Promote Classroom Engagement with Technology

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These days, we’re always looking at ways to promote classroom engagement with technology. When I discovered the video lesson platform, Edpuzzle, it immediately became one of my favorite go-to teaching tools EVER!  I immediately knew I had to do a blog post about this resource because everybody needs to be implementing it into their classrooms.

What is Edpuzzle

Edpuzzle is a website that allows users to customize videos from Youtube, Learnzillion, TedEd, National Geographic, Vimeo, and many more (videos for ALL subject areas).  You can even upload your own videos and then have the ability to crop, record audio, add comments, and my personal favorite, add questions for the kids to answer.  The best part of all–it’s completely FREE!!!

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Create Teacher Account

After you create your teacher account, you then can create the number of classes, based on however many you teach.  In my case, that’s 5, so I created 5 classes.  Once you create a class, a class code is displayed, and this is what you give your students when they’re creating their accounts, so that they can “join” the class.

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Promote Classroom Engagement

How I’m currently implementing this in my class is by using the audio version of the book, Wonder, by RJ Palacio, which I found on Youtube.  The full audio is close to 8 hours, so I cropped it into sections.  For those of you who have read this amazing book, you know that it’s written from different characters’ perspectives.  For ex, the first section is from the main character, Auggie, the second is from Auggie’s sister Via’s perspective, and so on…  So I cropped the video so that my students can listen to a section at a time.  Once you crop the video, then you’ll have the option to add audio of yourself, or add questions that you’d like your students to answer. 

Assess for Understanding

This is a great way to assess their understanding of the topic you’re currently working on.  The questions can be multiple choice or short responses.  You can also insert links in your questions and comments.  For example, I wanted my students to be able to access the book online in addition to being able to listen to the audio. I inserted a link to the book.  If you look at the picture that appears directly under the pic of my students using Edpuzzle, you can see the question and the link to the book (which is the blue text that says Wonder).  You will also see question marks below where the video is normally displayed. This means that’s where questions will appear while students are listening to the audio.  Students can access the assignments from their laptops, phone, etc.  They can also watch the video as many times as they need to until they’re comfortable enough to answer the question.  Not only is this great for regular ed students, but it’s also a terrific way to differentiate for ESL and Special Ed, as well!

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Provide Feedback

Another great feature is that it provides immediate feedback once students complete the assignment. Edpuzzle does it for you if you use the multiple choice option.  This is because you’re able to choose which answer is correct when you’re setting up the assignment. You can see an example of what this looks like in picture.  If you’re having students answer with short responses, then you’ll have to grade it.  Because of this, I typically make the questions multiple choice.  This serves as a quick way to see if students are actually paying attention and comprehending the material.  There are also tons of videos available where others have already created questions to go along with it. This is true in any subject area. Every time I’ve searched for a particular topic, I’ve had no trouble finding at least 20+ videos that are available and ready to go. 

I hope you’re able to find value in this amazing resource!  It’s too good not to share, and I’d love to hear from those of you that try it! For step-by-step directions, check out, “Using Edpuzzle in the Classroom Can Change Your Teacher Life.” Please let me know how you’re using Edpuzzle. If you have any questions, just let me know.