Video Use in the Classroom: EdPuzzle & Playposit

Video in the classroom is nothing new. Videos are engaging and spark interest and learning in our students and have a distinct advantage of not being our voice (😝)! The way in which video is delivered however has changed. Gone are the days in which the only was was to wheel in the big TV strapped to the media cart to a place where most can see. Popping in the VCR (remember those?? Whoever has one still....you're amazing!) that documentary you recorded 7 summers ago. Not anymore. Technology has progressed where we can deliver self-paced, engaging video-based curriculum that allows us to assess our students' understanding in real time.

Two resources I love to talk about to achieve these ends are EdPuzzle and Playposit. Both are constructed similarly, have benefits over the other, and are excellent tools to utilize in the 21st century classroom. If you use video in the classroom (whether for classwork or homework) it's not enough to say "watch this video and take notes" - students need direction in order to get the most out of your curated resource.

Check out more after the jump!

EdPuzzle

This behemoth has been around for a while and has gone through some alterations through the years but the emphasis has always been the same: Formative Assessment using Video. Students are tasked with watching a video and must interact with it. A teacher-generated question stops the video and the student must submit an answer before the video starts again.

Here are some features of this resource:

• Classroom creation where students sign into your classroom providing grading opportunity
• Multiple video resource search (YouTube, Khan Academy, TED Ed, etc.) so your video options are vast
• Creation of multiple choice or open-ended questions
• Use of teacher voice instructions, comments, and even overdub audio track over a video
• Inability of student to skip ahead through questions
• Cropping of a longer video makes sure that students are not subjected to a lengthy video they lose interest in 
• Shareable and embedable videos that can be assigned on websites or Schoology

These are just some of the features that make EdPuzzle an excellent source in the classroom. To get a sense of what this looks like, check out the video assessment I created below, cropped from a 12 minute Crash Course video for a Cold War lesson in a Social Studies classroom (you'll have to sign up first).

Playposit

Play Posit is a resource I've seen become more popular in the last year as they continue to improve their product and accessibility. Much like EdPuzzle, it's focus is formative assessment through video. They do offer some different features however that may make Playposit a superior option depending on your needs.

Some features include:

• Creation of multiple-choice, open-ended, and reflective questions
• Submit audio as a response to a question
• Searchable database of public assessments that can be copied and altered 
• Students do not have to sign in to complete the assessment (in EdPuzzle they do)
• Students can rewind and re-watch video before answering a question if they need to review
• Broadcast mode allows teachers to project the same video to a class and have all complete the assessment at one pace

I also like that Playposit has two ways to share - to students and teachers. When sharing with students, they enter a code to complete but with teachers (as you can see below) there is no need for the code and you can experience the assignment as the student would. Check out the video assessment on Gerrymandering that I copied from a public assignment. I made zero alterations to it and just embedded it here for you.


Technology is changing the way students consume video in the classroom and EdPuzzle and Playposit do an excellent job of allowing teachers the ability to know what our students are learning.