(http://www.edpuzzle.

com)

EDpuzzle
A White Paper
Parkes Burnette
burnettee3@winthrop.edu
December 9, 2014

This white paper was written as an assignment for Dr. Marshall Joness EDUC 651 class
at Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC. All rights reserved to the author. Permission is
granted to use this white paper provided the user notifies the author in writing prior to
use.

Parkes Burnette 2014

Introduction
There is an ever-present push in education for technology to be used in and beyond
the classroom. With this push, there is a demand for products and technologies that can be
used to fulfill this desire. EDpuzzle is one of those tools.
EDpuzzle was created by Imagine K12 and can be accessed at
http://www.edpuzzle.com. EDpuzzle is a tool that has many different roles and uses.
Overall, it is used to create video instruction. Teachers can use videos that are already on
EDpuzzle, videos they find on the Internet (through YouTube, TeacherTube, Khan
Academy, TED, LearnZillion, Vimeo, National Geographic, Veritasium, Numberphile, Crash
Course, or CA Club Academia), or videos they create themselves. Once they have a video to
use, they can add their own instructional elements to it. EDpuzzle allows teachers to
customize videos to fit the needs of their students.
EDpuzzle is a free resource that is readily accessible to everyone who has access to
the Internet. EDpuzzle is a website but also offers an app for iPhones, iPads, and iPods. It is
completely free and available through the app store on iTunes.

How to Use EDpuzzle

EDpuzzle is a fairly new technology. The majority of the articles, reviews, videos,
and blog posts available for it are only from 2014. Teachers who are familiar with the
concept of the flipped classroom may know about this particular technology, but there are
some who arent familiar with EDpuzzle. While it might not be a widely known resource, it
is fairly simple to use.
When you first go to edpuzzle.com this is what it will look like:

When you see this screen, you will need to log in or sign up. Once you do that, you will
come to your dashboard with all the different options.

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This page serves as the home page that you can use to navigate your way through the
website. You can use this to implement all the features that EDpuzzle has to offer.
One feature of EDpuzzle is that teachers can add questions for students to answer
while they are watching the video. This way the teacher can see if the students understand
what it is they are watching. Once students have watched the video, teachers have several
options as to how to view the data.
(http://www.slideshare.net/Schoolnetsa11/ed-puzzle-1)

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Teachers can view what students actually watched the video, what percentage of students
got certain questions correct, and which questions certain students missed. This can allow
teachers to differentiate instruction based on who doesnt understand what concept.

EDpuzzle Tutorials
1. http://gettingsmart.com/2014/06/edpuzzle-piece-blended-solution/
This resource is to help familiarize you with how to use EDpuzzle. It starts off with a
narrative section on how to use its features. It is broken up into subheadings to explain
how to search for videos, crop videos, add audio tracks, add audio notes, embed quizzes,
track progress, grab embedded codes, and explains bonus features EDpuzzle has to offer.
The last section features a how to video on how to use EDpuzzle. It was created by a high
school English teacher and shows how the teacher can do the above-mentioned features.
The video is of the computer screen as the teacher navigates through the EDpuzzle website.
2. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-wRQQ_gfvSomuZJaBLRshQ/videos
This is a resource where you can learn how to do several of the effects EDpuzzle has to
offer. This links you to a number of YouTube videos that have been made on how to use
EDpuzzle. It gives you many options for videos to watch. You can watch how to create a
new assignment, how to create classes, how to manage your classes, how to use it in
conjunction with Edmodo and Schoology, how to imbed videos, how to use it in conjunction
with project based learning, and how to share videos. This link can serve as a resource if
questions arise on how to use EDpuzzle. The videos are short in length, so the different
topics are broken up for you.
3. http://blog.edpuzzle.com/
EDpuzzle has a vlog (video blog) that they publish to their website. In this vlog, they
address common questions that users might have. This way they can answer questions and
concerns that users have along the way. The most recent post is on how to change your
students names and passwords. The video, as with all the videos, is of the computer
screen. The way the video is set up, you get to see step by step how to do that.

How are Other Teachers Using It?

1. http://www.edudemic.com/edpuzzle-review-easy-use-tool-lets-teachers-quickly-turnonline-video-lessons/
This website gives you an overview of what EDpuzzle is and how it can be used in a flipped
classroom. It also gives you information about students viewing the videos. This resource
mentions that with EDpuzzle you can make sure that students are actually watching the
videos. There is also a section that lists the likes and dislikes of teachers who have used it
in their classroom.
2. http://www.graphite.org/website/edpuzzle-teacher-review/4004456
This article explains to you what EDpuzzle is and how to use it. However, it also gives you a
glimpse into how the author uses it in her classroom. She talks about how she uses it for
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grammar videos. She also discusses how the different features benefit her and her
students. She mentions how students use it to upload their videos as well. It shows how
EDpuzzle is both for teachers and students.
3. http://www.techfaster.com/edtech-edpuzzle/
This article is an interview with one of the founders of EDpuzzle. It shows where the
creators were coming from when they created this resource. They mention how EDpuzzle
is different from what is currently available. This helps you see how it compares with other
resources and what you can use it for in your classroom.

Solving the Problem

An issue that has been seen throughout education is the fact that there is not enough
time in the day for teachers to do everything that they need to. Sometimes this is seen as a
complaint, but it really is an issue that has been ongoing. Technology is helping resolve this
problem.
The flipped classroom is a concept that can help solve this problem. With a flipped
classroom, all of the information presentation is done at home instead of in the
classroom. This allows class time to be used for hands-on, extension activities.
One of the key components of a flipped classroom is technology. This allows the
teacher to present information to the students at home. EDpuzzle is a piece of technology
that could work for this purpose. The fact that the teacher can select their own videos, or
upload their own, makes them aware of the content being introduced. Asking questions as
students watch the video allows teachers to check for understanding. By doing this at
home, this allows teachers the time in class to complete other activities and make sure they
are covering all the material.

National Educational Technology Standards

NETS for Teachers
Facilitate and inspire student learning
and creativity.
Teachers use their knowledge of subject
matter, teaching and learning, and
technology to facilitate experiences that
advance student learning, creativity, and
innovation in both face-to-face and virtual
environments.

EDpuzzle
a. Teachers can post videos that explain an
experiment and have students go and
recreate that experiment or one similar.
c. Teachers can pose questions throughout
the video that measure a students
conceptual understanding of the topic.

a. Promote, support, and model creative and

innovative thinking and inventiveness
c. Promote student reflection using
collaborative tools to reveal and clarify

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students conceptual understanding and

thinking, planning, and creative processes
Design and develop digital age learning
experiences and assessments.
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate
authentic learning experiences and
assessments incorporative contemporary
tools and resources to maximize content
learning in context and to develop the
knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in
the Standards.
a. Design or adapt relevant learning
experiences that incorporate digital tools
and resources to promote student learning
and creativity.
b. Develop technology-enriched learning
environments that enable all students to
pursue their individual curiosities and
become active participants in setting their
own educational goals, managing their own
learning, and assessing their own progress.
c. Customize and personalize learning
activities to address students diverse
learning styles, working strategies, and
abilities using digital tools and resources.
Model digital age work and learning.
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and
work processes representative of an
innovative professional in a global and
digital society.
c. Communicate relevant information and
ideas effectively to students, parents, and
peers using a variety of digital age media
and formats.
d. Model and facilitate effective use of
current and emerging digital tools to locate,
analyze, evaluate, and use information
resources to support research and learning.
Promote and model digital citizenship
and responsibility.

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a. Teachers can post videos for students to

watch and learn from. This provides them
with different learning experiences that
allow them to learn in different ways other
than a lecture.
b. With EDpuzzle, students can see how they
are doing based on the questions they
answer throughout the video. They also
have to take it upon themselves to watch the
videos, which let them manage their own
learning.
c. Teachers can assign different activities to
different students based off the videos they
watch. This way you can differentiate based
on what they child needs and check for
understanding that way.

c. If you want students to learn about the

phases of the moon, you can have them
watch a video with relevant information and
answer questions along the way.
d. Students also have access to annotating
videos on EDpuzzle. This allows them to use
this tool to help them with research as well
as learning.

a. Teachers can give students videos to

watch about internet safety and also teach

Teachers understand local and global

societal issues and responsibilities in an
evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and
ethical behavior in their professional
practices.

them how to practice it through using

EDpuzzle.

a. Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and

ethical use of digital information and
technology, including respect for copyright,
intellectual property, and the appropriate
documentation of sources

NETS for Students

Creativity and innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking,
construct knowledge, and develop
innovative products and processes using
technology.
b. Create original works as a means of
personal or group expression
Communication and collaboration
Students use digital media and
environments to communicate and work
collaboratively, including at a distance, to
support individual learning and contribute
to the learning of others.
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with
peers, experts, or others employing a variety
of digital environments and media
b. Communicate information and ideas
effectively to multiple audiences using a
variety of media and formats
Research and information fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather,
evaluate, and use information.
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate,
synthesize, and ethically use information
from a variety of sources and media

EDpuzzle
b. Students can create videos about a
particular subject, annotate them, and
upload them to EDpuzzle. Then, other
students can watch them.

a, b. Students can create videos about a

particular subject, annotate them, and
upload them to EDpuzzle. Then, other
students can watch them. This allows them
to use a different type of media. This allows
them to communicate ideas and information
to their peers and others.

b, c. Students can locate videos the teacher

has assigned on EDpuzzle. They can decide
if they are appropriate sources for whatever
it is they are working on.

c. Evaluate and select information sources

and digital tools based on the
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appropriateness to specific tasks

Critical thinking, problem solving, and
decision making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan
and conduct research, manage projects,
solve problems, and make informed
decisions using appropriate digital tools and
resources.

a, b, c, d. Students can watch videos and

come up with experiments to go along with
what they watched. They can plan and
develop a solution, collect and analyze data,
and use multiple processes to explore many
different solutions.

a. Identify and define authentic problems

and significant questions for investigation
b. Plan and manage activities to develop a
solution or complete a project
c. Collect and analyze data to identify
solutions and/or make informed decisions
d. Use multiple processes and diverse
perspectives to explore alternative solutions
Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and
societal issues related to technology and
practice legal and ethical behavior.
a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and
responsible use of information and
technology
c. Demonstrate personal responsibility for
lifelong learning
Technology operations and concepts
Students demonstrate a sound
understanding of technology concepts,
systems, and operations.

a. While students are searching for

information on EDpuzzle, through the
videos that the teacher provided, they can
practice responsible use of information.
c. By letting students become independent
about when, and if, they watch the videos
and answer the questions, it allows students
to take responsibility for their learning.
a. Students have to have an understanding
of EDpuzzle in order to use it properly.

a. Understand and use technology systems

Environmental Factors
With technology, come some requirements that you must have in order to use it.
EDpuzzle is no different. While it is something that could be useful in your classroom, here
are some factors that you need to consider:
Students and teachers will need to have access to a computer, iPad, or iPhone in
order to use it, whether it is at school or at home.

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Since a computer, iPad, or iPhone is required, an Internet connection is also

required in order to be able to use those devices.
With an iPad or iPhone, a wireless Internet connection is required.
Voice recording is not possible on tablets or mobile devices. A computer will
have to be used in order to add a voice recording to a video.
You cannot use videos from YouTube or TeacherTube that are private.
A video that is uploaded to EDpuzzle cannot exceed 1GB (1024MB).

Benefits of Using EDpuzzle in the Classroom

EDpuzzle offers many benefits for students and
teachers in the classroom, at all grade levels. It creates a way
for students to be engaged in the classroom, with a new kind
of digital media.

Benefits for Teachers

(http://tinyurl.com/lt9l7yc)

Teachers can use the time they would have spent in class presenting information to
do hands-on activities.
Teachers have a vast amount of videos they can upload and annotate. This allows
them to use videos already created.
Teachers can see what students have watched assigned videos and who has not.
Teachers can see what students understand the material being presented to them in
the videos. They can do this by inserting questions throughout the video for
students to answer.
Teachers can upload their own videos to EDpuzzle; they dont have to use ones that
already exist.
Teachers can crop videos to only use the parts that are relevant to what they are
discussing.
Teachers can add voice notes or voice recordings throughout the video to explain a
concept that might be confusing.
Teachers can record their own voice over a video instead of using the commentary
that is already on there.

Benefits for Students

Students can do more hands-on activities in the classroom by having the

information presented them at home through EDpuzzle.
Students can use EDpuzzle for projects and upload a video for their teacher to see.
Students can take more responsibility for their learning by having to watch videos
outside of class.
Students can see how well they understand information presented to them by
answering questions throughout the videos.

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Drawbacks to Using EDpuzzle in the Classroom

While there are benefits to use EDpuzzle in the classroom, there are also some
drawbacks.
If your students do not have access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone at home,
then they wont be able to access EDpuzzle. Then, all the videos would have to be
watched in class.
If a student does not understand a concept, despite watching the videos, it is a lot
harder for them to get caught up. The teacher will have to take class time to devote
to helping them understand.
Using EDpuzzle requires a lot more planning on the teachers part. They have to
find, or upload, videos, plant questions throughout them, and possibly add voice
recordings.
If teachers are not familiar with videos and voice recordings, it might take a while
for them to understand how to use it.

Conclusion
EDpuzzle is a resource that is helping bridge the gap between education and
technology. It allows teachers to explore different options within their classroom. Within
the concept of the flipped classroom, by allowing the information to be presented to
students at home, it gives teachers class time to get down what needs to be done. This lets
teachers teach everything that students could possibly need to know. Students are able to
grow as learners by applying their learning. By helping students learn to apply what they
know, this is a skill that they can take with them and apply to different aspects of life.

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