EdPuzzle: Engaging Students in Effective Learning Through Video

Over the past few years prior to the pandemic, a few of our teachers tried out various tools which allowed them to assign students video content to watch and assess what they understood. After some researching and testing at the start of this current school year we added a paid subscription to one such tool: the pro version of EdPuzzle. We figured teachers would want to do this more often during distance learning. As this year draws to a close the numbers show we were correct. Our teachers have created more than 4,300 EdPuzzle video assignments. Over 100 of our teachers have used it more than ten times this year, averaging thirty or more videos uploaded, and almost ten of those teachers have created more than 100 video assignments with EdPuzzle. Recently I met with five teachers to learn more about how they use it to enhance their instruction:

English

High school English teacher David Adams uses EdPuzzle regularly with both his online eleventh grade English students as well as his in person journalism and English classes. David records a 1-5 minute unit overview video, providing students with a framework of the learning ahead—what they will learn and what the assignments will be. He also creates a video for each week’s lesson. With EdPuzzle, David can prevent students from skipping ahead in a video and he adds a question at the end of each video overview to test whether or not they have watched it. 

David says that these video overviews are nice because students can get to know him and see his face more, especially the online students. Since starting the regular use of video, he has experienced more online students whom he hadn’t met in person coming up to him and talking with him when they are at school for other in-person classes. He likes the fact that he doesn’t have to re-explain things for absent students—instead they just watch the video and stay caught up versus waiting to talk with him at the next class. This saves both David and his students time. Students can also go back and rewatch videos as needed, which greatly helps support the students’ individual learning needs and prevents them from having to wait to meet to get many of their questions answered. Sometimes he will replay a video on the screen during class (such as a grammar lesson) so students who need to can rewatch it, which frees him up to meet with students.

Math

Fifth grade math e-Learning teacher Grace Mevissen “loves EdPuzzle.” She uses it regularly with her online students. It has allowed her to do more flipped learning this year, posting math mini-lessons for students. Grace can see from the EdPuzzle stats that some students watch the video a day prior, and sometimes encourages them to watch the videos multiple times. She can also see when students haven’t watched a video and/or when they only watch part of it. Grace has found it very beneficial for students to be able to watch the video of a lesson if they missed the live instruction session, which like David mentioned, saves time and keeps students caught up.  

Grace likes the library feature in EdPuzzle with premade videos with questions which she can quickly edit as needed rather than having to “reinvent the wheel.” For example, she has found Mr. J’s math videos to be well done and uses this content frequently. Grace’s colleagues Jennifer Hahn and Lisa Lund use EdPuzzle as well to augment their social studies and health curriculum. Sometimes the EdPuzzle quizzes are used as “exit tickets” to formatively assess how well the students understood the lesson. Grace mentioned that in addition to EdPuzzle, she uses a lot of other tools such as Classkick to watch kids’ work in live time and send messages to correct misconceptions. She also has noticed how much more tech savvy students are now, easily able to jump between apps on their iPads.

World Languages

High school Spanish teacher Briana Wilson uses EdPuzzle with both her immersion and regular language classes. It provides a great way for students to hear authentic audio and be able to process at their own speed as they answer questions about what was said. Briana has students listen to a wide variety of topics and asks them questions to keep them engaged, which “automatically increases the active role they have to play as a learner.” EdPuzzle is a great tool to select specific portions of a video, such as one minute of a 15-minute clip. Briana explained that a one minute video with questions will take the students five minutes to watch and re-watch and then answer the questions.

Briana likes being able to import anything from YouTube into EdPuzzle, shorten it to what you really want the students to listen to, and add questions. She and her colleagues use the library to share and edit one another’s video assignments. To accompany a long 450 page novel her Spanish Humanities students are reading, she took clips from specific scenes in the movie so students could compare it with the book. She finds that the students are more motivated to read the next section, as reading a book in a second language can be very tedious. Briana also sets EdPuzzle up so students can see the correct answers, and explains that using it this way is “rewarding for kids to have the validation that they are understanding the content and language”. 

Spanish teacher Fred Moreno-Parra also finds the video library in EdPuzzle to be a time saver. He finds videos where students can see and learn the language in context, such as when traveling or learning about holiday traditions. Fred says EdPuzzle is great because he can find, edit, crop and insert questions into YouTube videos and it removes ads. He says this saves him “tons of time” when using a pre-made two minute video rather than having to spend time making his own, and often the videos available look more professional with graphics and animations than what he feels he could produce. Fred finds that the videos are more engaging for students when learning about important and complex but less exciting topics like verb tenses. He has found the EdPuzzle video format helps his students better learn the material.

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Classkick: A Great Tool for Formative Assessment & Feedback

One of the new technology programs we purchased this year during the pandemic to help our students and teachers is Classkick. Classkick allows our teachers to see each of their students' work from their iPads and provide them with feedback. Teachers can upload or create content, lessons and questions which the students work through on their own devices and at their own pace. Teachers can track students's progress in live time and give them instant feedback. Classkick has a free and paid version.

Classkick in Kindergarten

Deephaven Elementary Spanish Immersion Kindergarten teacher Jessica Rojas explained that Classkick allows her students to do activities by themselves. Instead of using small boards to show their thinking, she can  show it on the screen and have students explain their answer and thoughts with the whole class. She can give them digital stickers (such as stars or happy faces) while they are writing. She can see if someone has raised a hand to help or check their work. She uses both the self-paced mode and the teacher directed mode. Her Kindergartners can easily log in by entering the class code. Jessica can review it in live time or if necessary, at any time later--having a digital record of students’ work is more convenient than having it on paper. 

Jessica did say that she uses a balance of digital and paper based activities. She said the students do really like using technology and are motivated to work when they can use their iPads. She also uses PearDeck, Seesaw and other digital tools. Jessica explained that the advantage of Classkick for the lesson I observed is that she can see all the students’ work at once. 

Classkick in PreAlgebra

Sarah Gutierrez, middle school e-Learning math teacher, uses Classkick regularly. Recently when I joined her virtual class students were practicing working on a percent unit. She began class with all 26 students in a Google Meet. The students took notes while watching two videos--one on comparisons and one about percentages/proportions. Then Sarah had students join a Classkick session with eight practice problems. Sarah and the students used the highlighter and digital ink in Classkick to identify the parts of each math problem they needed to work on. Sarah set up each slide to autocorrect so students immediately knew when something was correct/incorrect, as the problem pictured with a red error box. When they had questions, students simply signaled the teacher that they needed help by raising a digital hand, and Sarah would individually look at their problem and work and give them hints and feedback.  

One of the things that struck me as I observed Sarah teaching remotely is how much better this method is than the alternative--if students were using paper for this, Sarah wouldn’t be able to see it in live time of course. Students would have to answer a specific question or submit a picture of their work. Through Classkick, the teacher can interact with the students’ work in real time and give immediate and clear feedback. 

Sarah called Classkick a “Gamechanger. It gives me an opportunity to see what students are doing live. I know what they actually learned and whether they are participating.” As I was able to see, Classkick made it possible for Sarah to basically remove the barrier of having everyone in separate locations. It was almost as if the class was all together sitting in the same room. Sarah said Classkick is great for teacher collaboration and often shares/receives slide decks such as this one with colleagues. 

Classkick in Chemistry

High School Chemistry teacher and Technology Coach Patricia Price uses Classkick regularly with her students, often for formative assessment. Patricia explained that Classkick is better than a paper exit ticket, because she can know how students are doing at the moment versus taking home a stack of paper after school to score and return to students the next day. Additionally, the immediate feedback allows Patricia to determine what content she may need to revisit with the whole class before moving on to other topics, as well as which individual students she may need to connect with for additional support. Patricia uses her iPad to see each student’s screens and can bring up any problem to project to the whole class and discuss. 

One time saving trick Patrica showed me was how she can quickly visually scan a row of student Classkick slides to look for the same answer patterns and quickly spot students who got something wrong--for example, if students had to circle answers on one slide, she quickly scans the row to see if everyone’s circles are in the same spot (see picture). Another example is when glancing at a slide with four matching problems, she scans to see if the same four line pattern is drawn. Talk about a great way to give students immediate feedback! Patricia had pre-labeled some digital sticker responses for students to let them know if they had the correct answers or needed to recheck something, which also accelerated the feedback loop.

The students in Patricia’s class echoed their appreciation of Classkick’s immediate feedback. They, too, value the quick response possible and took comfort in knowing immediately how well they are understanding concepts. They liked the fact they could ask questions based on this feedback, too, rather than waiting until the next day. Although they didn’t state it, this quiet, private method for a shy student to ask a question likely results in more comfort doing so than having to raise their hand and ask in front of everyone.

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Middle School Algebra Students Design and 3D Print Bubble Wands

 

About five years ago I heard George Couros mention the “Twitter Factor” when referencing how you could walk into a classroom and determine whether or not the teacher was active on Twitter. If s/he was, then observers would likely see innovative ideas and best practices that were being shared online. I was reminded of this recently when I was in one of our middle schools and saw students highly engaged at work on an amazing project. I learned that one of our math teachers, Jon Westmeyer at Minnetonka Middle School West, had first seen the idea for this lesson on Twitter and then worked with Cindy McGlasson, math teacher at East Middle School, and three other colleagues to adapt it for their students.

The teachers wanted students to “recognize and represent linear functions in real-world and mathematical situations.” To accomplish this, the seventh and eighth grade Algebra I students at both of our middle schools work with a partner to design bubble wands using linear equations which they print out on 3D printers and give to patients at a hospital or foundation of their choice. They put their wand in a small gift bag along with a bottle of bubble solution and a letter they write to cheer up the patient/recipient and explain what they learned in this process.

When I was in Cindy’s math class a few weeks ago I was able to see firsthand just how excited the students were with this project. She explained to me that the students in the 8th grade Algebra classes (4 of the 5 teachers) are grade level math students and, in the hour I visited, 1/3 of the students are also in her Algebra support class. “So the project is a great opportunity to add rigor and engagement for classes which might have defaulted to more rote learning in the past.”

To design their bubble wands, the students first figure out linear equations to create the lines and curves needed to make the shapes in their bubble wand design. They use the Desmos app to do this. Then they use Selva3D to transform their 2D image to 3D. Afterwards, they import this design to Tinkercad to finalize it for the MakerBot printer. Their full instructions can be found here.

Below are a few student comments that came from an open ended survey question asking, “What else you might want to share from your experience?"

I really enjoyed the creativeness [sic] of this project, and the idea that we could be doing something for other people. It was a great break from normal solve equations, check work, solve equations, check work, while still being educational, and helpful.

I had lots of fun working on this, and going through all the challenges me and my partner faced.

It was sooooooo much fun and it really helped me with my lines. You guys should do it every year. It was cool to do something different that still helps you learn lines in a better/unique way.

I think this was a great project, not only to expand our understanding of lines and graphs, but also because we were doing this for a good cause.

This work is done as part of our School Board’s Goal #2: To continue to work to expand experiential learning and inquiry-based learning opportunities for E-12, including infrastructure and resources required. To help with this, last spring “Framework Grants” were awarded in which Minnetonka teachers could apply for funding to support such projects. (Learn more about the Minnetonka Framework for Teaching and Learning.) 

According to a report to the Board on January 20, “these grants encouraged those with ideas and initiative to create compelling student experiences with District support. Grants provided teachers paid planning time, a process to request funds for supplemental materials, training, and the support of a coach. 27 teacher teams chose to attend training and engage fully in the process. To date, 15 projects have been planned and have either been implemented with students or are waiting for the proper time in the curriculum sequence to do so. Remaining grants are in varying stages of planning and implementation.” 

Another example of a Framework grant is  Grade 2 Chinese Immersion students learning the cultural background of Chinese shadow puppetry--they learn and apply Chinese language arts skills by writing original scripts and performing shadow puppet plays for an audience. Students create their own shadow puppets and props in the Chinese tradition. 

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A Day in Fourth Grade Math: Enhancing Learning With iPads & More

Last week I was at Minnewashta Elementary School when fourth grade students were in math classes. When I walked into Jeff Beckstrom’s classroom I could see students were learning about triangles with a student teacher. I heard terms like scalene, obtuse, equilateral, right, length, and more. I remembered teaching about this myself 23 years ago when I taught fourth grade math starting my teaching career in Minnetonka. Although the content and objectives were the same, so much about the instruction had changed. I taught with an overhead projector, transparencies and markers and students had a textbook, paper and a pencil. Now in 2018, paper and pencils were still present and being used, but each student had an iPad and the teacher had a SMARTBoard connected to a computer.

One of the most noticeable differences for me was how many more tools were instantly accessible at the learner’s fingertips. This school year we increased the number of iPads in our fourth grade classroom sets providing enough so that every student has a device. Students in K-3 classrooms have a class set of six iPads and students in grades 5-12 have an iPad that they carry to and from school each day. With the increase of devices in fourth grade this year, every student can use technology for learning at any point throughout the day, and they can save and store their work without having to log in to a shared device. This really increases the amount of time for enhanced and individualized learning.

 
The day before I visited the classroom students had cut out a variety of triangles on paper and sorted and named these. Then they had each taken photos of their work and even labeled the images as pictured. Students were referring back to these photos during the lesson while I was present, something that wasn’t possible back when I was an elementary math teacher. Students were also using Notability to complete some problems on a worksheet (as you can see pictured as well). Since they don’t bring their iPad home, they had notes and definitions writing on paper (also pictured). se

Every few minutes in the lesson, the teacher would guide the students into a different activity, really doing a nice job of maintaining their attention and keeping them engaged and motivated. Students used some apps to practice measuring angles, such as Pattern Shapes (pictured). They also worked through problems on IXL (pictured). And throughout the lesson, students used the teacher’s Schoology site as the go to place to access these different materials (pictured). Each of these activities complimented one another nicely to really enhance the instruction and students’ learning. I sure wish I had all this access to technology a couple decades ago when I was trying to teach my students these same skills--it’s obvious how much more students can learn and how much more they are able to understand with all these technological resources at their fingertips!

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How an Apple Pencil Enhances Teaching & Learning

This past summer we refreshed all of our student devices in our one to one iPad program for grades 5 -12 and all teacher iPads K-12 with the iPad 6 which supports the Apple Pencil. We also purchased some Apple Pencils for about half our teachers in order to learn the benefits of this new tool. Using pencils in school, of course, is nothing new but the Apple Pencil exponentially increases the capabilities of a traditional pencil. An Apple Pencil is more than just a stylus. In addition to being able to annotate using digital ink, opening applications, moving objects, and interacting with menus and more using the tip of the Apple Pencil, the device itself connects to the iPad using bluetooth and is pressure sensitive. This means that when used with an application built specifically to  utilize the features of the Apple Pencil, the user can simply increase the width of a line of digital ink by pressing harder with the tip of the Pencil on the same way that you would with a paintbrush. Applications also recognize when the Pencil is in use and can be set up to only accept input from the tip, meaning a user now has the ability to rest her/his hand on the iPad itself while writing or drawing.

At first, this last feature might not seem like a big deal. However, one high school math teacher who described the Apple Pencil as the biggest change to her teaching in years explained it this way: with it she can now write super legibly while resting her wrist on the screen as she walks around the room teaching from her iPad, wirelessly mirroring her screen on to the projector display at the front of the classroom. Being be out in the class with her students allows her to look at their work and interact with them. She can precisely graph lines and write exponents in equations with fine details and precision not previously possible without the Apple Pencil. She uses the same app that students use--Notability--to work through problems together as she’s teaching and walking around the room. Prior to having the Apple Pencil, she had attempted to use her finger or another stylus but these did not allow her to rest their wrist on the iPad. This resulted in messy handwriting and she just stayed in one place in order to write on her iPad or stayed at the front of the room using the SMARTBoard instead. 

Last week we surveyed the teachers who received Apple Pencils and asked them to provide feedback about their experience so far. Here are some of the comments and feedback collected when asked about the benefits of the Pencil and if/how it had changed their teaching:

• Everything! I use it for notes in class, for creating video lessons for students, for creating answer keys, for demonstrating to students how to do certain problems. I use it primarily within Notability (also with Reflector) and Explain Everything.
• I am much more excited about utilizing the iPad. Writing is easier and neater with the Apple Pencil. Students have commented that they appreciate when I teach using the Apple Pencil and Reflector rather than the SmartBoard. I am able to be more mobile during class.
• I am able to teach from my iPad, allowing me to walk around while teaching. I do not stand in front of the room, but am constantly walking around. The apple pencil allows me to write legibly while writing, especially since we are solving math problems every day.
• It has significantly minimized the time using the SMARTBoard. I start the lessons with SMARTBoard, but when I do examples, or extended writing, I mirror the iPad. This allows me to freely walk around the room and establish a greater presence.
• I also use it to create examples of Art and how the iPad can allow the user to improve on current artistic capabilities.
• The Apple Pencil basically encourages me to use the iPad more and Smart Notebook software less. I use the following apps: Paper53, Notability, ExplainEverything.
• Notability and Brushes Redux. I use it to manage behavior and meander around the room while I’m working so students feel more connected. I am able to be more involved and do the work along with them, which is very beneficial for keeping pace as I work with special education program students.
• I have been able to immerse myself in learning more and improve my teaching style. I use the SMARTBoard a lot for writing and math problems but I have small group classes. This allows me to sit among students and work alongside them which improves their engagement. I am able to monitor their learning while I teach rather than needing to stop and meander the room. I also have students who struggle with writing and this has been a big motivator for them (borrowing it).
• I am able to use Notability and Reflector way more effectively, my writing is clear. I use this for direct instruction. I can write notes/feedback on student iPads more clearly during work time as well. Grading with the Schoology app is much easier as well.
• Grading!! It is so much more efficient to write feedback for students on their Schoology submissions. I also am better able to model work for students.

As you can see, teachers are finding multiple benefits of the Pencil. When asked how frequently they are using a pencil, 52% of teachers stated that they use it every day and another 19% percent stated they use it hourly.

We have also seen a few students purchase their own Apple Pencils to use with their iPad, too--right now about one or two students per class. This number will likely increase in the months to come. The Apple Pencil design could be improved: not having it be completely round so that it wouldn’t roll off of desks and tables, making the cap attach somehow to the Pencil itself, and making the pencil sturdier to prevent getting cracked or broken when stepped on (although I have yet to hear of this happening). We have also tested out the Logitech Crayon, which cost about $30 less, but unfortunately is not pressure sensitive, so the cost savings doesn't seem worth it. We'll continue to monitor the benefits of this tool and look forward to improvements to the product in the future that likely will yield even more benefits for teaching and learning.

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