EdPuzzle is an interactive, online tool that has come to prominence in recent years. It is a cross-sectoral tool that has equal benefits for teachers and learners at primary and post-primary level, as well as those in further education. EdPuzzle allows teachers to edit digital video to engage students. EdPuzzle links with a number of video hosting platforms such as YouTube and National Geographic. Teachers can edit these videos in three main ways: ‘cutting/trimming’, ‘applying a voiceover’ or ‘creating questions’
Edit Tools
There are three main tools that you can use to edit videos within EdPuzzle. You can edit or trim the length of a video, use voiceover to elaborate on certain elements of a video, or add multiple-choice questions / information notes at different points of the video.
EdPuzzle for Assessment
When you insert multiple-choice questions into your video, EdPuzzle can make formative assessment very straightforward. One of the best tools is that the teacher interface allows you to view which pupils have looked at the video, and for how long they viewed it. This is excellent for monitoring student interaction with the content.
EdPuzzle for Blended Learning
From a primary school perspective, one of the most positive things that have come from the pandemic is the conversation around the value of homework in its traditional form. The traditional approach of giving the same homework on a daily/weekly basis does little to develop the skills necessary for 21st century education or workplaces. The ‘flipped classroom’ model is one which is becoming more popular in recent years. This is a blended modality which allows learners to access content at home, and then using this engagement to inform deeper and more meaningful classroom discussions and activities. EdPuzzle videos are an excellent tool through which to explore the ‘flipped classroom’ model. Learners can view content at home, with the teacher drawing attention to important points through voiceovers, information notes or questionnaires. The learners then have a strong foundation in the subject matter that will be covered the following day. Therefore, the class can then focus on ‘understanding’ and ‘remembering’ content, as per the diagram adapted from Odysseyware (2018) during in-person learning.
EdPuzzle and Google Workspace for Education
EdPuzzle integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace, and Google Classroom in particular. Your class can be imported directly from Classroom into Edpuzzle and all videos will be posted as assignments in Classroom. Student progress on any multiple choice questions will also be recorded on the gradebook. You can find out about this, and many other features of Google Workspace in TeachNet’s new summer course for 2021 – ‘Using Google Workspace in the Primary Classroom’.