PlayPosit and Edpuzzle are two competing platforms teachers can use to create interactive experiences using videos from web-based platforms. Whether conducting formative assessments inside (and outside) the classroom, flipping the classroom experience, or have you been playing the same video and students don't seem to be paying attention? Make it interactive and engaging with PlayPosit or Edpuzzle.
What is PlayPosit?
PlayPosit was recently acquired by WeVideo and, if you are familiar with WeVideo, is super awesome. In PlayPosit, "Teachers are able to embed questions and prompts into videos from Youtube, Vimeo, Khan Academy, and other popular video platforms." If you're big into data and numbers, student responses can be viewed through various filters to support progress monitoring and provide powerful insight into trends and patterns across the classroom.
So, which one?
Short answer: whichever premium version your district provides is the way to go. In my opinion, while I started with Edpuzzle because of the premade videos, I realized two big reasons to switch to PlayPosit:
More question choices like Fill in the Blank, Check All, Poll, and Discussions
Our district has the premium version of PlayPosit, meaning I'm not limited to a certain number of videos (which is the problem I had with Edpuzzle free version)
Long answer: During COVID, teachers learned how to take the video they usually show in class and make it more engaging (and hold students accountable!) by using interactive video platforms like PlayPosit and Edpuzzle. If a student needs multiple attempts at learning a concept, an interactive video with comprehension checks and review questions might be the man-to-the-rescue. Do your students love Bill Nye or Crash Course on YouTube? Add a few questions to make sure they takeaway the important parts, and, if not, they can watch it again, slower, in their own language! There are many fantastic features for both Edpuzzle and PlayPosit, they both have different interfaces, along with various pros and cons, but I challenge you to play around and try using an interactive video next time your plans call for a YouTube or Khan Academy video.
Beginner
How to create your first "Bulb" (aka, interactive video assignment)
Go to www.playposit.com
Sign Up and register for an account through your school mail
Create a new class/section
Select New Bulb
Paste URL and add questions
Some content specific suggestions:
Math - launch a unit exploring new vocab or surprise students this month by reviewing the history of Pi Day (*Pro Tip: you can use Khan Academy videos, too!)
Science - love those Bill Nye clips? Make the experience interactive with some Fill in the Blank and Discussion questions
Language Learners - offer listening and comprehension opportunities for language learners to watch and rewatch videos, practicing their English!
World Languages - have a video about Spanish culture that you want students to engage in? Add some Polls, Multiple Choice, or Check all questions to capture their unique thoughts and perspectives!
STEM - find a tutorial you want the students to really know the directions to? Create questions to use as a pre- and post- assessment!
Intermediate
This is your sign to create your first digital escape room!
Here's a template to create your own escape room using PlayPosit
Follow this step-by-step tutorial with pictures! to help you create your Digital Escape Room (or, better yet, have your students create their own!!)
Utilize the various features to change up the student experience!
Advanced
Monitoring data and creating your playlist
Learn how to monitor a PlayPosit bulb using data & analytics
Learn how to build a course playlist
Learn how to assign a learner made bulb
Learn how to assign a peer review assignment with an LMS
Use your already recorded Screencasts, favorite YouTube videos and tutorials from Khan Academy to transform your classroom. Provide your students with opportunities to challenge, but engage them while watching an awesome video. Save yourself some work and time by checking out the libraries and already created interactive videos other phenomenal educators have already created. But remember, function over fancy! Make sure your foundation and goals are set and don't hesitate to reach out to your techy-teacher or tech coach.
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