Free Ways to Capture Student Thinking and Check for Understanding

With Microsoft requiring the use of Teams to use Flip (formerly Flipgrid), non-Microsoft school teachers have been looking for alternatives. Here are a few suggestions that could help.

These tools do not have all of the features of Flip, like the ability to give feedback directly on the video submissions, but they offer other unique features that make them worth considering.

Padlet: This is an online virtual bulletin board where students can express their thoughts on a common topic. It's a great tool for brainstorming and sharing ideas. As a Flipgrid replacement it allows students to post text, images, or links to YouTube videos where they've recorded their thoughts. Teachers can also add comments and react to student's posts.

Kami: This is a digital classroom app best known for its PDF and document annotation features. Students can use KAMI to highlight, underline, and leave voice notes, video notes, or text comments directly on digital documents.

Seesaw: A digital portfolio tool that can capture students' understanding through photos, videos, drawings, text notes, and audio recordings. Teachers can provide feedback directly within the platform and share with parents as well.

ChromeOS Screencasts: This is a screencasting tool available on Chromebooks which allows students to record their screen along with voice-over. Screencasts are automatically transcribed and users can add sections to their screencast to better organize what was recorded.

Loom: A video recording tool that allows students to capture their screens and narrate their thought process simultaneously. Recordings can be easily shared with teachers through a link. Loom also allows for direct feedback through comments on the videos.

Canva: A graphic design tool that students can use to visually represent their understanding of a topic. They can record screencasts, themselves, or both while working on a project. Canva integrates with Google Classroom and allows teachers to provide feedback on designs.

Adobe Express: A simplified version of Adobe's popular creative tools, which allows students to create different multimedia projects to express their understanding.

Providing alternative assessments is a great way to AI proof your assignments while also mixing it up a bit for your students. No one wants to do the same thing every day, and these tools offer students a variety of ways to express what they've learned. Plus, they give teachers insight into student comprehension and learning processes in a more vivid and interactive way.

Note: Learn21 recommends that all schools have a data privacy agreement (DPA) in place before using any of these apps or vendors. Want to learn more about DPAs and protecting data? Connect with [email protected] today.