Edpuzzle

Edpuzzle

Description of tool:

Edpuzzle is a tool where you can create a video with audio, notes, and quizzes. The videos are found on Youtube. You pull a video in, add audio, create notes, and put quizzes at specific times you choose. The video can also be shortened to include the length that you want. The video can be shared a variety of ways. The video can be assigned to students, the link can be given to students, the video can be embedded into a website, you can email the video, or share on the social media sites Facebook and Twitter. When you create the video, you can make sure students do not skip the video, and set a due date. The students can go back and watch the video as many times as they like unless you do not allow them to. 

Pedagogical uses:

I used Edpuzzle to create videos for a flipped classroom. The uses are endless. You can create a video to have students view in class and do the quiz as a class. You can create videos for personal use or for a teacher training. Students can try and creating their own videos to share with the class or parents. I really like using Edpuzzle for a flipped classroom whether it be faux or where the students watch the videos at home after school. The teacher can see which students viewed the videos as well as how they did on their quiz. When the students come to school, the teacher can do an activity rather than lecture the students. The teacher can also go over the quiz and video with the students to check for understanding of the video concept, I like how you can pull Youtube videos as Youtube has an endless amount of videos. You can also shorten the video to include only the material you want. You don't have to have the background music in the video. You can include your own voice if you want to talk over the video, I really like Edpuzzle as a teaching tool rather than standing in front of the classroom lecturing the students.

Examples of Edpuzzle:

Location of the tool:

https://edpuzzle.com/

Cost of the tool:

Edpuzzle is free for teachers. It costs nothing to use it for your classroom or your blog if you are a teacher. The teacher can have unlimited amounts of videos.

Why use this tool:

First off, the tool is really fun and easy to use. However, you have to play with it before becoming an expert. Above I posted two of my good videos. I have others, but realized when watching them this time that my voice over went over the video. In the Spongebob and Patrick video, my voice over was before the video. I myself have to play a little more with this tool before I feel comfortable using this in my classroom. I really like how you can pick the video off Youtube and customize it to fit your students. I like how you can share the videos with the students and have them answer questions based on the videos. The questions can be higher-level thinking questions related to the videos. The questions are not preset, so you can make the questions whatever you want. I also like how you can shorten the video. I teach third grade, so my students can not sit through a long video. However, if the video is short and engaging, the students will be more willing to watch it. Also, the whole video is not always necessary to watch. You can have the students watch exactly what you want them to.
It doesn't take very long to create a video. I created four videos in a short time. The videos save on Edpuzzle so you don't have to worry about saving them some place else. The videos can be embedded into a LMS or blog. I embedded the videos in Edmodo for my students to view at home in a flipped classroom setting. The videos worked in Edmodo and I was able to assign the videos for my students as long as another assignment if I wanted to.
I feel that Edpuzzle is a way to go further than just showing the students a video. Adding the teacher voice makes the video more fun and personal. I like that I can add my voice to a video before the students view it. I can explain to the students what they will watch as well as how it applies to our classroom. It gives the students something to look forward to the next day.

Sources:

EDpuzzle. (n.d.). Retrieved July 22, 2015, from https://edpuzzle.com/content
ISTE Standards. (2015). Retrieved July 22, 2015, from http://www.iste.org/standards

ISTE Standards:

Teacher:

1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity

a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness

c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes

2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments

a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity

c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources

3. Model digital age work and learning

d. Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning

4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility

b. Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources

5. Engage in professional growth and leadership

d. Contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community

Students:

1, Creativity and innovation

a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes

b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression

2. Communication and collaboration

a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media

c. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats

3. Research and information fluency

c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks

4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making

b. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project

5. Digital citizenship

b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity

c. Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning

6. Technology operations and concepts

a. Understand and use technology systems

b. Select and use applications effectively and productively

d. Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies