Camp Engage: Back to School is returning July 25-27! Each session is crafted to provide immediate classroom impact, so you can apply what you learn at Camp Engage right from the start— just in time for back to school. Register by clicking below!

As schools shifted to virtual environments, many educators turned to Nearpod to support their classroom needs. Armed with new tools, educators sought out PD resources for best practices to maximize engagement, flexibility, and instruction. Nearpod heard these calls, and Camp Engage was born.

What is Camp Engage?

At Camp Engage, you can learn how to create Nearpod magic alongside thousands of educators around the world. There is a wide range of topics for teachers and administrators with nearly 30-50 sessions per event. Beginner and advanced users will walk away with a better understanding of the different ways Nearpod can help with differentiation and streamlining instruction in the classroom. Meanwhile, admins can gain useful tips and tricks on how to implement Nearpod in their schools or districts.

Camp Engage helps you expand your Professional Learning Network (PLN) in happy hours, event community resources, and icebreaker activities throughout the entire event. That’s not all! Campers have the opportunity to earn a certificate of attendance with up to 15 PD credits for FREE. Explore more ways to earn PD hours with Nearpod. Don’t take it just from us. Listen to what past campers have said about this Nearpod PD event:

“Finally, a PD you WANT to attend! This week was full of energy, inspiration, and ideas on how to keep our students engaged across the curriculum! With a variety of tools to implement embedded into one program, it’s very user-friendly and our students will love Nearpod!”  

– Angela Rabon, South Carolina

“It was just what the PD doctor ordered, no pain involved”

– Latisha King, Tennessee

“Camp Engage is full of various camp and activities which takes you back to your childhood days – full of fun and excitement” 

– Nidhi Khurana, India

“It was the best week that I spent on learning something new to help my students engage.”

– Katherine Quick, Florida

Here are some things you can look forward to when you attend Camp Engage!

Camp Engage: Virtual Professional Development for Teachers

Live trainings and workshops that will help you hone your Nearpod skills

Camp Engage is a Virtual Professional Development event for teachers and admin to bring their Nearpod use to the next level. Past sessions have covered implementing Nearpod in your school/district to hybrid learning to create fun review games for your students. There is something for everyone!

“If you want Pro-Tips for Nearpod, this is the place to be! “

– Cheryl Hullihen, New Jersey

“You will be amazed at how much is available to teachers and students on Nearpod!”

– Janine Anderson, Illinois

 “It was one of the most inspiring teacher training I have ever had.”

– Jannel Smith, Bahamas

“It is an experience you MUST go through as you will never find it anywhere else. It has covered all the areas you might think of and conducted by real experts in the field of using technology in facilitating the teaching/learning process.”

– Mohamed Al Mo’omen Sadawi

“The sessions are just the right amount of time to learn something that can be implemented easily. The camp is easy to navigate and the presenters are amazing.”

– Kristen Staub, New Jersey

Sneak peaks of Nearpod’s latest product updates

This Virtual Professional Development experience will help you refresh what you already know about Nearpod while showcasing what’s coming in the future. At Nearpod, we’re always launching new features and enhancing the product based on your feedback. By attending  Camp Engage, you have the opportunity to be one of the first teachers to try these new updates during our sessions.

Opportunities to connect and share ideas with educators all over the world 

Are you looking to build your PLN? Camp Engage is the place for you! Camp Engage is not only a Virtual Professional Development opportunity, but it is also a community. There are thousands of campers at every Nearpod PD event, representing 150+ countries. Sessions are specifically targeted so you can learn about the Nearpod magic alongside a group of like-minded educators. 

Camp Engage has something for K-12 teachers, higher ed, and admin no matter where you are in the world. Come connect with educators through session Zoom chats, the campsite, icebreakers, happy hours, and more!

See above the number of countries represented during a live Camp Engage session. We have campers who wake up before the sun rises just so they can connect with other Nearpod teachers!

“An awesome experience, just like being in a real camp!  For an isolated nation, it was great to meet people from around the world.  Definitely Recommend.” 

– Bryanna O’Regan, New Zealand

Happy Hours

If Camp Engage is going to be anything like actual camping, then it surely needs to be fun. Energize your Virtual Professional Development by attending Camp Engage social hours! Join members of the Nearpod community in fun activities and icebreakers that are led by fellow campers, using Nearpod or Flocabulary in creative ways. You might even walk away with new ideas to replicate for other teachers or students! 

“I met several people from other countries in one of my sessions as part of our breakout room activity. It was great to share and connect.”

– Lorena Martinez, Texas

Demo Slam

We believe that the best learning experience for educators is when the learning is facilitated BY educators. Additionally, we see Camp Engage as the perfect opportunity to shine the spotlight on the innovative members of the community. During the Camp Engage Demo Slam, select educators present how they’ve used Nearpod or Flocabulary in creative ways – all under three minutes! Campers are invited to vote for their favorites, and a winner is crowned at the Closing Ceremony!

Connect tab

We encourage campers to connect with others via our “Connect” portion of the campsite. We’ve learned of many collaborations that have taken place because of connections made during camp. You can search campers by job title, organization and country.

With dozens of sessions, you won’t want to miss this Virtual Professional Development opportunity. What are you waiting for? Come camping with Nearpod at #CampEngage! 

Keep reading to see our Camp Engage FAQ.

Camp Engage FAQ

What is Camp Engage?

Camp Engage is a free event that meets teachers’ needs for professional development credits. Teachers are looking for new ideas, resources, and content to support their teaching.

Why should I attend Camp Engage? 

When teachers attend Camp Engage, they feel like they’re a part of a community, not being sold a product. The sessions are designed to support their needs, so they walk away not just knowing how to use Nearpod/Flocabulary, but also with creative ideas they can bring back to their classrooms.

When did it start? 

Camp Engage started at the beginning of the pandemic as a PD opportunity for teachers just starting to use Nearpod. With educators all over the world looking for more ways to enhance their instruction and connect with others, Camp Engage has turned into a yearly event. 

When does it happen? 

Camp Engage happens several times a year – around February, July, and November. You can follow Camp related announcements on our social media accounts @Nearpod and through our

newsletters. 

Does Camp Engage cost money? 

Camp Engage is a FREE PD event that we’re providing to you.

How do I register for this Nearpod PD event? 

Camp Engage registration will open a few weeks before each event. Make sure you’re following @Nearpod social channels to learn when registration opens. To see if there’s an upcoming Camp Engage, you can also head here: nearpod.com/camp-engage

How do I earn PD credits? 

Teachers can earn up to 15 hours of PD instructional hours. Certificates will be sent after camp concludes and will take on-demand views into account. Note: we provide certificates with total hours but can’t guarantee that specific districts will accept them officially per varying district requirements.
If you have any other questions, please reach out to campengage@nearpod.com.

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post Camp Engage: Virtual Professional Development for Teachers appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Nearpod, la plataforma de formación que transforma las clases cotidianas en experiencias de aprendizaje interactivas, organizó su tercer evento anual Camp Engage en español. Durante el evento, más que 9,500 educadores de América Latina, Europa y los Estados Unidos –el segundo país en el mundo con más hablantes de español– pudieron conectar, para fomentar la colaboración, el aprendizaje y el compromiso mientras en el inicio del próximo año escolar.

Aquí tienes acceso a todas las grabaciones de las sesiones del Camp Engage. Si quieres registrarte para los siguientes eventos, por favor, vuelve a este blog para más información.

Camp Engage en Español conectó a más de 9.500 educadores

El evento de este año fue especial ya que puso de relieve a diversos ponentes destacados de la comunidad de Nearpod, como Antonio González Grez, Melissa Muir, Pam Alba, Perla Lujón y Regina Freyman, así como los profesionales de Nearpod, Fanny Giuliani y Marianne Dolce, quienes abordaron temas como la integración de la tecnología educativa en el aprendizaje a lo largo de toda la vida, la creación de salas de escape virtuales y el papel de la inteligencia artificial en el aula, entre otros.

Camp Engage en Español 2023 Grabaciones

Esta fue la agenda completa del evento y la lista de reproducción de grabaciones para que puedas disfrutar de la experiencia de Camp Engage a demanda.

Enseñar con Nearpod

Enseñar con Nearpod es una sesion para los que son nuevos a en Nearpod. En esta sesión informativa, podrás aprender las nociones básicas para motivar e involucrar más a tus estudiantes a través de Nearpod.

Crear y editar con Nearpod

En Crear y editar con Nearpod aprenderemos cómo personalizar cualquier lección para que sea dinámica e interactiva. Utiliza la evaluación formativa para adaptar la instrucción a las necesidades de tus estudiantes. Trae los recursos didácticos que ya tienes y prepárate para hacerlos interactivos, potenciando así la participación, el compromiso y la implicación de los estudiantes en el aula.

Fusionando con Nearpod

Fusionando con Nearpod nos lleva a explorar la creación avanzada de contenido en Nearpod integrando Google Add On y compartiendo valiosos trucos y consejos. Aprende a transformar tus lecciones estáticas en experiencias dinámicas y cautivadoras, elevando así tu enfoque educativo al siguiente nivel.

Nearpod y el aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida

Nearpod y el aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida explica los beneficios de Nearpod como integrar Nearpod en el aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida, tipos de aprendizaje y las reflexiones de Antonio Gonzalez Grez. Todos los temas llevarán propuestas interactivas para hacer participar y reflexionar a la audiencia sobre el potencial de Nearpod en el contexto del aprendizaje a lo largo de toda la vida.

Escape Rooms con Nearpod

Escape Rooms con Nearpod: Si te gustan los escape rooms o todavía no sabes qué son y quieres que tu audiencia se mantenga al tanto, se motive, conozca del tema y haya un ambiente de competencia sana, esta sesión te ayudara con las bases para lograr crear un escape room en Nearpod. Trabajemos juntos para descubrir esta herramienta y algunos trucos de la mano de Nearpod y combinarlo con tu práctica diaria.

Choice and voice con Nearpod

Choice and voice con Nearpod: Si crees que tus estudiantes deben ser autónomos o quieres conocer una forma de fomentar la autonomía (tomar decisiones, crear su propio camino de aprendizaje) en ellos, úntene a esta sesión en donde revisaremos algunas formas de darle voz a los estudiantes. A través de las herramientas propuestas por Nearpod podemos empoderar a nuestros estudiantes para que sean capaces de tomar decisiones sobre su aprendizaje y cómo lograr los objetivos propuestos.

Un lugar para AI en la tecnología educativa

Un lugar para AI en la tecnología educativa: ¿Te gustaría aprender cómo convertirte en un artista de la educación? ¿Cómo usar la tecnología y la inteligencia artificial generativa para crear sesiones y materiales educativos que dejen una huella humana en tus alumnos? ¿Cómo ser un mentor que los acompañe en su proceso de aprendizaje, donde lo importante es ser autoconscientes, generar autocrítica y divertirse? Si tu respuesta es sí, no te pierdas la conferencia que impartiré en el Bothcamp de Nearpod.escubre cómo la inteligencia artificial generativa puede ayudarte a generar contenidos originales y personalizados. No te pierdas esta oportunidad de aprender, crear y divertirte con el arte de enseñar.

¿Qué hay de nuevo en Nearpod?

¿Qué hay de nuevo en Nearpod? En esta sesión, aprenderás todas las novedades que Nearpod trae este año con Fanny Giuliani del equipo de Nearpod.

Mesa redonda: voces locales

Mesa redonda: voces locales: Melissa Muir, Pam Alba y Perla Lujón comparten una mesa redonda dónde comparten sus soluciones creativas a las demandas de la educación de hoy.

Nearpod anima a todos los educadores y líderes en educación a registrarse en futuros eventos Camp Engage para obtener las últimas ideas y activar el compromiso de los estudiantes.

Para ver el listado completo de grabaciones, haz clic aquí.

Camp Engage en Español 2023 Presentadores

• Presentadora Marianne Dolce: Tiene más de dos décadas de experiencia trabajando en bibliotecas públicas, así como en escuelas públicas y privadas. Una bibliotecaria dedicada y ahora maestra, su trabajo ha obtenido numerosas subvenciones y premios de organismos nacionales y locales, incluida una beca de la ALA y un Premio a la Maestra del Año por el Principio de Orientación del Sistema Escolar del Condado de Volusia, en el Centro de Florida, por el Respeto Mutuo y las Relaciones Positivas con todas las Partes Interesadas. Marianne es originaria de Cidra, Puerto Rico, la misma ciudad de la famosa bibliotecaria Pura Belpré. Nearpod ha sido una parte indispensable de su trabajo diario con niños en edad escolar durante muchos años.

• Presentadora Pam Alba: Con un Máster en Tecnología Educativa de la Universidad UDIMA en España y una certificación en STEM por stem.org en Estados Unidos, cuento con una sólida formación académica en el ámbito educativo y tecnológico. Además, respaldando mi experiencia teórica, he acumulado siete años de experiencia práctica en el aula, desempeñando roles tanto administrativos como pedagógicos.

• Presentador Antonio González Grez: Doctorando en tecnología educativa, posee un título de magíster en Educación Basada en Competencias y desempeña el rol de investigador alterno en el Grupo de Investigación Didáctica de la Universidad de Sevilla. Además, ha brindado asesoramiento en políticas de tecnología educativa para UNESCO, forma parte de la RedCad Chile y de la Mesa TIC en FID. También tiene vínculos con el Centro de Innovación Mineduc ENLACES del Ministerio de Educación, Gobierno de Chile, y ostenta el título de miembro Fellow de la Cátedra UNESCO – ICDE en UNESCO. Es asesor en tecnología educativa del Tecnológico Valparaíso Chile y co-fundador de Competencia Digital Cero, una iniciativa que busca reducir la brecha digital en los espacios educativos de Iberoamérica.

• Presentadora Perla Luján: Profesora de idiomas en México desde 2015 a todos los niveles educativos y del idioma. Psicóloga, amante de los idiomas, certificada en ISTE y Nearod Pionear. Maestra en enseñanza del inglés y actualmente estudiante de la maestria en neuropsicología educativa.

• Presentadora Regina Freyman: Soy Regina Freyman, una amante de las historias que lee, escribe, cuenta y vive. Estudié letras en la UNAM y me especialicé en cuento en la IBERO. Llevo 19 años en el TEC, donde comparto mi pasión por la literatura con mis alumnos. Creo que el arte es una herramienta para sanar, expresar y transformar. Me considero Arte educadora porque creo que la vida vale en la medida en que hacemos de ella una obra ética, expresiva y compasiva. Soy una apasionada de la inteligencia artificial generativa, convencida de que es un asistente y un reto para el talento artístico humano. Uso Nearpod desde hace 8 años y  es una plataforma que me permite diseñar lecciones apasionantes, mi recurso favorito para acompañar a mis alumnos en la aventura del conocimiento.

Manténgase informado sobre el próximo Camp Engage

Camp Engage representa un encuentro excepcional y singular dirigido a educadores de todo el mundo. Se trata de un evento de desarrollo profesional educativo gratuito que reúne a miles de maestros y administradores a través de talleres de crecimiento personal. Durante el evento, los educadores que participan adquieren conocimientos sobre la incorporación de Nearpod en sus aulas y se integran en una comunidad que cuenta con más de un millón de educadores de Nearpod de diversas partes del mundo. Si quieres obtener más información o registrarte en los siguientes eventos del Camp Engage, asegúrate de suscribirte al boletín de Nearpod aquí.

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post Camp Engage en Español conectó +9.500 educadores: ver las grabaciónes appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

What is a digital escape room?

Physical escape rooms gained popularity in the mid-2010s as a group activity that challenged people to escape a locked room based on a set of themed clues. Shortly afterward, virtual escape rooms were developed to offer the same problem-solving and team-building opportunities to larger groups simultaneously without having to be physically locked in a room and invest in duplicates of all the locks. Teachers realized they could harness the engagement. They also figured out how to make a digital escape room with content-specific clues for a classroom. A virtual escape room, for fun or in a classroom, provides a challenging, immersive adventure that promotes problem-solving and collaboration.

What are the benefits of using digital escape rooms in the classroom?

Virtual escape rooms challenge students as they practice the real-world skills of critical thinking, teamwork, communication, and perseverance. Teachers who create a digital escape room can customize it for any content area and control the experience with age-appropriate visuals and clues. Digital escape rooms require reading to navigate, so they might not be accessible to young learners. The escape room can function as an introduction to a topic, an application of a unit, or a stand-alone team-building lesson. For easy access, incorporate tools familiar to students, for example, Google Forms for the digital “locks” or Nearpod activities for clues. Learning the basics to design your own will give you a supply of free digital escape rooms for the classroom.

A teacher knows their own students and curriculum; they can balance predictable clues with more difficult ones. Video game designers combine difficulty levels so the players continue playing; even when they get stuck on a hard level, they find a motivational boost in the easier sections.

The same concept applies to an educational digital escape room. For me, each chapter has a list of key vocabulary words—some of the lock combinations come directly from that list. Students learn to look for predictable vocabulary words, so I mix in terms of people we discussed that aren’t on my key term list for more complexity.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for a free Nearpod account below to create interactive activities and access standards-aligned lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

How to make a digital escape room for the classroom

1. Use backward design to plan the escape room

Backward design is paramount. The process begins with setting the end goals. Teachers identify the content they want to target, which includes curriculum topics or skills for students to practice. After establishing the end goals, there are four additional parts:

• Determining logistics 
• Creating clues and hints
• Visual design
• Writing the backstory

2. Choose the right tech tools for the logistics

Logistics for the virtual escape room include the following:

• A platform to host the clues
• The set up of digital locks
• The order in which students navigate through the virtual escape room

There are advantages to hosting the game on various platforms. Google Sites can contain hidden pages with random URLs. Google Drawings or a Google Slides presentation allows hotspots that link to other websites.

Nearpod activities function as clues, and you can embed outside resources. For digital locks, I use Google Forms because it allows response validation, custom error messages, and form break to force certain puzzles to be solved before moving on. If you use Google Forms, learn from my first failure and include a custom error message. Unfortunately, if you do not, it will ruin the mystery and display the answer. If another resource offers response validation, that also works, especially if your students are already familiar with it. The error messages on the digital locks guide the learning process. It provides immediate feedback to the students, either letting them know they were correct, or offering a hint to adjust their thinking and fix mistakes. Have a general idea about the clues when setting up the logistics; the next step is actually creating them.

3. Create engaging clues, locks, and hints

Now for the fun part! A virtual escape room requires clues, locks, and hints. This part felt overwhelming when I began creating games, so it’s beneficial to have a digital escape room template.

The lock and clue possibilities are endless. Connect the locks to the content and skills you identified first. Here are some types of clues that easily adapt to any content escape room:

• Ciphers can include letters, numbers, emojis, or a more complex digital cipher
• Misspelled lists require students to fix intentional mistakes to find the hidden word within  
• Photoshopped images with numbers or words camouflaged 
• Math word problems can be customized to align with the skills students are learning in their math class
• Puzzles could be created digitally, or try cutting a QR code into pieces 
• Fonts might be Redacted, DaFont Themes, Libre Barcode Font
• Create a story using Nearpod’s Fill-in-the-Blanks
• Make a coordinate grid or a crossword to solve using Nearpod’s Draw It
• Nearpod’s Matching Pair with ordinal numbers
• Nearpod’s Virtual Reality (VR) Field Trip

The digital escape room template also includes a resource list with additional inspiration for locks and clues. The locks provide a chance to differentiate learning for different strengths: observation, logic, language, math, and humor.

4. Work on the visual design

Once you establish the lock combinations and the clues, it leads to the next step: visual design. This is crucial for a virtual escape room because it impacts the player’s experience and engagement.

You want multifaceted images to draw the players into the game and to provide clues for the locks; any image editing resource will work. I use Canva Education because I can create a set of images for each escape room, which I easily modify each year if necessary. Canva removes the background from images; transparent backgrounds work well for hot spot clues. All of these features are useful for designing graphics and clues. You can also utilize image design on each slide of either Google Slides or Nearpod. Consider how images tell the story.

5. Develop the backstory

Online generators exist for fake text messages or fake newspapers, which work great for building a backstory. The backstory provides students with context and a framework for the escape room. Just like any story, you want to establish the setting, the characters, the goals, the potential obstacles the players will face, and the consequence of failure.

The backstory should motivate students and provide guidance on what to look for. I’ve used creative characters in a historical setting or realistic-fictional news story to weave the backstory. The first time I used an escape room I designed, I caught a team of students Googling if someone really did steal the Liberty Bell and abscond to Canada; that backstory had them hooked.

For my most recent escape rooms, I have utilized ChatGPT for the draft of the backstory. I ask ChatGPT to generate a backstory that includes certain people, places, and any key vocabulary I want to include. You can also specify the audience and the desired length. The bot produces a solid start for an engaging story. I edit it slightly to align with the end goals of the escape room and provide a hint on where students should start looking for clues.

6. Combine all of these elements into the escape room

Backward design also involves going back to the beginning to combine the elements together. Think about the logistics you worked on earlier in the process.

Follow these steps to host an escape room on Nearpod:

• On a Nearpod slide, provide directions and the backstory for reference so student groups can go back and re-read if needed
• Embed the Google Form as Web Content to use for the locks—you can’t have an escape room without locks! 
• Upload images on a slide to provide clues and hints
• Add interactive activities, like Fill in the Blank, VR Field Trip, and Draw It, as clues in the Nearpod presentation—you can even challenge students by requiring a cipher to unlock the Nearpod join code

Often I combine multiple resources together for the most challenging experience. My favorite combination includes Google Forms, Nearpod, Google Sites, and Google Drawings. Explore a sample lesson here.

Start designing your own virtual escape room for your students

Designing a virtual escape room takes time, but when I see how excited students are to participate in those lessons, it makes it worthwhile. The planning and design are foremost to the success of the escape room. There have been some mistakes and design struggles along the way, but I’ve preserved just like I expect students to do during an escape room lesson.

The design process has become easier with practice, and I find inspiration in everyday things I read or see. Sometimes a single image can spark an entire escape room, like a historical map or a unique font. I love witnessing the discussions and collaborations that occur, even if it looks like organized chaos in the classroom. Almost every time I start a new topic, my students will ask if there is an escape room at the end. The student enthusiasm and energy are my motivation to continue creating new virtual escape rooms.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for a free Nearpod account below to create interactive activities and access standards-aligned lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Lisa Whiston

Lisa is a middle school social studies teacher in Hershey, Pennsylvania. She’s passionate about experimenting with technology to enhance and excite students about learning. She also shares her joy with other educators through PD training.

about.me/lisa.whiston

The post How to make a digital escape room for the classroom appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Join thousands of educators around the world in an extraordinary learning adventure! Whether it’s your first Camp Engage or your 10th, you are in for a few days of growth, connection, and inspiration.

Camp Engage takes place during various periods of the school year. Click on the link below to register and join our next Camp Engage! If there are no upcoming dates on the site, don’t fret! You can still sign up for our most recent Camp Engage to access on-demand sessions, resources, and a community of educators.

What is Camp Engage?

Camp Engage is a free virtual professional development opportunity for educators to learn how to bring Nearpod and Flocabulary into the classroom. Even though the deadline to earn PD credit has passed, Nearpod and Flocabulary educators, beginner and advanced, can still view the 30+ available, on-demand sessions. You will walk away with new ideas to enhance your instruction with every session you view.

Are you ready to explore the possibilities of the virtual PD event? We have highlighted campers’ 5 key takeaways from Camp Engage that helped them say Yes! And… in and out of the classroom.

5 key takeaways from Camp Engage: Yes! And…

1. How to embrace a “Yes! And…” mentality

Yes! And… is a concept from the improvisational theater that discourages actors from saying the word ‘no,’ and instead prompts them to accept the direction a scene is going. At Camp Engage, we spent three days redefining what it means to have a Yes! And… mentality as an educator. Take a second to consider the following:

1. ✓ I am open to new ideas from my peers
2. ✓ I try to think outside of the box
3. ✓ I believe collaboration increases our impact on students

Did you check off all the boxes? If so, you are already on your way to having a Yes! And… mentality!

“I learnt so much more about Nearpod as a useful educational tool to use both in my classroom and with other staff.”

– Ingrid Corcoran

2. When we work together, we win together

Education is a team effort. When we help each other find new ways to say, “Yes! And …” we can put our best foot forward for our students. At Camp Engage, we saw that by working together, we win together. Here are some of the ways educators collaborated and connected during the event:

• During happy hours, we learned that building personal connections with one another is just as important as professional connections. 
• Our new “Office Hours for Newbies” session showed the power of collaboration and how we can all help each other succeed. 
• In the Demo Slam, presenters went outside of their comfort zone to inspire educators with their creativity. 
• The What’s Keeping Us Up At Night panel was an honest discussion about the obstacles as an educator while also offering possible solutions.

Educators continued to lift each other up in the session chat and over social media. Our enthusiasm to work together at Camp Engage showed that we have the power to impact classrooms all over the world. Every day we can say YES! to working together AND… winning together.

Absolutely incredible! I loved the resources and am looking forward to using many of the tools given during the Demo Slam.

– Veronica Vella

3. Nearpod has something for everyone

Can Nearpod work for all your classroom needs? Yes! And… the possibilities are endless when we brainstorm ideas together. Camp Engage presenters shared their knowledge and experiences to teach us new ways to use Nearpod. With sessions covering special education, social-emotional learning, English learners, math, differentiation, and more, there is something for everyone.

4. Joining the community has never been easier

At Camp Engage: Yes! And… we discovered all the ways to join the community! During the What’s New With Nearpod session, we learned that becoming a Nearpod Certified Educator (NCE) is easier than ever. All you need to do is go into your account and complete the steps at the top of the page.

In addition to becoming an NCE, you can continue the conversation over social media. With so many Nearpod and Flocabulary educators on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, expanding your PLN is as simple as making a post or leaving a comment.

5. There’s so much more to Flocabulary than what meets the eye!

We hosted 8 sessions dedicated to Flocabulary during Camp Engage. Each showcased the unique and creative people who create the videos that students love!

Below includes some sneak peeks of what you will learn:

• Celebrating Student Voice: Flocabulary Student Contests: Flocabulary student contests promote student voices while encouraging them to think about different cultures and historical figures. See some of the Flocabulary videos that were created in partnership with student contest winners!
• In the Classroom and Behind the Scenes: The audio, art/animation, research, and video teams work together to create content that both excites and educates. In this session, we heard from both a teacher who uses Flocabulary with her students and one of the Art Directors who created those very same lessons!

View Camp Engage recordings

With 30+ sessions, 2,600+ participants, and 81 counties represented, Camp Engage: Yes! And… was full of creativity and collaboration.

To watch any of the recorded sessions, click below to register for free! Then, navigate the library of recordings and resources to ensure you are all set to bring joy to your classrooms with Nearpod and Flocabulary!

New to Nearpod? Sign up for free here!

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post 5 key takeaways from Camp Engage Yes! And… appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Interested in experiencing Camp yourself? View the recordings of our most recent Camp Engage sessions by registering below. This virtual PD event is all about growing, collaborating, and innovating. You inspire us at Nearpod, so we are excited to provide you with a whirlwind of inspiration.

Camp Engage takes place during various periods of the school year. Click on the link below to register and join our next Camp Engage! If there are no upcoming dates on the site, don’t fret! You can still sign up for our most recent Camp Engage to access on-demand sessions, resources, and a community of educators.

Top 5 moments from Camp Engage Back to School

Camp Engage is a free professional development opportunity for educators to learn how to bring Nearpod and Flocabulary into the classroom. The 39 available on-demand sessions are targeted at beginner to advanced users to inspire, brainstorm, and create new lessons and practices for back to school.

Unsure where to begin? While we think Camp Engage was spectacular from start to finish, we’ve highlighted some of our campers’ and our favorite moments.

1. Opening Ceremony

We were honored to be joined by seasoned educator Lei Washington who helped kick off the week with an inspirational talk about what true engagement looks and feels like.

Lei Washington is a 24-year veteran in the educational profession. A field she claims as her birthright as she is the grand-niece of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, the national civil rights pioneer, educator, and activist. In 2021, she began a new role in Guilford County Schools as the Director of Learning and Leadership Operational Support. Her educational philosophy is grounded in the ideology that culturally intentional systems yield customized championship-worthy outcomes.

She used Flocabulary in its early days to offer struggling learners reading intervention that was culturally relevant and Tier 2. While implementing the program the school’s score rose from 24.7 to 87.

One of the most touching aspects of Lei’s keynote was the story of “The Little Man,” a young student she encountered many years ago who had been told time and time again that he wasn’t capable of meeting expectations. Rather than accept that judgment, Lei worked with this student to meet him where he was. Through her framework of “ACT – Activate, Cultivate, Time on Task,” this “Little Man” flourished. Lei was introduced to our audience by Nearpod employee and former teacher Nik Knight, who is also Lei’s son – and wouldn’t you know it, was that “Little Man.” Watch the Opening Ceremony below!

2. Demo Slam

The Demo Slam has become quite the fan favorite of Camp Engage traditions, and we’re not surprised. This friendly competition is an opportunity for members of the Nearpod community to #humblebrag about how they are using Nearpod or Flocabulary in innovative, effective ways. And we, the audience can both celebrate their work and quickly jot down notes to replicate all the incredible ideas.

Here were the contestants!

• Maureen Helfrich – Ready-Made Book Report Grows with Your Students All Year
• Cheryl Graff – Drag and Drop, We Don’t Stop! Making the Most of Drag and Drop
• Tracy Parodi – The Nearpod Challenge
• Dawn Dickerson – Not Your Average Instructional Video
• Lisa Whiston – Mindful Minute with Draw It
• Rashida Brereton – Flipped Classroom Nearpod
• Bethany Petty – Visualizing Vocabulary

Watch the recording

3. Community connections

One of the things about Camp Engage Back to School that makes it stand out from our ongoing Nearpod and Flocabulary PD is the opportunity for educators to connect in and out of sessions. All 5,000+ campers around the world formed connections and built their PLN over social media, happy hours, session breakout rooms, and more! You can still collaborate with other educators through the 1:1 Networking tab on the Camp Engage website.

4. Product sneak peeks

It wouldn’t be a Camp Engage without substantial sneak peeks about what’s coming to Nearpod and Flocabulary in the weeks and months to come.

5. Back to school inspiration

We were blown away by the creativity our presenters infused into their sessions, especially those who focused on how to cultivate classroom community and bring social and emotional learning into the fold for back to school.

Experience Camp Engage yourself!

Now that you know the magic of Camp Engage, come experience it yourself! Join us for Camp Engage this fall from November 3rd – November 5th. Save your seat by registering below for the free virtual professional development event you don’t want to miss out on.

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post Top 5 moments from Camp Engage Back to School 2022 appeared first on Nearpod Blog.