Flipgrid Discussion
FLIPGRID DISCUSSION is a great way to increase student voice and engagement in all subject areas and grade levels. Get started by clicking on “CREATE A GROUP”. A group can be set up for each class period, athletic team, club, professional development or conference. Only group members can participate in the discussion and interact with other group members. One of the groups I created was for our new Induction teachers, titled “Induction 2021”. For fun, have the students name the group and vote for their favorite name.
Create Group
Once you click on CREATE A GROUP a new screen will appear and give you the option to change cover image. You can select from several options or upload your own image and personal the group for easy recognition. If you select your own image it needs to be small, and when uploaded may look darker and somewhat stretched.
Add a Group name, select the status active to begin immediately or hidden if you want to delay the activity. You can add students easiest by selecting the specific class in Google Classroom.
Introduce Topics
Once you have Created Your Group you will receive this message and have several options to share the link once it is copied. Flipgrid automatically creates your first Topic in the group titled “Hello, I am……”! This will get students discussing and creating immediately.
- QR code
- Google Classroom
- Embed Code
- Microsoft Teams
- Remind
To “CREATE A NEW TOPIC” or prompt for discussion you will add a title for your topic and then ask a question to start the discussion. Links and several media resources can be included to enhance your discussion including Bitmoji 
and emojis. 
If you want pre-made prompts or ideas check out the Discovery Tab that includes a Topic of the Day and Wonder of the Day.
Two topics that were successful with our new teachers were a Pet Challenge and 1st Quarter Successes. Some of the most positive stories and reflections were shared and viewed by the entire group and our Board Members enjoyed participating too.
About the Author
Guest Blog by Marcia Carrillo. Marcia has been a secondary educator for over 30 years and is currently teaching Independent Studies at an alternative high school in California. She has earned her B.S. in Physical Education and Biology and her M.A. in Organizational Leadership . She is passionate about student centered learning and using technology to improve learning and engage students. She can be followed at @MCarrilloEDU on Twitter and Instagram
