Getting Started with Flipgrid

Flipgrid’s catchphrase is “empower every voice”. Teachers and students around the globe use Flipgrid to allow all voices to be heard in the classroom. There are so many uses for Flipgrid in the library, and it’s really easy to get started with Flipgrid!

Sign Up for Flipgrid

Signing up for Flipgrid is simple. You can login with your G Suite or Microsoft account to create an educator account.

Start Your Grid

Once you sign up, dialogue boxes will walk you through the process, but your first step is creating a Grid. Your Grid is like your homebase for your classroom. I like to create a Grid for each grade level that I teach. 

First, you’ll title your Grid. Next, you’ll select a Grid type. 

School Email

If your students have email addresses, you can easily control which domains have access to your Grid. This helps with security. Note that many schools have different domains for students and teachers, so if you want other teachers to have access, input both domains. 

Student IDs

Another option is to allow students to join with the student IDs you populate. For younger students or students that do not have email addresses, this is a great option. 

Educator Learning Community

Because of privacy concerns, I do not use this Grid type with my students. However, this Grid is perfect for PLCs or larger groups of librarians. In addition, if you teach or attend a grad class, Educator Learning Community grids are the way to go!

Finally, you’ll create a flipcode. This is all your teachers or students will need to type in when they join! 

Click next, and your Grid is ready to go!

You can always go back to the top of your screen to see all your Grids. Just click “My Grids”.

Start Your Topics

Once you create a Grid, click on that Grid image to add topics! All Grids come pre-loaded with an introduction topic. Many teachers leave this topic as a way for students to introduce themselves and practice using the Flipgrid tools. This is especially useful for elementary librarians when you see every student and teacher in the school!

The topics you add are dependent on your lessons. For example, you may have a “Book Talk” topic or a “Research” topic for your students. For staff, you may have topics with overviews of certain tech tools or library resources. Staff can then respond with their own ideas or questions. Topics are endless opportunities for creativity and collaboration on Flipgrid.

Recording Videos

To have your students or staff record a video within a Topic, they’ll press the Green + button. Next, they’ll get a dialogue box to allow the camera and microphone.

They must choose to allow videos and audio to be recorded from their laptop, tablet, or mobile device. 

Once they hit record, they’ll be able to start recording with the time allotted. The time can be changed under settings for the topic. Simply click the pencil icon to change the time, turn on video moderation, and other advanced options.

There are several options above the record button for the video.

• Filters: Think Snapchat! Your students and staff can turn on fun filters for their video.
• Text: Users can click on the letter A to write messages on the video.
• Stickers: This is a unique feature to Flipgrid the elementary kids (and even adults). Add Snapchat-like stickers to videos.
• Drawing: The brush tool gives the ability to draw on the video.
• Board: Users have the option to change the background to a full color and use as a whiteboard.
• Photo sticker: Teachers and students can add their own stickers. Try this with your Bitmoji!

Video Submission

Once the video is recorded, the user will click next and then have the option to edit and trim the video.

Finally, they may take a selfie to use as the thumbnail for the video. My students always have a lot of fun with their silly selfies!

After the selfie, the video is published. Remember, you can go back to the topic settings in order to see the videos and approve them before they’re posted. I do this with students not only for privacy, but I can keep track of which videos I view and then approve. 

Sharing Grids, Topics, and Videos

You’ll see share buttons all over Flipgrid. It’s so easy to share, but make sure you’re only sharing with people who have rights to see your students’ videos. 

Flipgrid videos can be embedded, shared to Microsoft teams, Google Classroom, and Remind directly from the share button. In addition, you may copy and paste the link directly.

These are your basic steps to getting started with Flipgrid. There are so many ways to use Flipgrid in the library, which will come in a future post. How will you use Flipgrid in your library classroom?