Screencasts, Instagram, and Flipagram

Social Media is no longer just a way to keep up with friends. It is finding its way into education through creative thinking. Most kids jump at the chance to use any type of technology, so it makes sense to use tools that are relevant to them to engage them in new and innovative ways. In this post, I will be looking at Instagram and Flipagram and their uses. In addition, I will be sharing my experience with Screencast-o-matic and Screencastify. After reviewing each one, I will give you my top pick in each category.

Instagram

Although I had used Instagram in the past, it was for personal use rather than the classroom. At the time, I had never considered that it could have a place within a learning environment. There are many possibilities that make this app worth considering. Instagram is an online photo sharing app that allows users to add filters to their images and share them with other users. Instagram is available on all Apple products and Android devices, making it a lot easier to access and utilize, as many have access to these devices.

One negative aspect is the geo-tag feature. This allows users to see the location where photos were taken. Instagram does offer a way to disable this feature, keeping the location private. With regular school use, educators will need to be mindful and monitor student use closely to prevent any misuse of this feature.

Within the classroom, there are many ways Instagram can be used to engage students. When looking into how to incorporate social media in the classroom, one idea stood out to me. I would have students take pictures of themselves with their favorite books and in the caption, they can give a quick review of the book. I think this will spark excitement in the students because it's definitely a step away from a typical written review. I could easily imagine participation significantly increasing with this being an option. I could also envision students using this tool as a way to keep track of their final products, when they create in makerspace. They could refer back to their pictures and see the evolution of their thinking.

I created an Instagram post to highlight the great things our students created during makerspace time. Please remember to always make sure any photos of students that you share have written parental consent. Without it, you are violating student privacy.

After we read Jon Klassen’s, I Want My Hat Back, kindergarten used Strawbees to create their own hats!

A post shared by @ elc038 on Mar 16, 2018 at 10:29pm PDT

Flipagram

I had never heard of Flipagram prior to this review, but decided to give it a try after reading some blogs about its positive use in the classroom. The app basically creates slideshows from your images. It allows you to have some creative freedom by being able to rearrange the photos into your desired order. A big plus is that you are able to pull images from your device and other social media platforms. It reminds me of creating a presentation on Powerpoint, in that you can set the transition time and add music to the background. You can use your own music or take advantage of their search feature. Just be mindful not to violate fair use.

The app does include a microphone option, allowing you to record your voice and narrate your slideshow. I think this would be a great feature if you were using Flipagram to enhance instruction in the classroom. Students could take a series of photos throughout the writing process, and then create a slideshow. They could narrate the writing steps and share their creation with other students. It's a great way to offer student centered learning and give students the opportunity to take ownership of their learning.

When creating your slideshow, keep in mind that in order to post your final product on Flipagram, the length of the slideshow must not exceed thirty seconds. I liked that it gives you additional sharing options, such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and many more social media sites. You are also able to embed the slideshow you have created on other websites.

Ultimately, despite the lack of user support through a tutorial, the app was relatively easy to set up and use. While simple to use, I found it to be basic, and there wasn't anything really eye-catching about it. After careful consideration between Instagram and Flipagram, I would choose Instagram unless I specifically needed a slide show. I think that using a lot of images at once can be somewhat distracting, so if I felt like I needed more of a presentation, I would use a different resource.

Check out the slideshow I created using Flipagram!

View on Flipagram

Screencast-o-matic

I had some familiarity with screencasts because out of sheer necessity, I had to create a couple this year for both students and teachers. My first two experiences were with Screencastify. It was pretty easy to use and set up. It is an extension through Google Chrome, so there was no download required. The audio quality was average, but I was not a fan of the video quality. It almost has this slight haze over it. Also, it had a ten minute limit which is okay under some circumstance, but was a pain for my purposes. I ended up having to re-record my screencast several times, cutting out more and more information to get it under the limit. In comparison, Screencast-o-matic did require me to download software, which took several minutes. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to record up to a fifteen minute long video.

 Additionally, I like that there is a video editor available with an upgrade (Grrr...I know...it's always about an upgrade.) Normally I would not even consider going "pro," but it only costs $1.50 per month. That is a pretty good deal considering all of the extra options it will afford you. One thing to keep in mind when using this app is that once your video is published, you cannot edit it further. Screencastify did offer some options for editing, but it was minimal compared to Screencast-o-matic.

While recording, I also had the ability to adjust the screen capture. I could crop as much of the screen as I wanted, eliminating the need to close my five hundred tabs I keep open at any given time (which I had to do when using Screencastify.) I found this to be less obstructive, and it allowed me to maintain other work I had going without having to close everything I didn't want viewed.

Both sites allow the videos to be saved as MP4s, and they can be uploaded directly to Youtube. I loved the Screencast-o-matic had an custom embedding feature that let you resize the screencast to fit your selected site. Although I have more experience with Screencastify, I would use Screencast-o-matic in the future. I just found that it felt easier to use, and I would be willing to upgrade for the minimal fee.

In addition to making the screencast below, I previously made a how-to video for teachers on my campus, showing them how to create a Google Site. These screencasts are so handy, and I think it benefits so many viewers because they are not just listening to instructions; they can work along with them step-by-step.