Using Flip Video in the classroom
After my first post about the Flip Video Ultra, I received a few requests on Twitter asking for my thoughts about its use in an educational setting. So, I’ve taken the gadget into school this week and shared it with other adults and pupils to find out their opinions, and begin exploring its potential.
The adults that I have shown it too have all said “Wow”. They’ve all been impressed with the size and quality of the device. The built-in USB connector and onboard software have also been seen as a great positive.
Today, I used the Flip with my class for the first time. I started by asking two of my Year 5 children (aged 9/10) to try it out. I didn’t explain what it was, or show them how it worked, but they figured out what all of the buttons did within the first few minutes. They had great fun recording each other, trying out the zoom, and recording things from different angles.
Uploading:
Although this isn’t something that we would normally need to do, they also succeeded in uploading a video of one of my pet rats (which I had previously recorded) onto Youtube. I was really impressed at how easy they found using both the Flip and the built-in software.
On a separate note, the Youtube quality really doesn’t compare to the actual quality of the video. Here’s the original, with reduced dimensions to make it fit more easily here.
Recording performances:
After spending some time playing with the camera, we then tried it out with the rest of the class. Over the course of this week, the children have been writing scripts for a puppet show, based on a sequel to ‘Finding Nemo’. The children made simple stick puppets, and performed on our stage:
As you can see, the Flip simply stood up on the table. It will stand up very well by itself, but we used blu-tac to hold it in place it in case the table was knocked accidentally. The children then held their puppets above the edge of the table, keeping the action in between the two rulers, which we used to make sure that everything could be seen on camera.
This whole process was incredibly easy. My normal process for recording video in class is:
- Find video camera.
- Check it is charged… if not, find charging cable and wait for it to charge, or use it with charging cable trailing across the floor (following health and safety guidelines, of course!).
- Find a DV tape which doesn’t have anything important recorded on it.
- Set up tripod near the back of the room so that all of the action can be seen.
- Choose someone to be a camera operator. This person would then stand with the camera, looking at the action, but blocking the camera’s screen from the view of the rest of the class.
With this Flip, this process was simply:
- Stand it on a table (with some blu-tac!)
- Turn on and press record.
An added benefit with having the camera on a table, right in front of the action, was that the rest of the class (who were sitting around and watching) could see both the live performance and the image as it was recorded on the Flip’s screen. Although the screen is admittedly quite small, this still enabled everyone (even the ones at the back of the room) to take the viewpoint of the director / cameraman, checking to make sure that the puppets could all be seen on screen, and that the puppet performers didn’t accidentally appear in view.
Having watched a few of the children’s videos myself, the picture and sound quality are very good. Their voices can be heard clearly (even the ones who were tucked under the table!). The colours are really vibrant, making the children’s puppets stand out. The children haven’t watched their recordings yet, but I’m sure they will play perfectly clearly on our Smartboard.
Now that it is so easy to make video recordings in the classroom, I may well ask the children to watch and evaluate their own performances next week, with a view to carrying out a second recording. This will give them a chance to reflect on their work, and make further improvements (e.g. keeping fingers out of the shot, using more accents / expression in their dialogue).
The ability to take still photos from the video is another bonus, and again the picture quality is fine for the needs of a primary class (in my opinion):
One of my only concerns about the Flip is the USB connector. It’s extremely handy, but I am a bit worried about it getting snapped / bent when it is plugged into a laptop (especially if I’m using the laptop on my lap, as I do quite frequently). I suppose that’s not an issue if you take care, or perhaps use an extension cable, but accidents do happen (does that make me sound really clumsy?!).
A few other potential uses:
- School trips – a fantastic way of recording and reporting on these experiences, although will the one hour recording time be enough for a full day out of the classroom?
- Interviews – great for Literacy work, and the ability to watch recordings back to gather information / answers.
- Impulse recordings – in the past, I have occasionally thought “Wouldn’t it have been good to record this activity?”. Now, we can just grab the Flip and record without having to set things up in advance.
Overall, I’m really happy with the Flip Video, and although it was an impulse purchase, I’m definitely pleased that I bought it. I can see myself using digital video much more in the classroom (especially after being inspired by Tim Ryland’s work yesterday). Setting up and using the Flip only takes seconds, so it’s going to make my life as a teacher much easier too.
I’d love to be able to buy one (or more) for each class at school. Watch out Hollywood… my class will be knocking on your door very soon!
Thanks for such great post – great to see your thoughts clearly explained. I particularly appreciate the stark comparison between your camera setup experiences. You haven’t mentioned much about price, did you import it or buy from the UK? Do you think that this could be the device you could put in everyone’s hands, KS2, KS1, F?
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Excellent post Mark. Thanks.
I got mine today too, looking to try it out properly. Impressed with it so far.
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I agree with you about the USB connector. It looks cool, but in practical terms it is a bit “iffy” I think. At least, you’d have to make sure the kids were careful with it.
I agree with you also about the use of the Flip for field trips. Earlier this week I wrote about that, and tried a bit of experimentation. The Flip recorded really well even in the noise of central London! [see http://terry-freedman.org.uk/artman/publish/article_1339.php
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@Tom – I got mine from Firebox.com. It was a UK version, costing £104 (with postage). I went via Quidco.com though, so I’m now due £10 cashback… if anyone else shops online a lot, I really recommend signing up for a cashback site like Quidco!
I can certainly imagine younger children using it without any problems. With only two steps to recording (flip the ‘on’ switch, and press the red record button), it really can’t get any easier. There aren’t any on-screen menus to confuse and the playback / delete options are really easy too. If you were really worried about children deleting videos by accident, you could just tell them to keep away from the ‘rubbish bin’ button!
I haven’t shown it to our KS1 / F staff yet, but I’ll see what they think, and ask my headteacher is she has any spare money in the budget for a few of these!
@Danny – I look forward to seeing more of your results. The difference in quality between the Flip and N95 on your blog was certainly noticeable.
@Terry – We’ll see how long the USB connector lasts… I may well start keeping a USB extension cable handy if children use the Flip regularly.
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Nice website.
I have also written about the possibilities of the Flip Video in the classroom. I like your website. I’ll be returning here often. Great work.
Kelly
http://www.wirededucator.com
http://www.mrcroy.com
http://www.kellycroy.com
http://www.greatcartooning.com
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Colette Cotton Reply:
July 21st, 2009 at 12:50 pm
The Flip Camera is so easy to use and can be purchased reasonably on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Flip+cameras&x=0&y=0
Intuitive media donated 2 of these flip cameras, for my recent working visit to Ebe School in Nigeria. The pupils there had never used a pair of scissors before, let alone a flip camera, but they managed really well and downloaded their clips onto the Asus laptop (donated by RM) We took a Solargorilla charger for charging the laptop, plus some spare batteries for the camera.
The sound recording facility is really good and I like the fact that still shots can be taken from the clips.
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Thanks for your kind comments Kelly. I’ll take a look at your sites too.
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hello, I was wondering if you tried a usb extension cable with your flip . I did and can not get it to work . I MUST plug the camera in directly! Any suggestions ?
thank you
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Mark Warner Reply:
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:52 am
Hi Alan,
I’ve just tried again and mine definitely works with the extension cable. I can only really suggest trying a different USB port or a different cable. Good luck!
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Wondered if any1 was using these in HE sector!! If so in what context?
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Thanks for the tips.
FYI to reduce the stress/torque on the usb connector, have you considered using a USB extender?
We use them for our students to connect the wide range of thumb drive sizes that can be problematic to install on some desktops.
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Our school has just purchased 4 flip video cameras with plans to purchase more in the near future. We are pleased with the simplicity of the controls and with the quality of the video. However, we have not been able to figure out how to share the video. The files are lager than we can send as an email attachment, AOL is totally blocked by our filters, the file is too large to upload to our managed website. I’m impresses with the embedded files on your website. Would you share the steps you used to make this happen?
I’m really glad that i found your site. The tools you discuss are valuable additions to our growing toolbox.
Thanks for what you are doing to help us all.
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Mark Warner Reply:
March 20th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Thanks for your kind words. I converted the movie file to a .mov using Apple’s Quicktime software. You could also upload your movies to a video-sharing site… Youtube is the most popular but is often blocked in schools in the UK. I use Vimeo for my videos… they will give you a code which you can then use to embed these into your school site. Hope this helps!
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Great site Mark – have you tried the Flip mino’s at all? I have a flip ultra – now looking at buying some more to loan out to departments to get them interested – thinking about mino’s because of the fact they recharge – but an Amazon review questions the audio – wondered if you have any experience of the minos or just the ultra.
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Mark Warner Reply:
May 28th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Hi Rob… I’ve only had experience with the Flip Ultras. I know that Mandy Barrow (twitter.com/mbarrow) has a Mino… she may be able to offer advice if you have any questions. Good luck!
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Thank you Mark – much appreciated – will try and get in touch.
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I have a kodak Zi6 which is similar to the Flip Ultra. The only problem is the format is .mov and windows movie maker does not like that! Is the Flip the same or does it record in avi format or similar?
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Mark Warner Reply:
May 31st, 2009 at 9:23 pm
The Flip records in AVI format… I’m sure there must be some Windows software which will convert the files. I’m not a bit Windows user any more, so I can’t offer any suggestions. I’ll ask on Twitter for you!
Twitter updates:
@porchester says to try ‘Quickmedia’ from http://www.cocoonsoftware.com
@delphatic says to use ‘Handbrake’… a quick Google search should find it.
@MoodleDan recommends http://winff.org/html
@jackschofield has suggested ‘SuperC’ or http://sourceforge.net/projects/mp4cam2avi/
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Brilliant thanks for those links! I will give them a go. If the flip records in avi then that is the choice for school rather than the kodak Zi6. Many thanks again!
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Definitely on my list of gadgets to get this year for use at home and school.
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Hi Mark,
have just purchased the flip video for our school and am using it in my year 3 class and am loving it! the ease of use and the way I can quickly import files as quicktimes rather than having to drop them into a series of programmes makes me smile!!
great to see your puppets, will have a go at that soon. Cross country tomorrow, can;t wait to record the kids for them to reflect on!
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Great site. Your description of the ease of setup and use inspired me to buy a Flip Ultra to use in my classroom. My Spanish III students are about to make a video in class. I showed them the camera today and they were very impressed. We will be shooting video and then editing in Movie Maker. I know there is a great deal of discussion out there about converting the video files to import into Movie Maker. Has anyone else created a movie with the Flip Ultra, and does anyone know if there is a way to import the video without downloading a converter?
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Hi everyone!
Great to hear that the Flip is being used to creatively and successfully in the classroom! For those of you who were making reference to purchasing the products overseas I just thought that I’d let you know that models will be available in stores in Australia a few weeks (well in time for Xmas!)
If you need more information you can follow Flip Australia on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/FlipAustralia and you’ll get the latest updates/availability etc.
Cheers,
Lukas from the Flip Australia PR team.
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I just received my Flip Mino yesterday and I’m excited to start using it in class. Your puppet show idea seems like a good use of it – I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks!
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Hello all, just wanted to let you know that DigitalWish.com is allowing teachers to order the FLIP ultra on a buy one get one free deal. I just got mine last week and another teacher at my school got the second one, we split the cost. I’m also using it for projects in a couple of grad school classes in Media / Technology. I love it! Just be warned the shipping time takes a while, it was about 4 weeks before I got mine and I am in the U.S. but it was a very good price!!
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