Photo: Nicole Holdorph
An educational technology startup launched by the University of Minnesota was purchased by Microsoft earlier this week.
Flipgrid, a company based on technology by researchers in the U’s College of Education and Human Development, engages students in classroom topics by using short video responses to give each person an equal voice. According to a recent Flipgrid blog post, as part of Microsoft, the platform will become free to use for all educators and students.
Charlie Miller, Ph.D., associate professor of curriculum and instruction, developed the platform alongside graduate student Brad Hosack, to hear a dozen of his students’ thoughts on curriculum design. The platform grew quickly, gaining even more momentum when the U of M launched a startup company in early 2015 (originally named Vidku but later renamed to Flipgrid), with Miller as chief design officer and cofounder.
Since then, the platform has spread across the country and the world. Today, it has users in more than 180 countries—not only in classrooms at all levels, from preschools to universities, but in companies and organizations outside of education, as well.