Lemon Tech Tidbits

     In today’s world, students are accessing and sharing information in video form more than ever before. Think about the popularity of social media apps such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Youtube. Thankfully for educators, we can still use Flipgrid for free!      What is Flipgrid? It is only the easiest way to create and share video! It was already great but this summer, Microsoft has released some updates to make Flipgrid even better!      In the blog, DitchThatTextbook, Matt Miller provides twenty plus ways instructors and students can use the updates to increase engagement in their classrooms.      Some of the updates he mentions, such as the Lens and Music, can only be done on the mobile app while others are available for all.      My favorite update? That would be the ability to record yourself “standing” in front of your Google Slides or picture. But then again, I also like the new filters you can use, the bor...

What is it? Threadit is a quick and easy way to create short videos to communicate easier with others. What? Watch this quick intro video about this new product. Okay, I’m interested. How can I use it? Richard Byrne has created this video to show you how to create a threadit video. In addition, he has created a blog post you can read here.      The Threadit app comes as a web app and a Chrome extension to make it even easier to use. (right now, it is blocked by our organization). Why is it like Flipgrid and not Screencastify? Threadit allows you to share the video with others who can then make their own video replies on their own time. They can also easily share a Threadit with others. Why is it called Threadit? The idea behind the name is you can create these short little videos and then “stitch” them together into one cohesive video later. Is there a price? Not right now but in the feature, they might be a free and paid subscription choice.

Mrs. Cochran tagged me on an Instagram post about MOTE and I thought I would share it with all of you. What is Mote? : Mote is a freemium Chrome Extension that allows you to leave voice comments on G Suite tools from Google Docs to Google Slides. It works really well in Google Classroom as it will leave voice comments as private comments to a student. If you use a rubric (or not), you can use Mote to provide feedback to students. Mote for Students? Yes, students can use Mote to leave feedback when doing peer review or leave comments to teachers such as asking for more help or responding to a teacher’s mote. Where can I get more information? Browse their website, justmote.me , for more information about the free and paid versions. This video is under ten minutes and provides a brief introduction to MOTE. This video is around 20 minutes long and provides in-depth instruction on how to use MOTE. (fyi - she says you have 60 sec but you actually only have 30 sec per note)

     One of my favorite, and completely FREE, digital tools is Flipgrid . I love how easy it is to use for both teachers and students. (If you have never used Flipgrid before, go to the website and watch the quick intro video. Scroll down and access the tutorials for even more information). If you haven’t signed into Flipgrid lately, you may have missed some of the updates. For example, with Flipgrid, you can now record a video using a whiteboard complete with drawing tools, insert pictures or another video, add stickers, change backgrounds, use custom frames, add text in different fonts, and it even has Adobe Spark integration. Coming soon will be the option for students and teachers to leave comments with text or video.  Another cool new feature is called Flipgrid SHORTS . It basically takes the power of recording a video on Flipgrid to easily share on Google Classroom.   Two more changes, Grids is now called Groups and a new feature called Discussion which c...

It is so important for students to be given appropriate feedback when they turn in assignments. Yet, typing individual comments can be a challenge and time-consuming. So why not use something else? With the new changes to Screencastify, it is easier than ever to create video feedback and share it with students. Here are the steps: Step 1: Install the Screencastify Chrome Extension Step 2: Click on the extension and follow the steps to sign in with your Google account. Step 3: Open up an assignment in Google Classroom and click on a student’s assignment to grade. Step 5: Click on the Screencastify extension and start recording. If you are new to using it, watch this short video. Step 6: When you are finished, click Screencastify again to stop recording. It will then provide you with a link you can share with the student as a private comment. Want more information? Watch this short video from Lance Yoder .