Discussion: ► COE 506 | Nearpod: A Cross-Platform Application for Classroom and Beyond

No Author
2014-09-05T15:03:28-06:00

Friday, September 26: 1:40 - 2:10pm

Abstract:
This presentation will demonstrate the use of Nearpod application in teaching. Nearpod can be used in traditional face to face classes as well distance classes. Nearpod allows to create an engaging presentation with a number of interactive learning activities such as polls, quizzes, videos, audios, and website quests. Nearpod has a potential to be used for formative assessment. It is a cross platform tool, free for students, and potentially could replace the need in devices such as clickers. An instructor using Nearpod app can track student attendance and assess the level of student participation.

Description:
We will demonstrate how to build a Nearpod presentation and use it for engaging students with presented material. Nearpod allows to create an engaging presentation with a number of interactive learning activities such as polls, quizzes, videos, audios, and website quests. It is easy to use, cross platform (iOS, Android or PC), free for students, and can be accessed from any digital device such as smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer . The limitations for its use include the need for internet access and personal digital devices with headphones (if sound is used), and a fee for the instructor to use the school-edition version of the app. Nearpod has built-in classroom management functionality that allows tracking student attendance and assessing the level of student understanding and participation. Nearpod has a potential for flipping classroom and moving the material presentation to the self-paced homework mode. Overall we found it very useful and easy to adapt.

We found Nearpod as a useful tool for delivering visual presentations as an alternative to using UW OVN system from UW-Casper that has been unreliable at times. Our faculty has found it quite reliable and user-friendly. A group of UW-Casper faculty was trained on classroom use of Nearpod app during spring and summer of 2014. One faculty piloted Nearpod in her videoconferencing class during summer 2014 semester. UW-Casper has purchased six school-edition accounts for the instructors and we expect a surge in the Nearpod use during fall semester. Session attendees are encouraged a digital device to be able to participate in the Nearpod presentation demonstration.

Presented by: Oksana Wasilik & Maria Kuznetsova, University of Wyoming
email: oksana@uwyo.edu; mkuznet1@uwyo.edu