NEARPOD: YOU'LL WONDER HOW YOU TAUGHT WITHOUT IT

INTRODUCTION

Nearpod was founded in 2012 by Guido Kovalskys, Felipe Sommer, and Emiliano Abramzon in South Florida. Their goal was to “help teachers incorporate technology to improve their classroom instruction, leading to better learning outcomes” (Dahlberg, 2019). In 2019 they acquired “Flocabulary,” a program that uses educational hip-hop songs to aid in teaching content to expand Nearpod’s library of resource material. This program grew to a library of lessons that span most subjects from K-12 and has contributions from all over the world. The interface is easy to use for teachers and students and is a definite asset since the recent expansion of eLearning.

MAKE LEARNING CONVENIENT

A learning engagement strategy that is as important for the teacher as it is for the students is to “make learning convenient”. The lessons are bundled and organized in such a way that all of the media can be accessed within the lesson. There is no need to toggle between tabs for a video from Youtube or content from the web or a Kahoot!

poll or a Powerpoint presentation because they are all streamlined within the lesson. Knowing that there will be smooth transitions, teachers can teach with confidence. The strategic placement of polls and formative assessments allow for microteaching. Neither the students nor the teacher will be overwhelmed by information or have to wait for grading. For the veteran teachers who are suddenly required to integrate technology, they may find that their lessons already exist on the Nearpod platform. Retaining teachers with significant experience and years of teaching under their belt has been challenged by the tech boom. “Experts on the literature of change remind us that thoughtful resistance to change is normal and that worthwhile change occurs when hard questions are asked — often by veteran teachers” (Alvy, 2005). The Nearpod platform is very clear and straightforward. The graphics, interface, and editing methods are simple, so that one does not have to be well-versed in code to share this experience with their students. Within its search engine, teachers can also search by the standards, level, and subject area.

RELEVANCE

Representation matters. Students should be able to see pictures of people that look like them in the classroom materials. Older textbooks and worksheets often have language and images that do not mirror the current diversity found in classrooms. Studies from Conti & Kimmel (1993) discuss how the bias in the textbooks is skewed towards white male representation. As technology advances, Robin Hauser (2020) has observed how AI’s programmers impose their unconscious bias in their coding. Nearpod’s images represent its global community of educators and learners. Beyond diversity and cultural representation, teachers can modify their lessons to reflect local issues and their own classroom culture. Harriet Ball created a classroom culture that was reflective of what her students did during their play time. Overhearing their chants and rhymes, she re-wrote popular music to teach content and standards. The students became more engaged because they saw that she cared enough about them to alter her pedagogy. She was frequently profiled and praised for her use of rhythm and rhyme in her lessons (Chaddock, 1999). The collaboration of Nearpod and Flocabulary stands on the shoulders of teachers like Ms. Ball. This merger will bring music back into the classroom with educational hip-hop videos integrated into the lessons. The beats and repetition give students another way to remain engaged and retain information.

SET CLEAR LEARNING GOALS

“To really encourage learners to invest emotionally in the course from the get-go, consider opening the course with a personal goal-setting activity. For instance, learners could be asked to outline their expectations of their upcoming learning experience” (Explore Talent Lms, n.d.). With the prepared Nearpod lessons, the learning goals for the students are as clear as well as the objectives for the teachers. What would usually be included in lessons plans is already laid out for the instructors in the initial slides: materials needed, essential questions, and objectives. The goals could also be amended to the classroom culture and individual students as additional incentives for engagement. The teacher could post, "What do you expect to learn today?" and the students would answer in a poll, open ended question, or bellringer post. Students will believe they can succeed because their goals are visible, and they can plan their journey to success. The student pacing allows the student to re-visit anything that they may have not understood the first time. This gives the learner an opportunity to self-reflect on their learning process.

CONCLUSION

Nearpod’s slogan on the home page says, “You’ll wonder how you ever taught without it.” While it is a lofty statement, the convenience of the lessons and its ease of use is a welcome breath of fresh air for educators who now have to shift to digital formats. This learning management system is versatile enough to be utilized in in-person, hybrid, and completely remote formats and have students excited about learning.

REFERENCES

Alvy, H. (2005, June 1). Teachers Veteran and Notive: Preventing the Loss of Wisdom in Our Schools - Respecting and Retaining Successful Veteran Teachers. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(10), 764.

Chaddock, G. R. (1999, April 13). A Conversation with Harriet Ball. Christian Science Monitor, 91(95).

Conti, N. E., & Kimmel, E. B. (1993). Gender and Cultural Diversity Bias in Developmental Textbooks.

Dahlberg, N. (2019, March 1). refreshmiami.com. Retrieved 2020 September, from Refresh Miami: https://www.refreshmiami.com/catching-up-with-nearpod-behind-the-fast-growth-a-story-of-impact/

Explore Talent Lms. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.talentlms.com/ebook/learner-engagement/strategies

Hauser, R. (2020). Is Our Future Equitable? As businesses rely more on AI, changes must be made to reduce bias in the data and results. People & Strategy, 43(1), pp. 48-50.

Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2018). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. New York: Pearson.