Nearpod
Ok, so Nearpod is really cool. It’s awkward at first, but very cool. It is perfect in a 1:1 situation. Here is a quick summary, then I’ll share my lessons learned. Also a shout out to my friend Adam Watson and his blog for the introduction. (http://watsonedtech.blogspot.com/)
My lesson was on documentation using MLA format (Zzzzzzzz) but not ONE student dozed off during my Lesson
What it does is deliver information to student devices in a PowerPoint looking format. Your device controls what appears on student screens, so you can advance text, a short answer question, a picture or a poll. There are more features in the paid version such as websites and videos. You can move forward and backward in the presentation and students simply look their screens. Nearpod enables students to answer questions and you can see their answers on your device, but they can’t see each other’s. If you like a student answer, you can hit “share” and the answer will be delivered to all of the screens in the room (minus the name of the student who created the answer). Students can draw on pictures, highlight text, and answer polls. You see all of their answers and can use the information as a formative assessment.
Instructional Implications:
Students are asked to interact with you and the technology. You can see, based on their answers, whether or not they understand the concepts. They can’t “zone out” because they are constantly being asked for feedback. They LOVE to see their answers shared and can learn from each other. You can shift instruction on the fly based on their evidence of understanding. You can even move to individuals in the classroom who are struggling and help one on one.
Lessons Learned:
1. It’s awkward not to have a slide or something on the big screen in front of class to guide my instruction. I kept referring to the screen only to realize there was nothing there. I had to look at my laptop to see what the students saw. (see #5 for a solution)
2. If the WiFi is slow, students simply hit “refresh” to get the slides to advance.
3. Don’t hit the “share” button until all students are finished answering. If you do, it will interrupt their work to show everyone the slide you are sharing. I THINK you can go back and they can pick up where they left off, but I’m not positive.
4. For the “draw” feature, have students use the mouse to do the drawing. If they are using iPads, they can simply touch the screen and draw with their fingers. It took us 3 class periods to figure this out.
5. If you are using a laptop and have another computer hooked to the SmartBoard, connect that computer to the Nearpod session too and what the students see on their screens will also show up in front of the class.