Nearpod is FUN!

Have you all tried Nearpod yet?  

If you use Google Slides slide shows you HAVE to check it out!  Especially if your school has 1-1 devices!  It is seriously a game changer!

Nearpod makes Google Slide presentations interactive!  I've uploaded, or "nearpodized" my Google Slide presentations for my 8th grade Verbals unit and my students have been much more interested in learning about participles, gerunds, and infinitives than I've ever seen before!

So here's how it works:
1. First, go to nearpod.com and set up an account.  I use my Google account so it connects with my Google Classroom and Drive, but it's not necessary.

2. Here you've got a few options.  You can find free nearpod presentations in the "Explore" section to check out how they work.  There are also presentations made by others that are for sale.  Or, you can create your own nearpod so it perfectly suits your needs in the "Create" section.

3. I like to create my own nearpods by using Google Slides I've already created and used in the past.  The easiest way to do this is to go to the Google App Store and get the "Nearpodize This" extension.

 4. Once you've got the extension, you'll see a little black circle with overlapping parallelograms (Nearpod logo) in the upper right corner of your computer.  Now, open a Google Slide show from your drive, then click that circle.  You will be directed to either "launch" or "edit" your slide show in nearpod.  Then, once you've got your Slide Shows uploaded to nearpod, you'll see them in the "Library" section like mine below.

5. Here comes the cool part!  In editing mode, you can add interactive activities to your slide shows!  You can choose from quizzes, fill in the blanks, drawing activities, and others!  In this slide, I want the kids to use the drawing tools to box in the prepositional phrases and underline infinitives.

This slide activity is a multiple choice question.

6. Once you've added all your activities, you click "publish". Now you are ready to use in the classroom!

So you've created a nearpod, now what??

To use in the classroom, you will need to choose the "Live Session" option when you hover over the nearpod presentation.  You'll then get a code for students to log in with.  Each student needs their own device to use nearpod, which is why it is perfect for 1-1 districts!  When students log in, they will see the slides, but YOU control them on your computer, cool huh??

You can use the presentation like you would any other, but the activity slides are what make it so cool!  When you come to one of the activities, your students will see the screens in step 5, but you will see the student responses on your teacher screen!  What a cool formative assessment tool, huh?

Nearpod keeps kids engaged in your presentations and gives you immediate feedback about their understanding.  It is definitely my newest obsession! Go to nearpod.com and play around with the sample presentations and try making a few of your own.  It's always fun to find new ways to use technology in the classroom,,,especially with tech savvy middle and high schoolers!