{"id":1003,"date":"2020-04-10T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/education\/blog\/2020\/04\/10\/the-show-must-go-on-and-flipgrid-can-help\/"},"modified":"2024-06-03T18:04:23","modified_gmt":"2024-06-04T01:04:23","slug":"the-show-must-go-on-and-flipgrid-can-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/education\/blog\/2020\/04\/the-show-must-go-on-and-flipgrid-can-help\/","title":{"rendered":"The show must go on, and Flipgrid can help"},"content":{"rendered":"

From time to time, we feature stories about\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Changemakers<\/strong><\/a><\/em>, as we call them, educators who are making a difference in the lives of students around the world. Today\u2019s post was written by Nancy Zuckerbrod, a Washington D.C. mom and education blogger, honoring Rolando Sanz, Producing Artistic Director of Young Artists of America.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

My son, Jonah, was crushed when he got the news that the performance of \u201cBeauty and the Beast,\u201d that he\u2019s been working toward for months, would be postponed since we moved to social distancing. And, he wouldn\u2019t be able to see his theater friends until who knows when. He\u2019s part of Young Artists of America<\/strong><\/a> (YAA), a musical theater group in the Washington D.C. area. Broadway composer Alan Menken had even been planning to attend the group\u2019s performance and be part of a post-show discussion and celebration with the kids and their families.<\/p>\n

I had trouble conveying a bright side on this one, but Jonah\u2019s mood lifted when he got an encouraging email from Rolando Sanz, producing artistic director of the theater group. Rolando asked the students to take part in virtual rehearsals. \u201cJust because we can\u2019t be together doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t make music together!\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

The idea was to use Flipgrid<\/a><\/strong>, a free social learning platform that allows students and teachers to record videos, comment, and share safely with each other all within the app.<\/p>\n

As a mom, I\u2019ve seen the power of this terrific learning tool in ordinary times, such as when Jonah\u2019s language teacher created a grid, which is like a message board, and asked students to record themselves responding in Spanish to questions she posted. However, Rolando\u2019s request to use this student voice tool to keep musical theater going during these tough times is honestly something I couldn\u2019t have imagined.<\/p>\n

This is what the students were told in an email:<\/p>\n