If you have school-age kids, there's a good chance they are familiar with Flipgrid. It's a video platform—think Snapchat and Instagram Stories—where instructors post discussion topics or questions, and learners respond via a short video (about 90 seconds). Learners also can leave responses and give "heart" rankings to other videos.

You can use Flipgrid to further conversation beyond the classroom, connect geographically dispersed learners, or engage participants who may be uncomfortable speaking up in a formal class. For instance, ask participants receiving new manager training to share their personal experience dealing with a difficult employee. Use it during technical training to ask learners to describe their process for solving a complex problem. Or, at the end of the course, simply ask learners to reflect on what they've learned and how they plan to use their new skills and knowledge on the job.

The grid function is a good way to collect a range of responses on a single topic. Plus, your grids can be embedded or connected with a variety of other platforms such as Blackboard, WordPress, and Moodle.