Abstract
This article gives a brief overview of Flipgrid and Seesaw, two free platforms that allow for video responses to prompts provided by the teacher. Flipgrid allows students to see other students’ submissions and allows students to provide feedback to their classmates. Seesaw defaults to private submission of assigned activities in a variety of formats. Potential assessment implications are also discussed.
In the land of assessment, teachers work diligently to accurately collect data and determine what students know. Music teachers have the challenge of seeing so many students in a day that collecting and maintaining assessment documentation can be a challenge. My campus is switching to the platform known as Canvas, which allows for a variety of assessment submission possibilities; one of our local school districts also recently switched to Canvas for their learning management system. Some of our local school districts are Google campuses, typically using Google Classroom to help manage their information. The school district must be registered with Google to have access to Google Classroom; hence, teachers do not have access to the Google Classroom tools if a school district is not registered with Google, even if the teachers have individual Google accounts or use other Google products such as Docs, Sheets, and so on. This means teachers who do not have access to the above learning management systems often look for effective and cost-efficient ways to collect and organize information for their classrooms.
The other assessment challenge for music teachers is authentic assessment. Students in the music classroom cannot solely be assessed on what they write down. Performance assessment can be the best way to determine students’ understanding of music concepts. Even if there are relatively quick and easy ways to have students share what they know in writing, these assessment methods do not always capture what students can do in music. This topic was discussed recently in a meeting of elementary music educators in my area, and two additional platforms were mentioned as effective ways to assess performance in the music classroom: Flipgrid and Seesaw. Both are free, allow students to submit video and/or audio as a response, and work on multiple devices. In this article, a brief overview will be given of both Flipgrid and Seesaw to show potential use in the music classroom.
Flipgrid (https://flipgrid.com)
Flipgrid is a free platform that allows students to record answers on any device, including Microsoft, Apple, and Google devices; mobile devices require the app to record video. The platform was recently purchased by Microsoft according to Flipgrid’s blog and website, and the company is making Flipgrid free to all educators and students with unlimited video uploads. Recorded videos can be seen by others in the class, although teachers can also connect with other teachers and classrooms using Flipgrid in other locations. If students do not want the class to see their videos, students can hide their videos so only the teacher can see their responses. Only the teacher can completely remove videos from the grid. The teacher can choose a video length between 15 seconds and 5 minutes for students’ responses. The teacher can moderate the videos to ensure quality or appropriateness before posting it to the grid. Students can react and comment on other students’ videos, similar to social media sites.
A Flipgrid account is easy to create. Either Microsoft or Google logins can be used. A “grid” in Flipgrid is the class, which means grids can be created for each class. The teacher sets the privacy for each grid, which includes limiting logins to the school domain name, student ID number login with a Flipgrid code or QR code, or Public grids that only require the Flipgrid code for viewing. Teachers can also send a link to parents using a Family Share link. The link allows the student’s family members to view only the student’s video rather than providing access to the entire grid.
There are several possibilities for assessment using Flipgrid. The teacher can create topics for the grid in which students will submit a response, such as recording and sharing class projects. Similarly, students working in small groups could submit a video of their performance. This platform would make it possible for students to record responses at home or in school. Students can record, trim, and rerecord video with ease. If students are given a 5-minute time limit to record a song on recorder, students would be able to play the song several times without stopping and trim the video to take the best attempt. If wanted, students can see other students’ videos and provide feedback on the performance. There are many potential applications for student performance and assessment using this tool.
Seesaw (https://web.seesaw.me)
Seesaw is another platform that allows for a variety of media submissions, including pictures, video recordings, and audio recordings. The teacher can create up to 100 activities for free; two teachers can participate in an account in the free version, and both teachers can have up to 10 classes each in the account. Other tools available in the free version include messaging between teachers and families and a class blog. Families can be invited to view the blog, and selected student work can be published directly from students’ journals into the blog. Seesaw allows for a variety of possibilities for student sign in, including text codes and/or QR codes for shared devices, codes for individual students aligned to the class list, or an e-mail sign-in using individual student e-mail addresses.
Like Flipgrid, students can like and comment on each other’s work. However, these options must be allowed by the teacher in the settings. In Flipgrid, it is assumed students will be able to see other students’ work unless the student or the teacher chooses to hide a student’s work, whereas in Seesaw, the default is for all work to be private unless the setting is changed. Teachers can also choose to moderate student submissions before they can be seen by others if the share mode is enabled. If the teacher chooses to use the blog, the teacher approves all posts, selects if student first names are seen (last names are never shown), and chooses whether comments will be allowed on the blog posts. Announcements can be sent through Seesaw to both students and family as needed.
Seesaw has several possibilities for assessment in the music classroom. Activities can be set up and sent out to the class electronically. Any time a student completes work, the completed item goes into the students’ journal. It would be possible to see a collection of work over time. Seesaw also allows for a variety of ways to respond, either written or recorded audio or video. Students would be able to submit work individually to the teacher, or students could submit work to be viewed by other students. This can allow for feedback from a variety of sources if permitted by the teacher.
More Tools for the Tool Box
When talking with colleagues, a constant topic is how to assess quickly, effectively, and authentically, considering the many possibilities of devices available through school districts or devices owned by students. We are teaching many students each day, and data management is a necessity. Having quick and easy ways for students to record video and/or audio can open other possibilities for assessment in the music classroom. Whether it be individual assignments, group assignments, recorder assessments, or small group performance, these tools can give music teachers another way to collect and assess student work.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.