Nearpod: real-time help through amazing interactive activities!

Think back to the time when you were a student. What was the most common problem you encountered in the classroom? For me, I really suffered from sitting at the back of the classroom sometimes and not being able to see the whiteboard clearly. Occasionally, even if I got the chance to sit in the front of the classroom, I might still be bothered by the reflection spot on the screen or the lack of clarity of the equipment. This is when Nearpod should show up and solve all the problems! Now let's get into the world of Nearpod and experience something new!

(Click here to go to the official website of Nearpod.)

images on the teacher device (left)
and student device (right)

📑What is Nearpod?                  

Nearpod provides real-time images on both the teachers' devices and the students' devices, so students can see the lesson slides on their own computers or cellphones rather than staring at the whiteboard in the classroom. These images are uploaded by the teachers to the platform. The most commonly-used images are the slides in a PowerPoint file. After teachers succeed in creating one lesson, students can join in the lesson by inputting a code in Nearpod to get access.

In addition, students can also join in some interactive activities using Nearpod. The left picture presents how the images should be like on the teachers' screen (the left half) and the students' screen (the right half) when it's time for interactive activities. Teachers can monitor the process and answers directly.

💎Evaluation of Nearpod

• It supports different kinds of content. 

We can see the list of the content types that Nearpod supports uploading in the picture on the right. Although we have mentioned the most commonly-used content may be the slides, teachers can still use it to display some BBC videos, which can be searched for directly in the Nearpod. Moreover, you can also conduct a VR field trip in Nearpod. Isn't it great to take the students to explore the outside world in a small classroom? It can not only arouse students learning interest, but also deepen their impression of the lesson theme.

• It supports varieties of interactive activities.

Interactive activities are a good way to engage the students in the lessons and participate in the class actively. Nearpod offers many interactive activities that teachers can use in the classes. For example, teachers can use Open-Ended Questions and Poll to collect students' opinions on a specific issue. Teachers can also use Time To Climb or Quiz to test students' understanding of the knowledge taught in every class.

• It has a monitoring system for each activity.

Since these activities are all interactive, it means that teachers can see their answers and give immediate feedback in the class. Teachers can clearly find out whether there are any points that need to be further clarified or explained to the students, so students would not have some confusing points left without totally comprehending them.

💟Using Nearpod in my context

For my target undergraduate students, Nearpod is really effective. For one thing, there are always more than one hundred students in each English class, for students with the same major are arranged to have English classes together. Therefore, many students have to sit in the back of the classroom. Then it will be difficult for them to see the whiteboard clearly. However, with clear whiteboard images appearing on their own devices, students can focus on the lesson and have more opportunities to participate in the class in the same way as the students sitting in the front of the classroom.

For another, I will put the exercises in the textbooks into Nearpod, which helps me to monitor their answering condition and offer help when necessary. Moreover, when I realize some students do not finish the exercises, I can talk to them and find out the reasons. Students will also feel that they are monitored, so they will be more inclined to finish the language exercises. In this way, it is more possible for the students to get promoted. For example, I can put the vocabulary quizzes in the form of a matching game which is shown in the picture on the right. Students need to match the vocabulary with its corresponding meaning. It is a good way to review or test students' memorization of the vocabulary in class.

💓 Nearpod with language learning

The reason I recommend Nearpod in a language class is that it is a good tool to promote the interaction between the teachers and the students. In the old-fashioned language classes, teachers cannot pay attention to every student in the classroom. Their major work is to read the slides and explain the knowledge points to the students. Students are put into the passive position of accepting the lesson. However, with the help of Nearpod, teachers can add interactive activities to their lessons and check the responses from the students to monitor whether they are actually participating in the lessons and whether they have understood the knowledge. Teachers are able to see every student's answer and give immediate feedback to help them when necessary. It can benefit the students in their language learning to the most extent. 

💢Limitations

• It only supports .ppt files.

In this way, if we want to use the content from a .doc file or a .xlsx file, we have to think of another way to present them.

• It may reduce eye contact between the teachers and the students.

For me, I really enjoy having eye contact with my students, for I think it is an effective way to prove that the students are actually listening to me. If they have any questions, I can feel their confusion when having eye contact with them. However, with the use of Nearpod, students may only focus on their screen to read the slides instead of looking up at the whiteboard. Teachers may have to arrange more interactive activities to improve the interaction between them and the students.

At last, here is a video showing you the detailed procedures for how to make Time To Climb activity. If you have any questions about this complex activity, please don't hesitate to watch it!