EDpuzzle: a Go-To Platform for the Flipped Class Novice

Flipping a lesson, let alone an entire classroom, is a time-consuming, laborious, chore.  Yes, the payoff is spectacular (differentiated learning, individualized pacing, higher-order thinking, etc.), but many teachers take one look at the legwork it takes to produce, edit and host video content and throw in the towel.

My job as an Instructional Technology Specialist, is to show them the light at the end of the tunnel.  Today, I hosted a training on blended classrooms and flipped learning (presentation below).  In my research on ideal platforms for the novice teacher, I found EDpuzzle.

My initial reaction was an increasing head-nod of approval as I saw that it could:

- Sign in via Google (+1).
- Search and import video from sites like YouTube, Vimeo, TeacherTube, LearnZillion, and Khan Academy.
- Allow teachers to record their own audio track over the existing video.
- Allow teachers to add voice comments inserted within the video.
- Insert quizzes within the video.
- Manage who in your class has watched the video, when and what scores they achieved on the embedded quizzes.
- Host the video in a minimalistic browser window...
- ...or embed the video elsewhere!

In my training, I exposed teachers to ~10 websites they could leverage to create/host video for their sample flipped lessons.  75% of them went with EDpuzzle as their solution.  Comments that I overheard were:

- "I love how it walks you through the process of customizing the video."
- "So all I have to do is just log in with my Google account and I can begin creating?!"
- "Wait...I can keep track of who has watched the videos?  Awesome."
- "Cool...I can rerecord the entire thing or just put in a voice comment."

In well under 30 minutes, one teacher (with no previous screencasting experience nor PD on how to use EDpuzzle) managed to create this video:

Some feature requests that teachers had were:

- the ability to export the video to .mp4 or re-upload the new video (minus quizzes) to their YouTube channel
- the ability to add in Video comments
- the ability to add in text comments that can link out to another web resource

All in all, EDpuzzle is a fantastic platform for novice and experienced Flipped educators alike.  Take a moment and check 'em out!

+Bob Petitto's Flipped Class *reFRESH Training:

Screencastify: A Quick and Easy Screencasting Solution for your Chromebook!

To completely negate my previous post about the nonexistence of Chromebook screencasting solutions, I have since found a fantastic little extension called Screencastify.  This is EXACTLY what I've been waiting for since discovering that the only way to do a screencast on a Chromebook is to have a solo Hangout on Air.

Screencastify has the ability to record a tab or the entire desktop.  The Record Desktop feature works cross-platform: Windows, Mac or ChromeOS.  It can also record in various resolutions and with two different audio input configurations: system audio or microphone.

When the screencast is finished, it can be renamed and stored within the extension popup window until you download it (as a .webm file), upload it to YouTube or delete it.  Best part of all is that it's lightning quick. 

Now students w/ Chromebooks can quickly capture, narrate and share their learning with you, the teacher! 

Check out my screencast below and see for yourself!

PixiClip: A Whiteboard-casting Solution for Chromebooks

Apps like ScreenChomp, Educreations, ShowMe and Explain Everything have had huge instructional impact in the classroom.  With a click of a button, students are able to demonstrate understanding by having the app record their voice and annotations.  These clips are then saved to the cloud and shared with the teacher.

Like I said, huge impact.  Especially when aligning these skills to the Common Core State Standards for Speaking and Listening.  The problem: these apps don't exist for the Chromebook.  In fact, since Chromebooks cannot install executable files, not a single screencasting solution (aside from Google Hangouts on Air + Screensharing) exists for the device.

After two days of searching (a.k.a. two days of disappointment), I finally discovered PixiClip, a  glorious Whiteboard-casting Web2.0 solution!

The best features include:

• No sign-in needed!
• Ink annotation
• Text annotation
• Upload (multiple) images
• Insert audio/video
• Records automatically
• Automatically pauses between interaction/utilization of tools (unless recording voice/webcam)
• Ability to restart the recording
• Share via social media, email, link, or embed (see below!)

Word-of-warning--PixiClip is still in Beta:

• No Google integration
• Resizing images doesn't always carry over to the finished recording
• Embed is a bit spotty

This app shows a lot of promise, especially if leveraging Acer's new c720p Touchscreen Chromebook. 

Click here if you cannot see the embedded Pixiclip.