has a lot of music selections which help enhance the video. I struggled at first and had to redo the video I created because I could not figure out how to add texts. It definitely has a lot of customization limitations and requires a smartphone to edit it. It would have been better if Flipagram has a desktop version for easier editing.

Creating a screencast was the most uncomfortable for me. I do not like recording and hearing my voice.It is also time consuming. It took me an entire day to create a screencast that I'm satisfied with. However, I think that creating a screencast will be the most beneficial app among the three because it is a great resource for flipped and individualized instruction. Students can pause and go back to the parts of the concepts they are learning.

No matter which app the teacher decides to use, there are are various ways to integrate technology into the classroom that can benefit student thinking development.

Sources:

Holden, Shannon. (2014, November 18). Using Flipagram to help students

categorize knowledge. Retrieved from https://home.edweb.net/using-flipagram-help-students-categorize-knowledge/.

Hudson, Hannah. (2016, August 7). 10 surprising ways to use instagram in the

classroom. Retrieved from: https://www.weareteachers.com/10-surprising-ways-to-use-instagram-in-the-classroom-2/.

Letter, Tamara. (2015, April 15). Flip your classroom with instructional

screencasts. Retrieved from: https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=377.

Schrock, Kathy. (n.d.). Screencasting and screen recording in the classroom.

Retrieved from: http://www.schrockguide.net/screencasting.html.

Taylor, Jim. (2012, December 4). How technology is changing the way

children think and focus. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-prime/201212/how-technology-is-changing-the-way-children-think-and-focus.

Wedgwood, Catherine. (2016, February 16). 8 ways to integrate Instagram

into the classroom. Retrieved from: http://www.gettingsmart.com/2016/02/8-ways-to-integrate-instagram-into-the-classroom/.