Nearpod

 What is Nearpod?

It is a website and app-based digital tool that lets teachers create slide-based learning resources that are interactive for students to engage with and learn from. Nearpod can also use gamification of information to make learning more engaging and fun.

 It is also built to work well with lots of pre-existing tools, such as Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, and YouTube. 

Teachers can easily import media to make a lesson quickly and simply using already existing resources.

 What are the best Nearpod features?

 Nearpod is great for making YouTube videos interactive. Simply select the one you want and then you can add assessment questions at certain points along the way. So, all students need to do is watch and select the correct answer as they watch – ensuring they pay attention and allowing you to see how much they know, or areas that need attention. 

Here's a video tutorial about how you can make one: 

The app Nearpod has a high rating in the App Store: 

Here are some of the user's reviews:

                   

                                                      

                                                                                   

                                                                                  

There are some benefits and Challenges of Nearpod such as: 

Benefits 

Using Nearpod, instructors can create new lessons, enhance existing lessons (through integration with Google Slides and PowerPoint), or deliver premade lessons found in the Nearpod Library. Nearpod can be used ‘in front of the class where the instructor displays the lesson and activities using a projector with students contributing verbally, but to maximize the participatory nature of the platform, Nearpod lessons are best delivered with a ‘bring your own device’ model (in-person or remote) or using a class set of devices. Depending on the nature of the classroom, instructors can deliver the lesson at a set pace, or allow students to progress through on their own. Regardless of the delivery mode, each launched ‘session’ generates a participation report which teachers can view through Nearpod or download.

 Challenges

 Despite these strengths, the Nearpod platform is not without significant challenges. The primary concern for the full adoption of Nearpod is its reliance on strong internet connectivity and the availability of devices. Access to high-speed internet is not possible in every area or household and devices can be prohibitively expensive. Particularly with remote delivery, this excludes many students from participating in Nearpod lessons. Additionally, Nearpod can be time-consuming and difficult to learn, and while resources do exist (Nearpod offers free professional development through recorded demonstrations and live webinars and there is a wealth of resources available through YouTube), this is a time commitment many instructors would be pressed to make. Equitable access and the learning required to adopt Nearpod are significant barriers to fully integrating this platform into practice.

References: 

-What is Nearpod and How Does it Work? 

https://www.techlearning.com/how-to/what-is-

 neared-and-how-does-it-work -Nearpod – Technology in the Curriculum

 https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/techinth /curriculum/chapter/nearpod

 -YouTube

Abeer Mohammad - Sara Alhatlani