<s>
Flip	B-Application
(	O
formerly	O
Flipgrid	B-Application
and	O
originally	O
Vidku	B-Application
)	O
is	O
a	O
free-to-use	O
video	O
discussion	O
platform	O
owned	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
classroom	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
platform	O
is	O
available	O
via	O
a	O
web	O
browser	O
,	O
or	O
through	O
a	O
mobile	O
app	O
on	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flipgrid	B-Application
can	O
sync	O
to	O
a	O
teacher	O
's	O
already	O
existing	O
Google	B-Application
Classroom	I-Application
roster	O
,	O
and	O
includes	O
a	O
library	O
of	O
pre-existing	O
video	O
discussion	O
topics	O
from	O
organizations	O
including	O
NASA	O
,	O
PBS	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
BBC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
2019	O
study	O
was	O
conducted	O
that	O
concluded	O
that	O
usage	O
of	O
Flip	B-Application
increased	O
students	O
 '	O
oral	O
presentation	O
skills	O
and	O
two	O
2020	O
studies	O
that	O
showed	O
that	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
software	O
improved	O
student	O
engagement	O
in	O
online	O
or	O
hybrid	O
classroom	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flipgrid	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
LT	O
Media	O
Lab	O
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Minnesota	O
and	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
January	O
2014	O
with	O
a	O
subscription	O
based	O
model	O
where	O
teachers	O
would	O
pay	O
for	O
the	O
software	O
and	O
would	O
allow	O
for	O
an	O
unlimited	O
number	O
of	O
students	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flipgrid	B-Application
was	O
set	O
up	O
as	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
a	O
Minneapolis-based	O
startup	O
company	O
in	O
2015	O
to	O
manage	O
and	O
support	O
the	O
software	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
later	O
acquired	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
in	O
June	O
2018	O
,	O
who	O
then	O
made	O
the	O
software	O
free-to-use	O
for	O
teachers	O
and	O
refunded	O
any	O
teachers	O
who	O
had	O
an	O
existing	O
subscription	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
its	O
acquisition	O
,	O
Flipgrid	B-Application
was	O
used	O
by	O
more	O
than	O
20	O
million	O
students	O
across	O
more	O
than	O
180	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
announced	O
on	O
June	O
27	O
,	O
2022	O
at	O
the	O
2022	O
International	O
Society	O
for	O
Technology	O
in	O
Education	O
(	O
ISTE	O
)	O
Conference	O
ISTELive	O
,	O
during	O
an	O
event	O
they	O
called	O
FlipFest	O
,	O
that	O
Flipgrid	B-Application
would	O
be	O
renamed	O
to	O
Flip	B-Application
.	O
</s>
