What's the scoop on NearPod?

    If you have heard of Nearpod but aren’t very familiar, then you should definitely research this spectacular resource. As some of my teacher friends were presenting about the popular classroom tool in our class, I learned so much and was filled with excitement!

    So, what can you do with Nearpod? I think the better question to ask is what CAN’T you do with this software, because it offers so much for teachers. First, Nearpod offers pre-prepared, interactive lessons, so teachers can spend less time planning and more time teaching. The lessons are separated by subject and grade level, so teachers can easily find and pick out what lesson is needed. Teachers also have the option to add collaborate boards, quizzes, polls, matching activities, and even virtual field trips to the lessons to gear the lesson towards what the students need. Teachers can also synchronize and control lessons across all student devices. Students simply enter a code to begin sharing a live session. This ensures 100% student participation because students are actively participating in polls, open ended discussion questions, or the option to draw their thinking. It really gives students a voice in their learning.

    Another option that Nearpod offers is game-based learning, because who doesn’t love playing games? Time to Climb is a popular game that encourages friendly competition and student interaction as the students race to the top of the mountain while they are learning. It also serves as a great formative assessment tool to see where the students are in their learning. Speaking of formative assessment, this is the perfect software that provides multiple forms of assessment. Students interact with any device to participate in lessons that are rich in formative assessments, such as polls, quizzes, discussion questions, draw it options, and many more. Teachers will get real time feedback to assess what the students already know and what gaps need to be filled. It also provides a post session report for student learning.

    Nearpod easily works with Google Classroom. Teachers can upload existing Powerpoints, PDFs, and Google Slides presentations and convert them to interactive Nearpod lessons. It is so user friendly for teachers!

I could go on about all the awesome things about Nearpod, but I will finish with that most fun thing the app offers, VIRTUAL FIELDTRIPS! Nearpod VR works with many devices, with or without headsets, to take students all over the world! How cool is that?