In my last post, I talked about Nearpod and how it’s such a great app to use for blended learning activities. Today we’ll be discussing some other features of Nearpod and how it can open up new ways of student-centered learning.
Nearpod does have a lot of great features in the free version. But if you’re willing to spend a little bit of money (as of this writing $12/month) for the Gold version, you can add several rich opportunities to engage your students. And by the way … I am in no way affiliated with Nearpod. I just love this app!
When you click the Create button, you get 3 options, each of which have several other options. As you can see above, there are some fairly “typical” options for content such as slides, slideshows, videos, etc. But then there are options for Nearpod 3D, which has some very cool images that students can manipulate.
More Features of Nearpod
Nearpod also offers virtual field trips in the paid version. You can do a search and find just about any place you’re looking for. For example, I typed in “coral reef” and got multiple options. I chose the New Caledonia coral reef as seen above. The image is moveable in 360 degrees in the Nearpod preview.
I have used these field trips as writing prompts or exit tickets. I also love them just to give my kids a bit more of a world view.
When creating a lesson you have an option to click “Web Content.” This allows you to add the URL of a website you’d like your kids to go to, perhaps to do some background reading or to do a simulation.
The third option when creating a lesson is to “Add Activity.” Here are the options for activities you can add.
So this is where you would add questions, quizzes, polls, etc. Draw It works great if your students have iPads … think cell labeling!
The Memory Test works like the card game Concentration and is a fun way of helping kids learn vocabulary, or match an image with a label.
If you’d like to give Nearpod a try, it’s very easy to use and the staff is approachable. There’s also a lot of training on the site to help you get the most out of using it and creating your lessons.
I think this app is just fantastic for blended learning or flipped classrooms. There are just so many ways to engage students!
Let me know if you’ve used Nearpod! What do you like the most!
Happy Teaching!
