Review by Marianne Rogowski, Common Sense Education | Updated October 2018
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Edpuzzle

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Crop, customize, and remix online video content with interactive tool

Subjects & skills
Subjects
N/A
Skills
  • Communication & Collaboration
  • Critical Thinking
Grades This grade range is a recommendation by Common Sense Education and not the developer/publisher.
3–12
Great for:
Common Sense says (See details)
Teachers say (33 Reviews)
Privacy (See details)
Use Responsibly Full evaluation
Price:  Free, Paid The basic version is free. The Pro Teacher plan is in development but is slated to cost $6.50 per month. The Pro School plan starts at $55 per month (call for quote).
Platforms:  Website

Take a look inside

8 images
Use videos from various sources, crop them, and add your own questions.
Build a repository of content you create for easy access.
Get detailed data on how students are performing.
See individual student progress on assignments, including time spent.
Results are stored in the gradebook for later viewing, or export them to a spreadsheet.
Keep track of classes, assignments, and due dates on the teacher dashboard.
Choose videos from a variety of outside sites.
It can be frustrating to sift through many pages of duplicate videos when you use a keyword search.

Pros: Intuitive video editor includes the ability for both teachers and students to add voice-overs, comments, resources, and quizzes to existing online videos.

Cons: Sifting through uninspiring video content can be daunting, and the site hosts many alternate versions of the same videos.

Bottom Line: As a flipped classroom or student creation tool, there are lots of opportunities for use, but teachers will need to be creative if they want students to engage.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Start out with Edpuzzle using video for the purpose of pre-teaching, perhaps pairing videos with text in any content area where students might need scaffolding or supports. Use the voice-over feature to add a few quick checks to read-aloud videos to engage and support struggling readers, introducing vocabulary words (pronunciation, meaning, synonyms) along the way. For math centers, record yourself teaching a concept, and have the kids stop for practice and submit their answers. Want to flip your flipped classroom? Let kids use the tool to create a video lesson, and choose some of the best for their peers to complete on their own. Then, go into depth in class to expand upon what students learned from remixing their videos.

If you're using others' content as a starting point, Edpuzzle's search will suggest high-quality videos from sites such as YouTube, Khan Academy, TED Talks, and Vimeo. There's also the option to choose content from the curriculum library, which is a collection of videos organized by content area. However, be aware that editing the videos won't alter them in any way, and remember to preview all video content for appropriateness. Finally, consider taking advantage of the Personalized Learning Certifications for teachers and students to develop learning competencies in a variety of areas, including digital citizenship or diversity and inclusion. Teachers earn continuing education units -- and students earn credit -- toward a student project-based learning initiative. 

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Put this tool into practice:

Edpuzzle is a web-based interactive video and formative assessment tool that lets users crop existing online videos and add content to target specific learning objectives. Teachers can search the extensive library or upload their own videos to customize them with voice-overs, audio comments, embedded assessment questions, and additional resources. There are also options to choose from the site's curriculum content, assign due dates, and prohibit students from fast-forwarding through videos. Teachers can view students' scores and progress over time as well as the length of time students took to complete an assignment. Data from the embedded quizzes is saved in Edpuzzle's dashboard; however, teachers can easily export and incorporate it into other grade- and course-management systems.

Edpuzzle offers a space for a community of teachers to share their creations for inspiration or for easy classroom use. But since so many versions of the same original video are saved, teachers may have to scroll through the dozens of repeats before discovering different search results. A better use might be to turn this robust set of tools over to students, enabling them to find high-quality online video content and customize it in a way that demonstrates their learning.

Edpuzzle allows both teachers and students to customize online videos in ways that encourage more active learning. The quality of the learning will depend, of course, on the original video as well as how it's customized or remixed for classroom use, but you won't have to look too hard to find lots of high-quality options to use as starting points. Teachers who choose or create informative, engaging videos can add voice-overs, interactive quizzes, and audio notes to create a much more learner-centric experience and one that encourages students to be reactive viewers who critique what they watch. 

While passively watching online videos may require only lower-level thinking skills, the ability to isolate and encourage interaction with the most important aspects of a video increases the relevance of content and depth of learning, especially if teachers take advantage of the options to add supplemental resources and links. Furthermore, critical thinking skills such as analysis and information seeking can lead students to a transformation of knowledge if teachers let students research, create, and share their own video lessons. While it will meet many needs, Edpuzzle could use more features to annotate and remix videos, especially the ability to combine multiple videos. Since this feature isn't yet available, the developers suggest a workaround: sequencing video lessons to create a similar student learning experience.

Overall Rating
Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

It's important to choose and crop engaging videos to present relevant content and keep students interested. Customization via embedded links or voice-overs will help draw kids in.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

The ability to remix and customize learning content is one aspect of good edtech. Students get immediate feedback in multiple-choice quizzes, and opportunities for student-created content create avenues for more in-depth learning.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

The help center is straightforward and well-organized and addresses both student and teacher concerns. The user interface is well-designed, but teachers should be cognizant of assigning content that meets students' needs.

Common Sense Reviewer
Marianne Rogowski Media specialist/librarian
About our ratings and privacy evaluation.

Teacher Reviews

(See all 33 reviews) (33 reviews) Write a review
Featured review by
Jim B. , Classroom teacher
Classroom teacher
Foulks Ranch Elementary School
Elk Grove, United States
Edpuzzle makes viewing videos INTERACTIVE!
Overall, Edpuzzle is a way to make a video interactive and student-centered. Rather than a teacher playing a video, clicking pause, and then trying to get students to discuss or take notes or interrogate the film based on what the teacher deems reasonable, Edpuzzle puts the student in control. They can rewatch. They can respond to written questions or quizzes. They can click on hyperlinks inserted by a teacher. They can review written comments or audio notes left by a teacher. Edpuzzle truly takes the ...
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