Introduction:

Learners: Fourth grade gifted students in a social studies class.

Web-Based Tool: Nearpod https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3GVkM_GVa4 This ed-tech tool can be used for a variety of ages and subjects on a range of devices and operating systems. Teachers can create lessons or download previously existing lessons that students can complete either individually or with the class in a teacher-directed lesson.

I use it easily in Google Classroom if I’m wanting to post a student-paced lesson for my students to complete at their own pace. But I also use it with my district’s learning management system Clever for our teacher-directed lessons. This tool if effective because it allows, during these teacher-directed lessons, the lesson to address a variety of learning styles through quizzes, ‘draw-its’, opinion and learning polls, open-ended questions, virtual reality tours, and the kids’ favorite – adding virtual post-its to the bulletin board. I also use it for early-finishers lessons (using the student-paced option) which provides those needing additional challenges with the stimulation they are looking for at a pace which suits them best.

PROS: 1) A single lesson can be presented in a teacher-directed OR student-pace mode. 2) It hits a variety of learning styles through quizzes, ‘draw-its’, polls, open-ended questions, virtual reality tours, and virtual bulletin board postings. 3) During teacher-directed lessons, they teacher has the ability to move all the students on to the next screen whether they are ‘ready’ and want to on not. (That elicits some groaning, at times, because they’re not finished their draw-its.) 4) The teacher has the option of sharing students’ open-ended responses, draw-its, and post-its with the class (teacher-led). 5) The teacher has the option of hiding the names of students as she shares their work with the class (teacher-led). 6) There are many ready-made lessons in the Nearpod library on a variety of topics. Once placed in my personal library, they are already bookmarked, in a sense, for the following year. 7) A teacher can create his own lessons, loading videos, polls, or documents, into the lessons. 8) The lessons can be assigned through Google Classroom, for example, for homework or subwork on the days a teacher is absent. 9) There is tech-support embedded into the tool because I’ve used it when trying to create my own lesson. 10) This tool offers lessons suited for kindergarten through highschool level students. 11) The teacher can preview the lesson before adding it to his or her library or assigning it to students. 12) It works on a variety of devices and operating systems. 13) Colleagues can help each other learn the program and share codes for personal lessons when the district purchases it for entire district.

CONS: 1) It’s expensive 2) Your district may need an initial convincing that it’s worth the money. They have representatives that can trained in presenting and demonstrating the programs for potential buyers. 3) Without a 1:1 ratio (or maybe 2:1) ratio of device to students, it’s difficult to use this tool because of it’s very interactive and collaborative nature. 4) Student-paced lessons lack the collaborative nature that teacher-paced lessons allow. (When the class is logged in with a single code simultaneously creating answers/drawings that the teacher shares with classmates, they are experiencing the full interactive nature of the program.)

Sample Lesson: Needs and Wants (ABC’s of economics). The students move through slides defining each and giving examples. Then they are shown pictures of things like a prom dress or a Porche and are asked to determine whether they are a need a want. (They different items stand out in their minds because I overheard them talking about the items the other day.) Then, they are asked to draw a picture of one need…following that, one want. Then, the lesson may conclude with a poll or brief quiz. It’s engaging!

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning:
Experience as the Source of Learning and
Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice Hall.

Pearson Foundation (2012). Survey on
students and tablets. Retrieved from: http://
http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/pr/20120314-
new-survey-finds-dramatic-increase-intablet-ownership-among-college-studentsand-high-school-seniors.html

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