Formative assessments collect student data that provide insights teachers can use to inform the next set of instructional strategies, often making adjustments in real-time. Student assessment outcomes may indicate that teachers need to modify or even scrap their instructional plans in order to revisit or reteach concepts. There are many different types of assessments, from diagnostic assessments to summative assessments to authentic assessments. However, formative assessments are a common method teachers use for monitoring student progress daily.

Formative assessments provide teachers with real-time indicators of progress (or lack thereof) to make data-informed decisions when it comes to individualizing and personalizing instruction. These assessments can be active learning strategies—thumbs up or thumbs down, polls, quizzes, and the ever-popular “exit tickets.” But formative assessments are not just for teachers! They can also empower students using formative assessment to track progress themselves. Based on the frequency of formative assessments, students have more intel to drive their own learning journeys; they can seek out supplemental resources or practice materials depending on whether they are looking for more challenges or further support.

How to monitor student progress during a lesson

Teachers are ever observant and vigilant in monitoring student progress during a lesson. They can make observations about a student’s level and type of participation. They may use strategic questioning to gain evidence of student thinking and when tracking student progress. Many use active learning strategies such as think-pair-share to encourage collaborative learning and allow for peer-to-peer learning and feedback. Through such continuous analysis, teachers also can provide actionable feedback to students on an ongoing basis.

One of the hallmarks of Nearpod is that the comprehensive platform provides educators with real-time formative assessment data to monitor and modify instruction throughout the day. Allowing them to make “in the moment” instructional decisions to support student needs. Nearpod offers nine types of formative assessment:

• Drag & Drop
• Draw It
• Open-Ended Question 
• Quiz
• Poll
• Collaborate Board
• Fill in the Blanks
• Matching Pairs
• Time to Climb

The formative assessment data from these interactive features can be tracked whether a teacher is delivering a Live or Student-Paced Lesson lessons. When launching Live lessons, the content is synced across all student devices, allowing teachers to see every student and identify misconceptions. With Student-Paced lessons, students work at their own pace while teachers keep a finger on the pulse of individual students’ performance on activities, quizzes, and homework assignments. With both delivery methods, teachers can find comprehensive post-session reports via the Teacher Dashboard or downloadable CSV or PDF files.

During a Live lesson, click on Teacher View in the top right corner to see student responses to activities and assessments. You can share answers (anonymously, if you prefer) to highlight exemplars or address misconceptions. During a Student-Paced lesson, you can “View Progress” via a lesson code for any student in real-time.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for a free Nearpod account below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

7 Tips for monitoring student progress with real-time formative assessment data

1. Choose the formative assessments that will provide the right insights

As mentioned above, formative assessments vary in format from strategic questioning and observations to engaging activities and assessments. Teachers employ multiple techniques and strategies depending on the format, content, and cadence of their lesson plans. The key is to pepper formative assessments throughout instruction so that students are actively participating and you are receiving feedback about individuals and the whole group.

Nearpod offers a variety of features that can help teachers use formative assessments when monitoring student progress throughout lessons. Consider how you might use Polls during an anticipatory activity to gauge prior knowledge of a new concept. Then, weave in an activity learning strategy like Collaborate Board throughout a lesson for quick checks of understanding. As an exit ticket, create a short multiple-choice Quiz or ask an Open-Ended Question to evaluate whether student learning objectives were achieved (and by whom!). These insights can help with data-driven instruction methods.

2. Embed formative assessments into lessons or stand-alone activities

Formative assessments can be bite-sized as well as more comprehensive. The trick is to immerse yourself in the many formative assessment strategies (see these active learning best practices to start) so that they become natural touchpoints for you to depend on throughout your daily instruction. Many say that teachers have eyes in the back of their heads, and while this sixth sense can help with classroom management, it can also help progress students toward reaching their goals.

Within a single Nearpod lesson, you can add a slide featuring a quick interactive check for understanding, like Fill in the Blank, or you can use Time to Climb to conclude a lesson with a bit of fun competition. Or, you might design a learning experience around a single activity. For instance, you could use Draw It to kick off a K-W-L chart or a Collaborate Board to capture small group work on a particular concept or problem. On Draw It, teachers can view students’ responses and data in real-time and share responses on students’ screens for discussions.

3. Provide feedback to individual students

Formative assessments provide teachers with rich data; then, the question can be, “Now what?” In addition to leveraging formative assessment data to design the next steps in instruction or even for planning a reteach, you can also intervene in the moment with targeted feedback. A continuous feedback cycle ensures that students stay engaged as you support them and boost motivation to strive toward their goals.

Nearpod’s feedback feature, Live Teacher Feedback, helps you provide such a continuous feedback cycle so that students don’t have to wait for support, encouragement, and praise. You can expand the toolbar on Draw It to add stickers or annotations to students’ work and responses within Nearpod. Screenshots of your feedback will appear in the associated student reports and notes as well. Students will be able to see your feedback in real-time, which helps them learn from errors and misconceptions, ask questions, and try different strategies.

4. Share student work

Many teachers appreciate the notion of “show what you know” when it comes to asking students to demonstrate their understanding, proficiency, and mastery of a new concept or skill by sharing their work. Teachers can use examples of student work to highlight where common missteps can occur. They also can share examples to showcase exemplary work or to applaud innovative thinking or self-expression.

Students can submit their work using the variety of interactive activities found in Nearpod. Tools like Draw It provide students a choice in how they demonstrate their learning based on their ability or preference, through drawing, writing, typing, or images. Teachers can share student work on the devices to encourage them to demonstrate their skills while developing mastery. Collaborate Board encourages peer-to-peer learning as well as peer-to-peer feedback. This feature is used as a digital discussion board where students share responses using text or images while commented on with their peers’ posts. Both tools provide evidence of student thinking that the teacher can monitor and share with other students.

5. Monitor class performance to check understanding

Teachers strive for student engagement, but the reality is that students’ attention can wax and wane throughout a lesson for many reasons—from the commotion outside a school window to the lack of personal interest in a topic. Therefore, teachers are masterful at weaving checks for understanding throughout even an hour of instruction. They may incorporate subtle personalized learning strategies to gauge understanding while also giving students voice and choice about what to pursue so they can take ownership in furthering their learning, whether that be asking for more support or seeking out a new challenge.

Nearpod’s Teacher Dashboard provides a turnkey way for educators to check whether or not students have started an activity or lesson and how they are progressing. Having formative assessment data analysis for progress monitoring student growth means that you can make informed decisions in the moment about how to challenge or modify instruction for a student, a group of students, or the entire class. You may choose to pull one or many together for a quick mini-conference to individualize the learning a bit more.

6. Adjust learning in the moment

In a popular Friends episode, Ross yells out, “Pivot!” at the top of his lungs. Teachers are nimble and applauded for their flexibility in response to classroom needs. By continually weaving formative assessment strategies into monthly, weekly, and daily lesson plans, teachers can rely on real-time data analytics to make informed decisions about what to teach next and how to do so. Additionally, integrating tailored standardized test prep into these strategies empowers educators to effectively address and reinforce key concepts necessary for student success.

Remember, you can duplicate and modify any existing Nearpod lesson. You may choose to add more interactive activities on the fly to boost your formative assessment strategies within a particular lesson. During Live lessons, you can also launch the Whiteboard for a more collaborative and visual discussion. Also, you could use the Live Annotation feature to highlight, draw, or type on content slides in real time to encourage more interactivity and model for students.

7. Use lesson data to differentiate

Teachers know they have a diverse classroom when it comes to varying personalities, ages and stages of development, and ranges of abilities. The first day of school is filled with anticipation as teachers meet their learners often for the very first time. With such a group of individuals in mind, teachers nowadays avoid “teaching to the middle” regarding skills or being a “sage on the stage” preaching to the crowd. Instead, they try to personalize and individualize learning plans, so much of their lesson preparation is thinking of ways to differentiate instruction based on anticipated needs. 

The real-time data collection that Nearpod provides means that teachers can differentiate instruction, targeting support and challenges accordingly. Many teachers plan for such differentiation, yet the data means that they can employ such strategies as needed in the moment, preemptively avoiding frustration or disengagement. Nearpod empowers teachers to recognize and address differentiation and thereby provide a more tailored and targeted approach to instruction. Nearpod supports needs-based decision making in classrooms and schools, and aligns with intervention approaches such as response to intervention (RTI) and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).

Start using Nearpod for monitoring student progress

Periodically reassessing goals is essential for both teachers and students, as goal setting can evolve or expand over time. Teachers’ and students’ goals can shift or stretch at any time, but it is best to take this moment to reflect on what the data says in order to make informed decisions for the last half of the year. Formative assessment examples can be a teacher’s best friend when it comes to encouraging student participation, connections, and confidence building. Student engagement grows when they make progress and their curiosity is sparked. Explore new ways to use Nearpod’s nine formative assessment tools during the rest of this school year to help you monitor progress and enhance instruction.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for a free Nearpod account below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Darri Stephens

Darri Stephens is a dedicated LX (learning experience) designer, passionate about creating quality content and programs for kids, families, and educators. With MAs in Education from both Harvard and Stanford, and work experience at best-in-class ed tech organizations including Wonder Workshop, Nickelodeon, and Common Sense Education, she is steeped in the design thinking process and committed to agile and iterative project management, which has resulted in multi-award-winning programs and products.

The post How to monitor student progress with real-time formative assessment data appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Why is formative assessment important?

Formative assessment fosters active student participation and provides immediate insights into their understanding. Mastering formative assessment strategies will help your students showcase their knowledge of and reflect on the material taught while providing the teacher with insight into their understanding. When teachers ask students to demonstrate their understanding through formative assessment during a lesson regularly, students become active in the learning experience and are able to cement or apply their knowledge. Through this instant feedback, teachers can tailor their instruction on the spot to immediately meet the needs of their students based on these insights.

How to use technology for formative assessments

We know the instructional value of consistent formative assessment in the classroom, but it has become a demanding practice to implement regularly for teachers with competing priorities. That is… until smart devices came into the picture. In fact, Ian Beatty at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst was one of the first to illustrate how personal smart devices in the hands of teachers and students could dramatically transform the ability to deliver and analyze the results of formative assessment. The integration of technology in the classroom provides teachers with real-time feedback that can be used to inform instructional decisions. Teachers can create personalized learning experiences, get immediate feedback on student learning, and conduct data-driven instruction, which can result in an improvement in student outcomes and engagement. Nearpod provides real-time insights into student understanding through interactive lessons, interactive videos, gamification, and activities — all in a single platform.

The research and benefits of formative assessment in Nearpod

The original platform design of Nearpod was inspired by a growing body of research around the positive impacts of consistent formative assessment and best practices for implementing them (Engle & Conant, 2002). In the beginning, teachers could facilitate Nearpod lessons from their devices that synchronized informational slides and a few options for formative assessments (open-ended questions, multiple choice quizzes, or polls) on student devices. As the educational landscape evolves, Nearpod has consistently enriched its suite of formative assessment tools with evidence-based solutions, supporting educators in adapting to the changing classroom environment.

Nearpod allows teachers to monitor real-time formative assessment data and share individual responses with the rest of the class, making students more eager to demonstrate their understanding. Also, teachers can access formative assessment data after any session in their post-session reports or on their teacher dashboard during instruction to monitor student progress. Now, Nearpod offers nine types of formative assessments to check for understanding in any lesson!

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

5 Evidence-based formative assessment strategies using tech tools

1. Provide diverse assessment options to keep students interested

No matter how beneficial a formative assessment may be, doing the same thing over and over can get repetitive and have a negative impact on classroom engagement. Truly effective formative assessments should deploy a variety of tasks to measure student understanding (Ames, 1992). Diverse delivery of assessment is associated with strong cognitive and emotional gains in students (McLaughlin & Yan, 2017). This research inspired the Nearpod team to build out a more comprehensive suite of interactive assessments that could be added to a Nearpod lesson. Nearpod added Fill-in-the-blanks and Matching Pairs to better scaffold student work and responses for identifying and define-level assessments. 

2. Provide opportunities for collaboration and creation

The introduction of the Collaborate Board allowed students to see and interact with peer-written responses, recreating the concept of a digital instructional “parking lot” and updating responses in real time on teacher dashboards. One study from 2010 showed that opportunities to “doodle” during a learning experience increased the likelihood of information retention (Andrade, 2010). The Draw It tool was created as a way to empower students who prefer expressing their understanding creatively. Students can submit drawings on a blank canvas or a background image uploaded by the teacher. The feature quickly became a teacher and student favorite!

3. Use reference media to support and scaffold student learning

For each interactive assessment, we try our best to remove any potential impediments from answering a question. One study found greater access to requisite background knowledge enhances online assessment outcomes (Fuchs et al., 2000). Accordingly, Nearpod developed the ability for teachers to add reference media, such as an image, a video, a website, or even an audio recording of a teacher’s voice, as an attachment to interactive assessments to give more background information.

4. Promote inclusivity and reduce biases during instruction

Not every student is willing to raise their hand publicly, and this popular method of questioning means many are left behind during formative assessments. Student-response systems increase participation and draw out reluctant participants. (Graham et al., 2007) Nearpod developed the optional feature to make student responses anonymous in order to promote increased participation and reduce feelings of vulnerability (Caldwell, 2007). In Nearpod lessons, the barriers to entry for participating are reduced compared to raising your hand in class.

One study found that teachers can maximize learning outcomes and promote inclusivity by allowing students to submit audio recordings in lieu of written responses (Dalton, Herbert, & Daysher, 2003). Nearpod has a feature whereby students can submit audio responses to an open-ended question. Cheryl Staats argues that every educator enters the classroom with some degree of implicit bias, manifesting itself in who gets called on, who is believed in, and general classroom attitudes (2016). It can be a hard thing to spot in oneself, let alone curb entirely, but technology can play a pivotal role in democratizing classroom participation and formative assessment strategies.

5. Incorporate educational games

Educational games create engaging, fun, and valuable learning experiences for students. These types of formative assessment tech tools help build 21st-century social skills and problem-solving skills and build community, all while learning and boosting student achievement. Games are most effective when well-planned and integrated into learning objectives. With Time to Climb, you can include an existing Nearpod lesson or use it as a quick stand-alone activity. Students compete to get to the top of a mountain by answering a series of questions correctly and quickly to become one of the top three winners of the game. Teachers can choose a setting, and students select a character. It’s a teacher and student favorite!

Start using Nearpod’s formative assessments

Formative assessment, especially with tools like Nearpod, has transformed traditional teaching methods. Teachers have attested to the fact that more students participate and participate consistently in Nearpod lessons compared to traditional lessons. Nearpod’s evolution showcases its commitment to supporting teachers with effective tools. Embracing technology-driven formative assessment not only enriches learning but also fosters an inclusive and adaptable educational environment where each student can thrive.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Works Cited in Research Base

Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education: principles, policy & practice, 5(1), 7-74.

Engle, R. A., & Conant, F. R. (2002). Guiding principles for fostering productive disciplinary engagement: Explaining an emergent argument in a community of learners classroom. Cognition and instruction, 20(4), 399-483.

Ames, C. (1992). Classrooms: Goals, structures, and student motivation. Journal of educational psychology, 84(3), 261.

McLaughlin, T., & Yan, Z. (2017). Diverse delivery methods and strong psychological benefits: A review of online formative assessment. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 33(6), 562-574.

Andrade, J. (2010). What does doodling do?. Applied Cognitive Psychology: The Official Journal of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 24(1), 100-106.

Fuchs, L. S., Fuchs, D., Karns, K., Hamlett, C. L., Dutka, S., & Katzaroff, M. (2000). The importance of providing background information on the structure and scoring of performance assessments. Applied Measurement in Education, 13(1), 1-34.

Graham, C. R., Tripp, T. R., Seawright, L., & Joeckel, G. (2007). Empowering or compelling reluctant participators using audience response systems. Active Learning in Higher Education, 8(3), 233-258.

Caldwell, J. E. (2007). Clickers in the large classroom: Current research and best-practice tips. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 6(1), 9-20.

Dalton, B. D., Herbert, M., & Deysher, S. (2003, December). Scaffolding students’ response to digital literature with embedded strategy supports: The role of audio-recording vs. writing student response options. Paper presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the National Reading Conference, Scottsdale, AZ.

Adam Franklin

Adam is a Learning Experience Designer at Nearpod. He previously taught High School History teacher in Houston, Texas where he also served as the Social Studies Department Chair. Adam is currently in charge of the quality control of Nearpod’s learning experiences. He is also the manager of the Digital Citizenship and Literacy program.

The post 5 Evidence-based formative assessment strategies using tech tools appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

How to make your own interactive Drag and Drop activity

Nearpod’s Drag and Drop activity allows students to sort, order, or label images or text sequentially or in groups. Educators can choose from an ever-growing collection of premade activities or create customized activities to meet specific classroom needs. To create your own, you can add a content background image and customize draggable items for the activity. When paired with all of Nearpod’s interactive slides-based lessons, interactive videos, and other gamification and activities, this feature gives teachers many tools to meet the needs of diverse learners.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

5 Ways to use Drag and Drop activity maker in the classroom

1. Label diagrams, images, and maps

With seemingly unlimited possibilities, these activities provide a visual and interactive learning opportunity, increase student engagement, and encourage retention. Start off by labeling diagrams, images, maps, patterns, and cycles. Here are some examples you can use in your classroom:

• Geography: Label the continents, oceans, and state flags
• Science: Label the parts of a plant, the parts of the brain, or the parts of an animal cell
• English Language Arts (ELA): Label the parts of speech in a sentence.

Here are some premade activities you can use:

• Locating & Identifying States: Northwestern States (Grades 3-5): In this activity, students identify the location of and label five northwestern states.
• Labeling the Parts of a Plant (Grade 4): Students can practice reading about and identifying the different parts of a plant.
• Labeling Parts of the Brain (Grades 9-12): Have students showcase their understanding of the brain by dragging labels to their correct positions.

2. Sequence events and information

Use a Drag and Drop activity maker to sequence events, steps, procedures, and information. Here are some examples you can use in your classroom:

• Social studies: Sequence the events leading up to the American Revolution
• English Language Arts (ELA): Sequence the order of events in a story: the beginning, middle, and end.
• Math: Sequence a collection of fractions on a number line

Here are some premade activities you can use:

• Representing the Numbers 14, 15, 16 (Grades K-1): In this Math activity, students will engage in practicing various methods of representing numbers using draggable objects.
• A Key Events Timeline: The Formation of the Union (Grades 6-8): Students show their understanding of crucial events that paved the way for the union’s establishment.
• Story Elements (Grades 6-8): Students will read a passage and identify the story elements.

3. Sort concepts and categories

Here are some examples you can use in your classroom to sort concepts, characteristics, properties, and categories:

• Science: Sort animals into groups, the five senses, and elements of the Periodic Table.
• Social studies: Sort the causes and effects of WWII and the powers of the three branches of government.
• Social emotional learning: Sort the steps for goal setting, categorizing emotions, and examples of empathetic and non-empathetic statements.

Here are some premade activities you can use:

• Local, State & National Government (Grades 3-5): Students explore the roles and selection processes of government officials at the local, state, and national levels and identify their services.
• Identifying Congruent Triangles (Grades 9-12): Students can sort triangles based on their characteristics
• Recognizing Emotions (Grades 6-8)*: Students identify how different situations can induce different emotions by ranking how they may feel in different scenarios.

*This lesson is only available on Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program.

4. Gather student responses to assess knowledge and gauge understanding

Providing students with timely feedback and support based on formative assessments is a highly effective way to enhance and improve a student’s learning. When teachers can create opportunities for feedback on a consistent basis, learning can reach a whole new level. Consider gathering feedback beyond the traditional assessment methods.

Create Drag and Drop game as an end-of-lesson or mid-lesson metacognitive check-in, gauge how students feel about learning a specific topic, or check in about the difficulty level of a homework assignment. These activities can aid students in indicating stress or focus levels or whether they find a lesson interesting or challenging.

5. Set expectations for learning and establish routines and procedures

Imagine having a tool that actively engages your students in understanding and establishing routines and procedures to allow your students to participate in building the classroom community. This will help create opportunities for students to become active participants in the classroom. Use interactive activities to sequence classroom procedures, gauge student understanding of classroom rules and policies, and take a snapshot of the level of excitement for a particular topic in the daily class agenda.

Use Nearpod’s interactive activities

As students physically engage with concepts through Drag and Drop elearning games, learning will be transformed into an immersive experience. These activities will prove to be a powerful EdTech tool in the classroom, enhancing learning and building stronger connections between teachers and learners and among classmates. Be sure to make these activities an integral part of instruction this school year and take advantage of our ready-to-launch standards-aligned activities, growing into the hundreds throughout this fall.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Jessica Clarke

Jessica Clarke is the Curriculum Manager at Nearpod.

The post 5 Ways to use Drag and Drop activity maker in the classroom appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Benefits of adjusting Student-Paced codes expiration date

By adjusting the expiration date of Student-Paced codes in Nearpod, educators can better cater to the diverse learning needs of students, fostering a more inclusive and supportive learning environment. Here are some examples:

1. Customize deadlines: Teachers can tailor the expiration date to align with the learning schedule or deadlines. This helps in keeping students on track with their learning progress and ensures timely completion of assignments.
2. Flexibility for students: Teachers can extend access to accommodate students who might need more time to complete assignments or review material.
3. Accommodation for absences: If students miss class due to absences or other reasons, adjusting the expiration date allows them to catch up on missed content without feeling rushed or falling behind.
4. Differentiation: Teachers can set different expiration dates for individual students or groups based on learning needs and pacing.
5. Revision opportunities: Extending expiration dates provides additional time for students to revisit lessons for revision or review purposes.
6. Increase completion rates: Allowing more time for students to access lessons can potentially lead to higher completion rates and increased engagement with the material, as students can work at their own pace without feeling rushed.

How teachers use the Student-Paced code expiration date feature

For example, let’s say you’re a math teacher and have completed your unit on Linear Functions. Provide your students with a Student-Paced lesson code that they can reference up until their final exam. Perhaps you added your class syllabus to Nearpod. Extend the Student-Paced code until the end of the school year, so your students always know what’s coming next.

Here are some more examples from teachers on how to leverage this feature:

• “Emergency sub plans that have to be turned in at the start of the school year and cover any unplanned absence throughout the year.”
• “Collection of lessons for enrichment that can stay open throughout the quarter/semester/unit/etc.”
• “I am using the extended codes so students can go back to them to review for final exams.”
• “I allow redos and make-up work all semester. This allows me to keep them open till the last day of the semester. No more angry parents when their kids can’t access them.
• “I now use this in a course I teach for college. I have it close at the end of the course. No more going back in and adjusting because a student forgot or was absent. It’s amazing and less time to consume.”

Classroom ideas to use Student-Paced codes on Nearpod

• Self-paced, individual assignments
• Homework
• Skills centers and learning stations
• Review sessions
• Choice boards
• Differentiated instruction
• Make-up work
• Emergency sub plans
• Classroom newsletter
• Self-reflection journals

How to adjust the expiration date of Student-Paced codes

• Step 1: Create or save a Nearpod lesson and launch Student-Paced Mode. (If you’re interested in learning how to create a Student-Paced lesson on Nearpod, click here!)
• Step 2: Hover over the lesson you’re selecting. Click on “Student-Paced.”
  • Here, you will see all active sessions, including the date launched, lesson code, and expiration date.
• Step 3: Under “Expires in,” click on “# days remaining”
• Step 4: Use the calendar to select the new expiration date. You can adjust the length for up to 365 days.
• Step 5: Click “Apply Changes.”
• Your lesson codes are ready!

Start creating lessons on Nearpod

Adjusting Nearpod’s Student-Paced codes provides the ability to customize deadlines, accommodate diverse needs, and promote student autonomy. Start creating interactive lessons for students with Nearpod and witness the enriched educational experience it brings.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post A Guide: Adjusting the expiration date of Student-Paced codes appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

STEAM education, which evolves from STEM, cultivates essential skills such as creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication. By integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (hence the acronym), it empowers students to tackle complex problems, embrace diverse perspectives, and prepares them for their future careers.

However, STEAM extends far beyond an art-focused science fair project. STEAM education is intricate, resembling a captivating puzzle rather than a mere science-themed arts and crafts activity. Each piece of this educational puzzle is indispensable, contributing to the final picture that emerges. To facilitate the creation of engaging and transdisciplinary units of STEAM in the classroom for any grade level, teachers can leverage powerful tools like Nearpod and Flocabulary.

New to Nearpod? Make sure you’re signed up to access these lessons and activities!

Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod and the 21st Century Readiness Program for schools and districts.

7 STEAM education examples using Nearpod and Flocabulary

1. Problem-based projects

The first puzzle piece in creating an amazing STEAM unit is to select a problem for students to solve. A problem-based project creates a setting for processing skills, such as collaboration, analyzing, and modeling, to take place. This can also help create a context for students’ learning experiences.

Examples of project-based learning (PBL) STEAM scenarios:

• For Elementary Students: How can we create an outdoor “green” MakerSpace that will connect to our existing playground and be able to withstand our city’s year-round weather conditions?
• For Middle and High School Students: How can we raise awareness about the dangers of vaping for young people, and how can we help stop teens from vaping?

2. Incorporate STEAM content into projects

Try to incorporate the five components of STEAM: science, technology, engineering, art, and math, when creating a project. STEAM education examples begin with a problem and weeds in the five content areas asking, “What is the most useful way to solve the problem?”

Nearpod’s Lesson Library has 22,000+ ready-to-run, editable lessons that provide the foundational material students need to help solve these problem-based projects. Regardless of the subject matter, teachers can add a pre-made Nearpod lesson or activity to their Library. Teachers can ‘Add Content’ or an activity such as PhET simulations or Draw It to create a transdisciplinary lesson. Transdisciplinary teaching foregrounds the problem to be solved, not the content area.

3. Tie back to real-world issues

The problem-based STEAM unit should be about a current event or real-world issue involving student interests. It should be selected from a local, community-based problem. However, that does not mean that you can’t select a problem that is a global issue, particularly if it is a current hot topic amongst your students.

Under Flocabulary’s Life Skills lessons, you can find authentic global topics. These topics include bullying, diversity, activism, nutrition, and internet safety. For example, in the Nearpod and Flocabulary lesson on Culture, students learn about how culture impacts various aspects of our lives. This can start a conversation on how to solve some of the cultural issues in their own community.

Additionally, Flocabulary’s Week in Rap is a weekly, rapped recap of important headlines and student news used for teaching current events. Two new videos are released each week: The Week in Rap for grades 6 to 12 and The Week in Rap Junior for grades 3 to 5. Watch these lesson videos with your students to keep them up to date on real-world events and issues which can be tied back to your STEAM education resources and examples.

4. Create inquiry-rich opportunities

To create an inquiry-rich STEAM education unit, students should be able to choose from multiple pathways to solve the problem and practice critical thinking skills. By the end of the unit, students should feel led toward further inquiry. Teachers can include a question at the end of each day’s lesson (i.e., Exit Ticket) by using Nearpod’s Collaborate Boards, Open-Ended Questions, or Polls.

5. Encourage student choice

When students have a choice, they feel more ownership over the tasks, which increases student engagement! Students will typically choose something they are good at. This helps them demonstrate their strengths and engages different ability types. Additionally, student choice encourages multiple ways to solve a problem. Nearpod gives teachers the tools to create engaging lessons where students can be STEAM puzzle builders.

6. Technology integration

App smashing is a great way to integrate technology into your STEAM teaching unit. Student-paced Nearpod lessons introduce and connect students to tech tools they can use to solve their problem-based scenarios. Teachers can use Flocabulary, which includes hip-hop videos and creativity assessment tools that give teachers a new way to captivate students while engaging them in academically rigorous content. This tool supports content knowledge and visual arts integration in the classroom and even allows students to create their own raps using vocabulary words in Lyric Lab. They can also use Google Slides for group collaboration or Nearpod’s Time to Climb for a gamified formative assessment.

7. Provide feedback in real-time

As teachers become the facilitators of the lesson, students are provided opportunities to receive individual feedback and are able to take multiple pathways of inquiry. The outcome is that every group’s final project will look different from one another. With Nearpod’s Teacher Dashboard, you can access real-time insights into student learning. You’ll be able to see individual student responses and class scores.

Teach STEAM with Nearpod

These seven pieces come together to create a powerful STEAM education unit to transform students into creative and collaborative problem solvers. Nearpod is the puzzle box that stores all these puzzle pieces together.

New to Nearpod? Make sure you’re signed up to access these lessons and activities!

Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod, Flocabulary, and the 21st Century Readiness Program for schools and districts.

Christina Blanco

The post 7 STEAM education examples using Nearpod and Flocabulary appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

It can be a struggle to juggle different apps, tabs & resources to curate the perfect lesson for your students. We’re eliminating multi-tab teaching by allowing you to have everything in one place.

What is Nearpod for Google Slides?

With the Nearpod Google Slides Add-on, teachers can embed Nearpod activities and content directly into their Google Slides presentations. Nearpod gives teachers the ability to add interactive activities, formative assessments, dynamic media, gamification, and more to their new or existing Google Slides presentations and lessons.

To install the add-on, you’ll need a Gold, Platinum, and School or District account. Don’t have a Nearpod account? Sign up below first and then download the add-on.

4 Tips for integrating Nearpod with Google Slides

1. Easily create & engage

To begin, create your lessons like you normally would in Google Slides. With the Nearpod add-on, you can directly add content like YouTube videos, virtual field trips, and other dynamic media within your lesson! Source for content in lessons directly from the web using Google Safe Search. Whether you’re a pro-Nearpod user or someone who has never interacted with Nearpod before, it’s as easy as one-two-three!

2. Embed formative assessments

Engage in formative assessments even outside the walls of the classroom. Include interactive activities and formative assessments like quizzes, open-ended questions, and even games – all on your Google Slides lesson. You can easily embed these activities into your lessons to check in on students’ learning and keep them engaged.

3. Collaborate with your colleagues

Next time you’re seeking input on your lessons, share it directly with your colleagues and collaborate away!

Create, edit, collaborate, repeat - all within Google Slides! This free Nearpod add-on is a game changer Click To Tweet

4. Use Our Design Templates!

Find the perfect Google Slides templates for your Nearpod lesson! We have specific colored and seasonal templates! Download the resources below.

Start using Google Slides with Nearpod now!

With this add-on for Gold, Platinum, and School or District users, lessons will reach the next level with the magic of Nearpod directly within Google Slides. 

Don’t have a Nearpod account? Sign up below first and then download the add-on.

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post Integrating Nearpod with Google Slides appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

O Nearpod ajuda os educadores a tornarem qualquer lição interativa, seja na sala de aula ou virtualmente. O conceito é simples. O Nearpod torna o ensino mais fácil com as ferramentas interativas, recursos e conteúdo de que os professores precisam –  tudo em um só lugar.

Um professor pode criar apresentações interativas que podem conter questionários, enquetes, vídeos, quadros colaborativos e muito mais. Você pode fazer upload de suas lições existentes e torná-las interativas usando o Nearpod na sala de aula.

Os alunos podem acessar a apresentação de participação ao vivo de um professor por meio de um código, e o professor então conduz a aula pela lição e permite que os alunos interajam com o conteúdo conforme avançam. Os professores também podem optar pelo modo “Ritmo do Aluno”, onde o aluno controla o fluxo da lição. Esse modo é perfeito para aprendizado remoto, aprendizado híbrido, dias de substituição, tarefas de casa ou trabalho independente.

Fomente o amor pelo aprendizado em cada estudante com o Nearpod. Professores podem criar uma conta gratuita abaixo e acessar diversos recursos para criar lições interativas. Administradores podem agendar um bate-papo com nossa equipe e explorar todo o potencial do Nearpod para escolas e redes de escolas.

Quer vivenciar a magia do Nearpod na prática?

Ainda dá tempo de você confirmar sua presença no nosso evento virtual gratuito, Nearpod Day Brasil! Neste evento, vamos explorar funcionalidades do Nearpod e também discutir temas e tendências da educação no Brasil com professores e especialistas na área. Não perca essa oportunidade!

10 maneiras de usar o Nearpod na sala de aula

Aqui estão algumas dicas sobre como usar o Nearpod efetivamente na sala de aula:

1. Comece simples com materiais que você já possui

Se você é novo no Nearpod, comece com apresentações simples e elementos interativos para se familiarizar com a plataforma. Com o tempo, você pode explorar recursos mais avançados. Em vez de usar o PowerPoint ou o Google Slides, você pode utilizar o Nearpod e tornar a lição mais interativa. Você pode fazer o upload das  suas apresentações existentes do Google Slides, PDFs e PowerPoints no aplicativo para criar instantaneamente uma apresentação do Nearpod. Em seguida, você pode escolher entre inúmeras atividades interativas e avaliações formativas. As apresentações serão enviadas para o dispositivo de cada aluno na sala de aula. Super prático e eficiente!

2. Engaje com Gamificação e atividades interativas

Faça uso dos recursos interativos do Nearpod, como questionários, enquetes, perguntas abertas e quadros colaborativos para envolver os alunos e promover a participação ativa.

Uma maneira simples de implementar o Nearpod em sua instrução diária é fazer com que os alunos participem de uma atividade interativa. Adicione interesse e entusiasmo à aprendizagem cotidiana com recursos como Drag and Drop (Arrastar e Soltar), Draw It, (Desenhe) , Time to Climb (Hora de Subir), Matching Pairs (Pares Correspondentes) e Collaborate Board (Quadro Colaborativo). 

Para revisar uma unidade, utilize o quiz gamificado de múltipla escolha, Time to Climb. Com o Collaborate Board, os professores podem realizar discussões em sala de aula com os alunos usando um quadro interativo para compartilhar ideias em tempo real.

Usando o Nearpod, você pode oferecer suporte individualizado a alunos, adaptando as lições para atender às suas necessidades específicas. Isso inclui fornecer recursos extras para alunos com deficiência visual ou oferecer suporte adicional a alunos com dificuldades de aprendizado. Você pode duplicar e personalizar as lições, incluindo atividades de avaliação formativa, coletando feedback e garantindo acessibilidade inclusiva.

3. Diferencie a Instrução

O Nearpod é uma ferramenta versátil que permite que os professores diferenciem a instrução, atendendo às necessidades únicas de cada aluno em sala de aula e  fornecendo diferentes níveis de conteúdo ou atividades para alunos com habilidades variadas.

Você pode criar lições personalizadas para atender às necessidades individuais dos alunos, fornecendo recursos adicionais para aqueles que precisam de apoio extra e desafios para os alunos mais avançados.

O Nearpod permite incluir uma variedade de formatos de conteúdo, como vídeos, áudios e interações interativas, tornando o aprendizado mais envolvente e acessível a diferentes estilos de aprendizado. Você pode incorporar avaliações formativas para verificar o entendimento dos alunos em tempo real e ajustar a instrução com base nos resultados. Os alunos podem progredir no seu próprio ritmo, revisitando o conteúdo conforme necessário, o que é útil para aqueles que aprendem em velocidades diferentes.

Usar a plataforma  para distribuir recursos é outra maneira simples de usá-lo na sala de aula. Você pode preencher sua apresentação com imagens ou planilhas e pedir aos alunos que usem o recurso de Notas dos Alunos para salvar a apresentação em seus dispositivos e acessar as informações posteriormente ao estudar para um exame ou fazer a lição de casa.

4. Avaliação formativa em tempo real

Use o Nearpod para avaliação formativa em tempo real. Isso permite que você avalie o entendimento dos alunos durante uma lição e ajuste sua instrução conforme necessário.

Como professor, você pode criar questionários personalizados, enquetes, perguntas abertas, atividades de desenho e muito mais. Use essas ferramentas para ver as respostas dos alunos e verificar o entendimento deles em tempo real. Os professores podem coletar feedback individual dos alunos e adaptar a instrução com base nas respostas, atendendo às necessidades específicas de cada aluno.

5. Incentive o Aprendizado no Ritmo do Aluno

Além das sessões ao vivo, considere usar o modo “Ritmo do Aluno”. Isso permite que os alunos progridam na lição em seu próprio ritmo, o que pode ser útil para tarefas de casa ou estudo independente. 

Ainda que os alunos estejam  trabalhando de forma independente nas atividades propostas, os professores podem acompanhar o progresso de cada aluno e identificar onde podem precisar de mais apoio ou desafio.

6. Immersive Reader – O leitor imersivo integrado ao Nearpod

O leitor imersivo, uma ferramenta poderosa de acessibilidade da Microsoft, foi integrado ao Nearpod, enriquecendo significativamente a experiência de aprendizado. Essa integração permite que os alunos acessem um ambiente de leitura mais inclusivo e personalizado durante as apresentações do Nearpod. O leitor imersivo oferece recursos como a leitura em voz alta do texto, destaque de palavras, ajuste de espaçamento e tamanho da fonte, além de tradução em diversos idiomas, tornando o conteúdo mais acessível para alunos com diferentes estilos de aprendizado e necessidades específicas. Isso não apenas promove a inclusão, mas também ajuda os educadores a atender às necessidades de uma sala de aula diversificada, proporcionando um ambiente de aprendizado mais equitativo e eficaz.

7. Modelagem

O Nearpod  também possui um recurso chamado DrawIt (Ferramenta exclusiva de desenho) que pode ser incorporado às suas apresentações. Essa ferramenta projeta uma lousa interativa nos dispositivos dos alunos. O dispositivo do professor exibirá todos os “desenhos” dos alunos e o professor poderá então “compartilhar” lousas individuais com toda a turma. Clicar em “compartilhar” fará com que o “desenho” escolhido apareça em todos os dispositivos. Isso permite que os professores compartilhem bons trabalhos e modelem boas progressões.

8. Tarefas abertas

O Nearpod na sala de aula permite flexibilidade criativa. O recurso de Open-Ended Questions (Perguntas Abertas) permite ao professor fazer uma pergunta ou criar um cenário para os alunos responderem. Com essa ferramenta, você pode facilitar tarefas de escrita criativa. Como resultado, a vantagem de usar algo como o Nearpod para esse tipo de atividade é que as respostas “Abertas” são automaticamente registradas nos relatórios.

9. Definir tarefas de casa

Todos os exemplos acima giram em torno da ideia de usar o Nearpod em uma sessão ao vivo, mas os alunos também podem se envolver por conta própria. Você pode fornecer um código de “Ritmo do Aluno” e eles podem acessar a lição do Nearpod em casa ou em qualquer lugar com uma conexão à internet.

10. Compartilhar e usar recursos pré-fabricados

Uma maneira de usar o Nearpod envolve quase nenhum trabalho. Depois de fazer login, clique no botão “Biblioteca Nearpod” no lado esquerdo e você será direcionado para uma biblioteca de lições pré-fabricadas do Nearpod. Você pode encontrar apresentações interativas sobre quase qualquer assunto para o Ensino Fundamental e Médio, feitas por especialistas em cada disciplina. Refine sua pesquisa usando os filtros no lado esquerdo, digitando na barra de pesquisa ou explorando nosso conteúdo em destaque. Você pode pesquisar por tipo de lição, padrões, disciplinas, níveis de ensino e palavras-chave.

A Biblioteca do Nearpod conta com centenas de lições já traduzidas para o Português mas estamos sempre disponibilizando novas lições ao longo do ano letivo.

Empoderando todos os professores, independente do que você ensina

Lembre-se de que o Nearpod é uma plataforma versátil, e sua eficácia depende de como você a integra ao seu estilo de ensino e às necessidades específicas de seus alunos. Experimente, aprenda com suas experiências e adapte sua abordagem conforme necessário.

O Nearpod pode ser utilizado por professores de qualquer disciplina, em qualquer contexto de ensino e por  alunos de  qualquer faixa etária. Economize  tempo com avaliações formativas em tempo real e relatórios de sessões e  construa uma cultura conectada dentro e fora da sala de aula.

Fomente o amor pelo aprendizado em cada estudante com o Nearpod. Professores podem criar uma conta gratuita abaixo e acessar diversos recursos para criar lições interativas. Administradores podem agendar um bate-papo com nossa equipe e explorar todo o potencial do Nearpod para escolas e redes de escolas.

Vitoria Mendes Rogers

Vitoria is currently the marketing coordinator for the Nearpod Emerging Markets team. She is always seeking new and creative ways to communicate the value of education technology to a global audience and promote educational equity.

Do you want to share your Nearpod story? Let’s connect: Vitoria.rogers@nearpod.com

The post 10 maneiras de usar o Nearpod na sala de aula appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

4 Ways to amplify instruction for English language learners using Nearpod EL

1. A research-based approach to ELL instruction

A report by WestEd (2014) found that teachers of English language learners (ELL) must design their instruction to “amplify rather than simplify” concepts to offer the academic rigor necessary for students’ learning (p. 11). In other words, teachers must augment their lessons to include multiple pathways to learning, particularly when it comes to providing plenty of verbal and nonverbal messages (11). This is challenging, especially for teachers who may teach a range of students.

Nearpod EL aligns with this model of amplification and supports teachers in its implementation. With Nearpod EL, ready-to-teach lessons provide an interactive, standards-aligned curriculum designed to engage and inspire ELLs across subject areas and grade levels. Nearpod lessons leverage digital activities and research-based formative assessments to seamlessly connect instruction and evaluation to meet the unique learning needs of ELL students. The lessons are designed to teach rigorous Math, English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies content through scaffolded instruction and strategies to support language acquisition.

2. Interactive lessons with clear learning goals

Within the design of each Nearpod EL interactive lesson, ELL students are at the center of teaching and learning. As the WestEd report demonstrates, interactive lessons created for ELL students should begin with clearly defined learning goals and objectives. Nearpod EL lessons are guided by these constructs and use learning progressions and success criteria as indicators of comprehension. By promoting a continual process of instruction, assessment, and feedback, lessons allow teachers to design their own instruction by immediately identifying gaps between current levels of learning and expected levels of learning.

With clear direction on learning goals, the Nearpod EL ready-to-teach lessons harness the power of interactive technologies and multimedia-rich content to highlight academic knowledge and academic language. As the lessons offer editable content, teachers further customize lessons according to individual needs and goals. This purposeful process of planning and building interactive lessons, and learning for ELL students becomes an enriched experience with great opportunity for growth.

3. Facilitates learning through authentic engagement

A best practice in instruction with ELL students facilitates learning through authentic engagement with interactive content and meaningful peer interactions and collaboration. Lessons within the Nearpod EL library balance direct instruction with experiential learning and continual practice in speaking and listening. Within a context of subject-matter learning, Nearpod lessons build on background knowledge by incorporating reference images and familiar multimedia, explicit references to key vocabulary, and metacognition and reflection. Through the gradual release of responsibility, students are empowered to reach for levels of independence with activities following an I do, we do, you do scaffolding of skill building.

Nearpod’s On the Fly feature lets teachers respond to teachable moments during instruction and encourage ELL students voice and choice within the lesson. Open-ended tasks allow for multiple points of entry, a practice described by WestEd as effective in revealing ELL students’ learning by demonstrating their understanding through varying modes of expression, including writing, speaking, drawing, and reading. With a range of interactive activities (such as Polls, Fill-in-the-Blanks, Quizzes, Draw It’s) and interactive content (including Nearpod Virtual Reality (VR) Field Trips, Nearpod 3D, interactive video, and audio responses), students are supported in all forms of learning.

ELL students participating in Nearpod EL lessons are not only part of the instruction process, but they become creators of their own learning by assessing their personal understanding and determining their particular readiness based on feedback and support embedded within each of the lessons.

4. Access real-time data to help guide instruction

Within an instructional program for English language learners, constant interpretation of evidence of student progress is needed to inform instruction. Nearpod EL provides teachers with real-time feedback and reporting based on student interactions and responses. This continuous feedback offers the status of students’ current learning and provides direction for moving students toward identified learning goals. As the lessons are designed to minimize irrelevant language and unnecessary information, teachers can easily pinpoint and evaluate the intended learning targets. Based on feedback obtained in these embedded checks for understanding, systematic support in the forms of modeling, prompting, and repetition can scaffold ELL students and move them toward content understanding. For both teachers and students, learning progressions within Nearpod EL’s lessons allow for immediate feedback for in-the-moment adjustments to help anchor and monitor skills throughout the process of teaching and learning.

Formative assessment is essential when it comes to better ELL student learning in both academic content and the development of academic language. The Nearpod EL curriculum was developed with this in mind and provides an interactive and engaging long-term solution for instruction.

Bring Nearpod EL to your school or district

Following the understanding that desired changes must start with dedicated teacher support, Nearpod EL training targets ELL teachers and their unique instructional needs. Demonstrating best practices in the use of Nearpod lessons for teaching, teachers participating in the Nearpod PD discover ways to use Nearpod EL for whole group instruction, independent practice, and enhanced learning opportunities. With a focus on “amplification” of learning and empowering ELL students in the classroom, Nearpod EL advances culturally responsive instruction and brings agency to all students in all classrooms.

References

Alvarez, L., Ananda, S., Walqui, A., Sato, E., & Rabinowitz, S. (2014). Focusing formative assessment on the needs of English language learners. San Francisco: WestEd.

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post Amplify instruction for English language learners with Nearpod EL appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

What you need to know before creating a Nearpod lesson

As you begin creating lessons for students, it is important to understand Nearpod’s features. Interactive slides are broken down into three major categories:

Creation media

Slides, Sways, and Slideshows hold the essential content to guide your learners through the interactive lesson. The most common content media educators use is slides.

Dynamic media

Incorporate 3D objects, Simulations, and VR Field Trips to breathe life into your content, fostering a deeper understanding.

Interactive activities

Engage your students with captivating activities like Time to Climb, Draw It, Open-Ended Questions, and Collaborate Boards, which capture the pivotal moments of learning.

How to create a lesson on Nearpod

Our Lesson Builder features a user-friendly design familiar to those who have experience with tools like PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Step 1: Launch the Lesson Builder

Click on “Create” and select “Lesson” to launch the Lesson Builder.

Step 2: Choose your slides

Select “Slides” from the Activity Selector. The Slide Editor offers a variety of pre-designed templates and layout features, enabling you to curate content slides for your lessons. Unleash your creative style in text boxes, leveraging rich-text capabilities and the Nearpod Equation Editor. Layer images, GIFs, and even your own audio directly onto slides. Create your content even faster using the new quick add slide button!

Step 3: Incorporate interactive media and activities

Click “Add New” to continue adding Dynamic Media and Activities, to finish building your interactive lesson.

Include activities from the Nearpod lesson library to customize your lesson using the Activity Bank. With thousands of pre-made Time to Climb quizzes and Matching Pairs, Drag and Drop, and Draw It activities, teachers can easily customize any lesson in Nearpod with standards-aligned activities.

Step 4: Input lesson details to stay organized

Click on “Lesson Details” to give your lesson a title, provide a description for the lesson, and tag the lesson with relevant grade levels and subjects. This metadata enhances searchability, making it easier to find and share your lessons.

Step 5: Launch and observe the magic

Launch your lesson in either Live Participation or Student-Paced modes and see the impact of Nearpod in action!

Tips for creating your own Nearpod lesson

As you design interactive lessons for students, here are some tips to get you started!

Tip #1: Use the lesson library for inspiration

It can be difficult knowing where to start when building lessons for your students. Nearpod’s curriculum team comprises former educators who design lessons around the latest research into active learning strategies, such as the 5 E’s Model and Guided Inquiry. Filter the Nearpod Library by grade level, subject, or state standards to discover new ways to approach your content. You can even copy and paste library resource content directly into your lessons!

Tip #2: Use what you already have

We know you already have amazing resources in other formats. Use the Upload Slides feature to quickly upload your PowerPoints and Google Slides into Nearpod, transforming them from static presentations to lessons for your students. You can even use worksheets for Draw It or Drag and Drop activities. Learn more about how to convert your existing presentations into a Nearpod lesson.

Tip #3: Enhance your Google Slides with the Nearpod Add-On

If you prefer to “Nearpodize” your existing Google Slides while working within the familiar Slides tool set, school or district users can integrate Nearpod activities and dynamic media content directly with the Nearpod add-on! With the Nearpod Slides add-on, your embedded hyperlinks stay active, and Microsoft Immersive Reader will be able to read all the text on your Slides to support all learners.

Learn more about integrating your Nearpod lessons in Google Slides.

Tip #4: Organize ALL of your digital resources in one space

As we incorporate technology into our classrooms, it is easy to lose students to an array of open tabs. Direct students to specific websites, district curricular resources, or collaborative learning experiences with Google or Microsoft tools quickly and easily, using Nearpod’s Web Content feature. Using Web Content, all of those links can be easily integrated directly into your interactive lessons, ensuring you and your students are always on the same page. Learn more about enhancing your lessons with Web Content.

Tip #5: Combine dynamic media and activities

When creating lessons, it is important to remember all of the magic you have available to you in Nearpod. VR Field Trips, PhET Simulations, and 3D objects help the learning come to life. But did you know that you can easily pair that dynamic media content with one of Nearpod’s activities to truly make student thinking visible?

• Combine several VR Field Trips for a compare and contrast interactive classroom activity. Students can explore the various locations and then use a Collaborate Board to discuss or even debate their findings with their peers.
• Add a blank Draw It after a Simulation for students to upload their discoveries. First, they experience the simulation and then take a screenshot of their work. They can upload their image and then annotate right on top of it to explain what they have uncovered. 
• Create a Drag & Drop activity to label the parts of a cell using a screenshot of a 3D object. Students can explore the cell in their browser and then demonstrate their understanding by correctly labeling the various parts they have seen.

Start creating lessons on Nearpod

Whether you are using pre-made lessons from the Nearpod Library, enhancing your own materials, or even working directly in Google Slides, Nearpod makes it easy to create lessons for your students’ learning needs.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post How to create interactive lessons for students with Nearpod appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

New to Nearpod? Sign up for free below to access quality, standards-aligned lessons and create your own interactive lessons and activities!

Frequently Asked Questions about Nearpod

What is Nearpod?

Nearpod gives you access to 20+ formative assessments and dynamic media features to create interactive lessons and activities. Also, Nearpod has a library of 22,000+ premade lessons made by reliable content experts and trusted partner brands. You’ll also have access to 3 teaching modes: Student-Paced, Live Participation, and Front of Class.

Does Nearpod cost money?

No, Nearpod Silver is a free license that offers all of the basic features that you need to get started with the platform. However, to unlock the full potential of Nearpod, you can request a quote or schedule a demo for our most popular license type, Premium Plus for schools and districts.

How to use Nearpod as a student?

Students do not need accounts to access Nearpod. When you start a lesson, you’ll launch a five-letter code. Share the code with students, or share the lesson through your learning management system (LMS), like Canvas, Schoology, Google Classroom, or Microsoft Teams. Explore tips on how to teach your students to use Nearpod.

If you have a school or district Premium Plus access, Student Accounts is an optional feature that you can enable. If you choose to enable Student Accounts, all student account information and submissions will be contained within your school or district account and are fully managed by your school or district administrator.

Can I use a Nearpod lesson to assign homework or independent student work?

Nearpod is great for independent work! You can easily launch a lesson in Student-Paced mode, then share the code out with your students by email, or share through your LMS. Take a look at 6 ways you can use Student-Paced lessons.

Are there limits to how many students can join a Nearpod lesson?

For Silver accounts (free accounts), up to 40 students can join per lesson. If you have a school or district account Premium Plus account, up to 250 students can join per lesson.

How can I check what type of Nearpod account I have?

Log into Nearpod and click on the avatar in the upper right corner. You’ll be able to view your account type under your information.

Can I use Nearpod with video conferencing?

If you’re facilitating live instruction with a video conferencing tool, Nearpod is a great way to get real-time insights into student learning and deliver engaging, interactive media. Learn more about how to use Nearpod with video conferencing.

Is Nearpod compliant with my school/district privacy policy?

Nearpod takes privacy seriously. Nearpod follows all applicable federal and state laws and is a proud signatory of the Student Privacy Pledge. Have further questions? Email us at: privacy@nearpod.com.

Can I use single sign-on for Nearpod?

Yes! You can use Google, Office 365, Clever, or ClassLink SSO to log in to Nearpod. For Google and Office 365, simply go to nearpod.com/login, then select your SSO option. For Clever and ClassLink, add the Nearpod app to your portal. Then, click on the Nearpod icon to be automatically signed in!

Can I sync Nearpod with my LMS, like Canvas or Schoology, Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams?

Yes. Nearpod has robust integrations with many LMS. You can learn more here about Nearpod’s LMS integrations.

I have feedback and suggestions for Nearpod. Who can I contact?

We love to hear from educators about what you want to see in Nearpod! Send in your Nearpod feedback and suggestions here.

Is Nearpod offering any professional development or tutorials to help districts ramp up teachers?

Yes. We host live webinars daily to get teachers up and running with Nearpod. View our webinar schedule and register on our Teacher Resources page. You’ll also have access to video tutorials, our educator communities, and more. Additionally, districts may request specialized Nearpod training for their teachers if we have enough interest. Please reach out to your Nearpod rep for more info.

We also encourage you to register for Camp Engage, Nearpod’s free virtual professional development for educators. Camp Engage happens several times a year – around February, July, and November.

Does Nearpod have any educator communities I can join?

Yes! Join a Nearpod community to gain exclusive resources, support for sharing Nearpod, and a network of educators transforming teaching with technology. Learn more about how to join Nearpod’s communities here.

Are there other Nearpod resources educators should know about?

• Join our Nearpod Educator Facebook group to learn from other teachers and Nearpod team members on how to integrate Nearpod in your classroom.
• Get the most up-to-date information about your Nearpod license.
• If you have more questions, or need other support, please visit nearpod.com/help or contact us at support@nearpod.com.

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post Frequently Asked Questions about Nearpod appeared first on Nearpod Blog.