C2C Digital Magazine (Herbst 2020/Winter 2021): Nearpod: An example of digital tools for classroom collaboration (2023)

Von Emily Wood and Yu-Ping Hsu, Western Illinois University

Kearsley (2000) states that there are a number of problems surrounding online education. The first of these themes is collaboration. Online projects often have information sharing activities between students and staff located in different locations. This type of interaction contrasts with the traditional school model in which each classroom is an independent and isolated entity. Educators apply teaching methods and theories to facilitate communication and knowledge transfer in the classroom (Edwards & Baker, 2010). Education must always meet new standards (for example, ISTE technology standards), new technologies must be adopted (for example, different online LMS), and new methods must be applied (for example, the importance of social learning).

Illustration 1."Online Learning" (by Alexandra_Koch inpixabay)

Technology has played an essential role in K12 education since NETP made significant advances in using technology to transform learning in 2010 (Thomas, 2016). Many schools are individual with Chromebooks, laptops, iPads, etc.; some schools are even two for one. With new technology comes new opportunities to meet the needs of each of our learners through differentiation and Universal Learning Design (UDL) design, create engaging material, and communicate better than ever. Collaboration is one of the teaching methods to engage students.

The 2020-2021 school year has brought new challenges as teachers create online-only curriculum, hybrid material, or engaging and collaborative classes with strict social distancing guidelines. Al-Samarrie and Saeed (2018) explain that digital presentation tools can support project collaboration, idea sharing, and project progress. Nearpod can be a collaborative and interactive learning platform that allows students to improve their participation. It also offers the opportunity to interact with the teacher (Ríos-Zaruma et al., 2019).

Below is a practice of using the nearpod as an option for collaboration and student engagement by Emily Wood, a middle school teacher in Paxton, IL.

A Nearpod Summary

Nearpod is a free interactive presentation program that can be easily used with Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint; even in presentations already created! Presentations can be self-paced or live, teacher-led, with participation. You can quickly enter a variety of questions, from surveys to collaborative panels. Nearpod even has a library of videos and photos to choose from, and it's easy to include your own media or YouTube videos, too.

As a high school teacher, I am happy to report on this tool. I found great success with this in my own high school art class. This platform also has the potential to target any level of education or subject, and Nearpod offers the convenience of multiple tools in one place.

main features

Nearpod's features seem almost endless. The program includes several tools available on other websites or extensions, such as: B. Embed questions that students can answer in a video, which can be done through the Edpuzzle website, but students can complete this activity without leaving from Nearpod. This convenience makes Nearpod unique. There are also interactive simulations (see Figure 2), eg. B. for math or science classes in elementary, middle, or high school. Students can move the pieces around the screen for a science lab or draw a graph directly on the screen! Nearpod has also partnered with other companies like Flipgrid, Microsoft Sway and BBC Video for a seamless integration. Flipgrid is a creative online video site that allows students to answer problems by recording videos of themselves. These videos can be viewed later by your peers and are easy to use for elementary school students.

Figure 2.FREE math and science simulations available

I also love the option to present at student pace or with live participation. For example, student pacing would be great for an asynchronous class, while live participation would be essential if you're working remotely and presenting to students via a live video conferencing program like Zoom or Google Meet. Live participation gives the teacher full control over when activities begin and the ability to share live formative assessment results with students. Conversely, when students work on a presentation at their own pace, the teacher can set a time limit for formative assessments when creating the presentation, while allowing some control over pacing. Staying organized is also easy with Nearpod. In your personal lesson profile, you can create and name folders to store all your creations (see Figure 3). All of these tools have helped and will help K12 educators create engaging lessons while working fully remotely, in a hybrid model, or in person, consistent with social distancing guidelines.

Figure 3.Stay organized with folders on Nearpod

Curriculum-Integration

Nearpod's integration into your current curriculum is completely seamless. When I first discovered Nearpod, I added its features to one of my already built Google Slides presentations with minimal knowledge of features. More than one Microsoft PowerPoint user? watch the short videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeE3K0REMEwhow to use Nearpod with your already created presentations.

There are also several ways to share a lesson with students (see Figure 4). Just share it directly to Google Classroom or even share a link through the comments section of your live video conference or email. Students can also sign in with the school's Google account (which the teacher can find in the lesson settings on Nearpod) or, if that's not an option for you, students can sign in by simply typing their name after clicking on the link provided.

Figure 4.Options for sharing the Nearpod presentation with students

Practical example

I'm a high school art teacher and I like to break up our long projects with little bits of art history. These vary thematically, but are generally 1-2 day activities. I had already created a Google Slide presentation and integrated Nearpod resources for a lesson on artists with disabilities. I was able to create a lot of variety throughout the activity thanks to the Nearpod options. For example, the lesson begins with students exploring a 360-degree video onhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL6NAIVpl54&t=1san artist who drew a picture of the New York skyline from memory.

The presentation continues, taking students to another 360-degree video.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM6GTu_RcWM&t=1sexplore the New York skyline and create the design yourself.

The benefit of this interactive program is that students can complete it independently. So depending on the content, this can be a great way to schedule an extra class that an absent student can easily make up outside of class. Please note that all of my students have their own school-provided Chromebook. The activity also includes reflective questions, open questions, and a collaborative framework. The collaborative whiteboard allows students to see each other's responses. The hope is that students will work through the drawing activity and then see that their classmates have done the same by viewing their reflections on the collaborative whiteboard, but it's meant to be challenging! Students then watch a videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vSvWRMzSz4&t=130s, independently, through a program called Art Enables, which employs people with disabilities to create and sell their artwork. The video comes preloaded with questions that students answer. We will then close the activity with a joint TED talk by artist Phil Hansen. See screenshots from my lesson in Figure 5.

Figure 5.classroom screenshots

student participation

The presentation method uses a variety of interactive activities (eg formative assessments, students can easily take surveys, open questions, 3D videos, games, etc.). Each task benefits the student, as the student can apply what is taught immediately, and the teacher benefits by being able to quickly check for understanding. Students can receive continuous feedback during the learning process. In addition, teachers have the opportunity to share with the class the results of surveys, open questions, games, etc. This type of peer-to-peer sharing benefits students when they see the different responses or opinions on a given topic or know that they are not the only ones struggling with a given concept. This is also a great tool for quiet students who have important things to share but may not have the confidence to speak up. Students also love Nearpod because they can interact and participate without leaving the presentation! This prevents students from having to stop and search for a new screen and potentially getting frustrated if they fall behind. Nearpod is proactive in keeping students engaged and engaged.

Conclution

Nearpod is one of the most popular presentation tools for K12 employees or others to choose from. Nearpod's abilities and traits made the class more effective. Nearpod also provides instant student feedback so you can make live adjustments to meet the needs of your students. This is a useful tool to try in your class.

references

Al-Samarraie, H. & Saeed, N. (2018). A systematic review of cloud computing tools for collaborative learning: opportunities and challenges for the blended learning environment. Informatics and Education, 124, 77-91.

Edwards, JT and Baker, C (2010). A Case Study: Google Collaboration Apps as Teaching Tools for Online Courses. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 6(4), 828-838.

Kearsley, G. (2000). Online education: learning and teaching in cyberspace. Wadsworth Publishers.

Rios-Zaruma , J. , Chamba-Wheel , L. , Zumba-Zuñiga , M.F. , & Brown-Cave , M. (2019, June). Application of ICT and m-learning to enhance collaborative learning and interaction using the nearpod platform. 2019 XIV Iberian Congress on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI) (pp. 1-6). IEEE.

Thomas, S. (2016). Future-proof learning: Reimagining the role of technology in education. National Plan for Educational Technology 2016. Office of Educational Technology, US Department of Education.

About the co-authors

emily holzsombrerohe taught art and graphic design at a high school in Paxton, IL for eight years. He led business trips, sponsored several clubs, and started the first arts club in high school. He had the joy of creating new courses and renewing the 25+ year old program that he inherited when she was hired. She believes that knowing her students is just as important as knowing her content. Her daily work in her classroom is student-centered, student-directed, and technology-rich. She wants to impact and serve her community through the unique abilities of her students and hopes to instill that passion for change in every artist she serves. Outside of class, she likes to cook, walk and spend time with family and friends, listen to music, drink coffee and visit them.

His email is ewood@pblpanthers.org

Dra. Yu-Ping Hsuis an assistant professor in the RTD program in the Department of Engineering Technology at WIU. He teaches courses in graphics applications, multimedia instructional design and development, performance technology, and Internet resources for teaching and training.

His email is y-hsu@wiu.edu.