Why are classroom procedures and routines important?

Establishing classroom routines lets students know what is expected, allowing them to complete daily tasks quickly and efficiently. Also, classroom routines create a comfortable and predictable learning environment for students. This can help build students’ confidence and reduce their anxiety.

Routines and procedures for classroom management are important for all students in any grade level. Although it’s helpful to establish basic classroom rules for instructional time to run smoothly, it’s also significant when teaching a unit and providing assignments throughout the school day.

Here are a few ways to incorporate fun and academic classroom routines into your daily teaching with Nearpod’s interactive activities.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Easy classroom routines and procedures to engage students

1. Start off with an engaging bell ringer

When students enter the classroom or begin a new unit, have a bell ringer or bell work ready for them to complete. The bell ringer should be a fun activity that’ll excite students for what’s to come, such as a gamified learning activity. This way, you can focus on getting all your students where they need to be, and the rest of the class gets a little game-based reward for punctuality.

Place a Matching Pairs activity at the very beginning of your lesson to establish a classroom routine. It’ll be the first thing your students see when they join the lesson, giving them something to work on immediately. Nearpod has hundreds of free Matching Pairs lessons perfect for any classroom! Search by subjects, standards, and grade level to find an activity fit for your classroom.

Use a Matching Pairs bell ringer to review prior knowledge, preview new content, or just as a fun reward for transitioning quickly. You can customize the cards to match text with text, text with pictures, or pictures with pictures. This is perfect for teaching classroom routines!

2. Check in on students’ social and emotional well-being

To cultivate a positive classroom community, it’s important to put students’ social and emotional health first. Collaborative classroom discussions should be at the forefront of learning. Embed moments into your instruction to check in on how students are feeling emotionally.

Collaborate Board is the perfect tool to use to jumpstart the discussion. This feature gives all students a voice to share how they’re feeling. Collaborate Board is a digital bulletin board where students can respond to a prompt or question using images, text, GIFs, or audio. All students can see the responses from the class and can ‘like’ their favorites. Teachers can decide whether they want to make the board anonymous or public by turning off or on student names.

Collaborating on @nearpod. Students share their favorite places in nature to practice #mindfulness! #sayvillestrides #sayvillestrong #SEL #mschat pic.twitter.com/JxVcIHw7P7

— Kimberly Pacia (@MsPaciaEDU) June 1, 2020

Host a Collaborate Board during any moment to ask students how they’re feeling, spread gratitude, or simply share their ideas. Turn off names to have anonymous responses, so students feel more comfortable being open.

3. Do a competitive review mid-lesson

Up the competition in your classroom procedures and routines by adding a timer for an activity mid-lesson. Students can race against themselves to beat their best time, but they also love to challenge each other! A little friendly competition motivates them to practice and keeps them focused for the rest of the lesson. It’s a great way to help students review content mid-lesson, mid-unit, or even on their own before a big test.

Use a Draw It or Drag & Drop activity as a review. Add these activities to the middle of your Nearpod lesson and enable the timer for friendly competition! Up the stakes by giving the winner a small reward such as a night off homework. Additionally, encourage them to use Student Reactions to increase participation and engagement while gauging their understanding. This is a classroom routine students will appreciate!

Draw It is a teacher favorite! Students can use this activity to demonstrate what they know by responding to a question or prompt by drawing and using text and images on top of whatever background the teacher uploads. The possibilities are endless when using this as a competitive review!

Drag & Drop activities have the power to add interest and excitement to everyday classroom learning. Use this activity to have students sort, order, sequence, or label using categories, charts, diagrams, and images. Customize your own activity or choose from our premade Drag & Drop lessons.

4. Get students excited with a gamified ticket

Exit Tickets and formative assessments provide valuable info on student learning, but too often, my sticky note supply runs low; and printing/cutting out paper slips can be a pain. With a digital formative assessment tool, little prep is required from you to check in students before they’re out the door.

Time to Climb is the perfect solution to reinvigorating this routine, and it takes just a few minutes to set up. To play the game, each student chooses a character to be their climber. They then race against the clock to answer each question as it pops up on the screen. The faster they pick a correct answer, the more points they get and the higher they climb. You can also pick different themes with cool settings, music, and characters.

The gamified environment is so engaging that your students won’t even realize they’re being assessed! Here’s a time-saving tip: Convert your Nearpod Quizzes to Time to Climb activities! No need to recreate anything you already made. Nearpod also has premade Time to Climb assessments for different subjects and grade levels for you to choose from.

5. Incorporate current events in your lessons

To help students become informed adults, they must have the opportunity to learn about community affairs and the steps they can take to become more civically engaged. Using current events in the classroom creates opportunities for students to be engaged and aware. Use The Week in Rap and follow it up with Nearpod’s Current Events lesson collection to dive deeper into discussions.

The Week in Rap is a weekly lesson video that’s released every Friday, covering the week’s news through rap! The Week in Rap is for grades 6 to 12, and the Week in Rap Junior is for grades 3 to 5.

Start implementing these classroom routines

With this collection of engaging, pertinent, and innovative procedures for the classroom, there’s no way both you and your students won’t love them! We’re so excited to see you put these routines into action.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Engaging routines are at the of every successful classroom. Check out these easy & creative classroom routines to engage your students!Click To Tweet

Nearpod Team

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

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The post Easy classroom procedures and routines to engage students appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access the resources on this blog post and create their own interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Why is classroom management important?

Effective classroom management is important for both students and teachers throughout the school year, significantly impacting student outcomes and their overall learning experience. A permissive or indulgent classroom management style can hinder the development of a positive relationship between students and educators, potentially disrupting the classroom culture. Conversely, good classroom management involves finding the right balance between levels of control and student involvement, keeping students engaged while accommodating diverse learning needs. It’s essential for teachers to adapt their teaching style to maintain an effective classroom learning environment where students feel supported, respected, and motivated to excel.

What are the 4 classroom management styles and their benefits?

Classroom management typically involves four main styles: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and neglectful. The authoritarian classroom management style focuses on strict rules, high control, and clear expectations, but it might stifle creativity and discourage independent thinking. In contrast, the authoritative classroom management style approach combines firm guidelines with a supportive environment, fostering discipline while allowing for student autonomy and creativity. On the other hand, the permissive classroom management style offers flexibility and encourages self-expression, yet it may lead to challenges in maintaining order and structure. Finally, the neglectful style lacks involvement and direction, resulting in a chaotic learning atmosphere that hinders both discipline and academic progress. The various weaknesses and benefits of classroom management styles highlight to educators the importance of striking a balance tailored to their students’ needs and classroom dynamics.

8 Effective classroom management strategies using Nearpod

1. Visibility to on and off-task behavior

At any point during a Nearpod lesson, teachers have insight into which students are on-task. If a student navigates away from the lesson, the dot next to their name will turn red. Teachers are empowered to choose the classroom management strategy that works best for them to address this.

2. Ensure 100% student participation

In order to ensure 100% participation, every student needs to feel empowered to contribute. Often, some students are quick to participate while others need more time to generate ideas (or courage!) to share.

Nearpod’s formative assessment features, like Polls, Time to Climb, Matching Pairs, and so many more, empower educators to provide multiple ways for students to demonstrate what they know. Since students respond on their own devices, EVERY student can answer every question, and teachers can see in real-time which students have submitted answers and which need more time.

TIP: Don’t have a class with 1:1 devices? Need students to shift their attention to the front of the class? Nearpod’s Front of Class mode allows you to share your video on a screen so students can watch together and prompt discussions with formative assessments woven throughout the lesson. New to Nearpod? Our Interactive Videos are the best way to get started teaching in Front of Class mode!

3. Receive immediate feedback and post-session reports

Teachers can view student responses in real-time, which means they can respond quickly to misconceptions (or situations where students have already mastered the topic!) to create an environment of providing feedback and prevent common classroom management issues that arise from these situations. This empowers teachers to foster classrooms where students feel heard and know that their individual learning is important. Since the teacher can easily see which students are struggling with a certain concept, they can intervene with targeted coaching and small groups immediately.

Teachers can share individual student responses with the whole class anonymously. This allows for a safer space for error analysis or an easy way to celebrate exemplar responses!

After the lesson, student responses and performance data are found in the Nearpod reports section. 

4. Benefit from synchronous devices

Ensuring all students are on the same page can be time-consuming with many print or digital resources. With Nearpod’s device synchronization, you can feel certain that all of your students are on the same screen (remember: check for the red dot to know if a student has navigated away!).

5. Boost accountability for independent work 

Student-paced Nearpod lessons are as impactful as Live lessons, allowing for the same level of engagement when students are working independently. This is especially helpful when in distance learning environments. Just like Live lessons, these lessons collect session reports, so you can review student work during or after the session. Student-Paced mode can also be used to provide make-up work for students who are absent, making it easier to catch up after a day out.

6. Promote ownership of learning with Student Notes

The Student Notes feature on Nearpod empowers students to take ownership of their learning. They can take notes during class and receive their notes, along with all media and the answers they’ve submitted during class, by email, OneDrive, or Google Drive. This allows students to organize their notes and come prepared for assessments or projects.

7. Never sweat a sub day again 

It’s no secret that one of the most stressful classroom management moments is when you’re not there. That’s why Nearpod has made it easy to communicate substitute teacher plans and drive 100% student participation on sub days. Explore tips for using Nearpod’s Sub Plans by clicking below!

8. Weave SEL into every lesson 

Often, the best way to prevent common classroom management issues is by pre-teaching the social and emotional learning skills that support positive student behavior. Nearpod’s social and emotional learning (SEL) lessons make it easy for educators to incorporate SEL into their classroom routines and increase student investment in contributing to a positive, empowering learning environment.

Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness K-12 Program offers resources to embed 21st-century skills like SEL, digital citizenship, and college and career readiness into every classroom. The Social and Emotional Learning collection includes lessons and activities that teach students core competencies, critical thinking, lifelong learning strategies, and growth mindset practices.

Start using these classroom management skills

Mastering effective classroom management skills is imperative for educators to create an optimal learning environment that encourages student engagement and success. Classroom management plans examples with Nearpod’s interactive lessons and formative assessment tools offer educators practical ways to maintain control while promoting student involvement. Embracing these methodologies not only ensures better student outcomes but also fosters an atmosphere where students feel supported, respected, and motivated.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access the resources on this blog post and create their own interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Nearpod Team

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

nearpod.com/

The post 8 Effective classroom management strategies using Nearpod appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

I do, we do, you do is an instructional strategy created by Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey (2007), and teachers in a variety of grade levels use it to teach content areas to present any lesson. Some teachers refer to this strategy as a gradual release. Its systematic structure gives a teacher time to model a concept followed by a sequential gradual release strategy of student practice. It’s a simple model that allows for a repetitive step-by-step approach. Teachers love this instructional strategy because it is flexible. It can let a teacher go back and forth between the three phases depending on student needs that may surface within the lesson plan. Additionally, the gradual release model fosters problem-solving skills in students by providing guided practice before independent application I do, we do, you do pedagogy also helps provide a specific time during a lesson when an instructor can explain why something happens the way they are presenting.

How to strengthen your I do, we do, you do lessons with technology

It can be challenging to translate traditional teaching strategies into the digital world for busy teachers, but here are a few tips to get you started doing precisely that. With Nearpod, you can engage students through interactive activities and lessons while you get real-time insights into their learning.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

1. I do phase

The I do phase is the first step in this strategy. It’s the guided instruction step where teachers model the skills, strategies, and information that students need to know. Modeling for students is a powerful part of the learning process. In this instructional strategy, it’s essential to model before releasing students and expecting them to complete a task independently. 

During this first phase, teachers complete pre-assessments of what students already know, have discussions, build background knowledge, and predict or infer what may happen next in a sequential lesson. An effective way to model the I do phase is for teachers to think aloud as they deliver content. 

Modeling can happen in every subject area. In math, students see the steps of a problem. Students can better understand comprehension techniques in reading when they model aloud. Teachers model the demonstration of an experiment in science, social studies projects, or the writing process.

We know educators have many different options for including technology as they model new concepts for students. Nearpod can help strengthen a lesson’s modeling phase in a meaningful and fun way with several different tools.

Nearpod’s Whiteboard allows teachers to model math problems, diagrams, graphic organizers, the writing process, and more. Traditionally modeling happens at the front of the classroom on a whiteboard, but with Nearpod’s whiteboard, students can follow along live on their own devices from anywhere in the room. 

Slide Annotation in Nearpod uses whiteboard tools on top of slides in a Nearpod lesson. Teachers can upload a slide with a blank Venn diagram, graph paper, or another tool to complete together as a class. Slide Annotation allows students to follow along on their own devices too. In this example, a teacher uses a Draw It activity to model. Students can then use this same activity on their devices for We do or You do.

2. We do phase

The second phase, We do, is guided practice. Through guided practice, teachers gradually release responsibility to the student. Guided practice may be in groups or individually. Students should have more than one attempt at practice with the teacher before moving to the last phase. In this phase, teachers give feedback on attempts as students practice the retrieval process from their memory of the I do step.

Through formative assessment, teachers can surface student understanding. Students solve and will be able to learn a new concept with no reinforcement of errors or misconceptions. This phase can provide teachers with an opportunity to scaffold or differentiate the acquisition of skills. 

Teachers can strengthen guided practice using technology with Nearpod’s 11 formative assessments. Teachers can see what students understand with Draw It activities, Open-Ended Questions, Polls, Quizzes, and more during a live lesson. We know that finding the time to grade everything can be difficult for teachers. With Nearpod, you don’t need to find the time to grade incorrect and correct answers to see student understanding.

Teachers can provide feedback on attempts and reach every student through Nearpod by delivering lessons live and seeing student results in real-time as they present new concept practice opportunities. You can also pivot in the moment back to the modeling phase if student understanding shows a need. In Nearpod teachers can pull up the whiteboard to go back to modeling at any time in a lesson plan.

The flexibility of Nearpod combined with the flexibility of I do, we do, you do create successful learning opportunities for every student.

2. You do phase

In the final phase of I do, we do, you do, students practice retrieval of a new skill on their own to develop fluency in a concept. At this phase in the release of responsibility model, students demonstrate an initial level of understanding and rely less on the teacher for guidance. Teachers continue to monitor student efforts and progress and provide feedback when applicable. Additionally, utilizing small group settings and collaborative learning within this gradual release of responsibility framework ensures that students receive personalized support, promoting deeper learning and mastery of concepts.

You do activities are distributed over time for lasting impact. They make a great spiral review for practicing past skills or independent practice in the classroom or at home. Nearpod’s Student-Paced lesson delivery mode allows teachers to create digital practice opportunities students can work through at their own pace. Student-paced mode is ideal in a classroom setting where the teacher may be revisiting modeling or guided practice with students who need more support, but the teacher needs an activity to allow independent practice for students who are ready.

Teachers can strengthen students’ independent practice with numerous activities like PHET simulations, VR field trips, Interactive Videos, and other formative assessment tools. Nearpod’s gamified quiz, Time to Climb, is a great way to end an I do, we do, you do lesson and surface student understanding simultaneously.

Start teaching the gradual release model with Nearpod

Grounded in the gradual release of responsibility (GRR) framework, the I do, we do, you do teaching model is a powerful instructional approach that enhances student learning. This instructional framework involves a structured shift from teacher-led instruction to student independence. No matter your approach to structuring this teaching model in the classroom, you can apply those same strategies when teaching a lesson from start to finish using technology. We hope you found these tips useful and are ready to start using edtech tools, like Nearpod, in your classroom. Start teaching the gradual release of responsibility model today!

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Nearpod Team

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

nearpod.com/

The post How to strengthen your I do, we do, you do lessons with technology appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

While athletes vie for gold every two years in the Olympics, you can reach for gold right now—Nearpod Gold, that is! You may have started with a free Nearpod Silver subscription, but do you even know what you’re missing out on? You can upgrade your Nearpod account to Nearpod Gold for $159/year at any time to discover even more Nearpod features and benefits that you’ll love.

Teachers can sign up for free below and then upgrade to Gold to access and create interactive lessons. Or, take your Nearpod game to the highest level and experience the full power of this platform with a school or district account. Speak to your administrator about Premium Plus accounts for schools/districts!

How to get Nearpod Gold

If you don’t already have a Nearpod account, start by signing up for a free one and then simply upgrade. Once logged in, you can select the profile icon in your screen’s upper-righthand corner, then click “UPGRADE.” You will be asked to enter your payment and address information before clicking “COMPLETE PURCHASE.”

If you want to secure a Gold account today, you can use this special Nearpod Gold code to get 3 months for free: NP-BTSB24.

7 Ways to maximize teaching with Nearpod Gold

1. Integrate the Google Slides Add-On

Are you an avid user of Google Slides? With Nearpod Google Slides Add-On, you can integrate any of Nearpod’s interactive features into your Google Slides deck. We all know how hard teachers work to capture students’ attention and engage them in learning activities. With Nearpod Google Slides Add-On, you can enrich your existing slides with multimedia content and reference materials to appeal to a wide variety of learning styles. Interactive features like Draw It or Collaborate Board reinforce those active learning strategies that help support the retention of new information and bolster communication, critical thinking, and creativity skills (the 4Cs!).

Imagine how you can level up your Google Slides with this premium Nearpod feature. Take your typical slide presentation to a whole new level by adding in any of the nine different formative assessment activities or any of the Nearpod multimedia content, including virtual field reality trips. With these active learning strategies, you are sure to spark student engagement. You can even save time by leveraging the Google Slides templates for various design elements. And don’t forget to lean on Google’s collaborative feature and share these lessons with your team teachers, so that you can all can contribute and share ideas to slides across the grade or subject.

2. Use the Drag and Drop activity

Nearpod offers a suite of formative assessment activities, but one that is exclusive to Nearpod Gold and above is Drag and Drop. You can use this activity to test students’ recall and understanding. From close reading exercises to vocabulary definitions to timelines, there are many ways to use Drag and Drop across various subject areas. With Drag and Drop, students can sort, order, or label images or text sequentially or in groups. This visually rich activity encourages kids to use logic and spatial skills to label, sequence, sort, and categorize. You may want to use the activity as an anticipatory set to gauge students’ prior knowledge or as a quiz at the end of a lesson to evaluate students’ level of mastery. Did you know you can even add a background image and customize draggable items for each Drag and Drop activity? You can create your own or choose from a large library of premade activities within Nearpod:

• Math (Grades K-1) Representing the Numbers 14, 15, 16: Students will engage in practicing various methods of representing numbers using draggable objects.
• Social Studies (Grades 3-5) Locating & Identifying States: Northwestern States: Students identify the location of and label five northwestern states.
• Science (Grade 4) Labeling the Parts of a Plant: Students can practice identifying the different parts of a plant.
• English Language Arts (ELA) (Grades 6-8) Story Elements: Students will identify the story elements of a passage.
• Math (Grades 9-12) Identifying Congruent Triangles: Students will sort triangles based on their characteristics.

3. Download and create more lessons with 10x the lesson storage

Quite simply, Nearpod Gold offers 10 times the amount of storage compared to Nearpod Silver. Whether you filter or search for lessons and save them to your account library or you design your own lessons, ample storage is helpful when saving lessons rich with multimedia and interactivity. We know how precious time is for teachers, so 10 times the storage enables you to easily organize and find the content you need for your daily instruction within a couple of clicks.

Browse through the following resources and save lessons to use for your next instruction:

• Lesson guides
  • Math Lesson Guide for grades K-9
  • ELA Lesson Guide for grades K-9
  • Social Studies Lesson Guide for grades K-8
  • Science Lesson Guide for grades K-8
• Core subjects lessons
• Virtual Reality (VR) Field Trips
• Curated collections like Current Events
• Interactive videos

Then, you can drag and drop the selected content into folders, which you can (and should) rename and color-code by unit, subject, class, or month. With more than 22,000+ high-quality lessons, videos, and activities that the expert Nearpod team and trusted, leading education organizations (such as Smithsonian, ReadWorks, NASA, and PBS Kids) have created, there is a lot at your fingertips, but we want to make sure your time is well spent connecting with students instead of searching through files.

4. Launch multiple live lessons at once

If you team teach or are a grade 6-12 educator, you may be teaching multiple classes of students the same lesson throughout the day or across a given week. With Nearpod Gold, you can launch multiple codes of the same Live Lesson, and still gather class-aligned data through the Student Reports that you can find on your Teacher Dashboard. You can also still access real-time insights for a data-informed approach to teaching, which will help you pivot and tailor your instruction day over day. You’ll be able to provide authentic feedback and personalize your approach based on data from the formative assessment activities across all classes.

5. Support larger class sizes

Class sizes can vary district by district, year over year. Public schools in the U.S. have an average of 24 students per classroom, yet there are growing concerns that this number may grow due to the national teacher shortage. Although your class size may fluctuate, Nearpod Gold’s extended capacity will cover all of your students. 

With Nearpod Gold, you can add up to 40 students per lesson with an individual account or up to 250 students per lesson with a school or district subscription. Larger class sizes mean more diverse learning needs. You can leverage the various upgraded features of Nearpod Gold to better differentiate your instruction, choosing to share different lessons or focus on particular activities with different groups and classes.

6. Always be prepared with Sub Plans

Nearpod Gold also gives you access to Sub Plans—a feature that enables you to create and share your own or premade standards-aligned lesson plans to use at a moment’s notice. Why add to the stress of curating and organizing materials and resources at the last minute when you can’t be there? Share easy-to-implement lessons that a sub can use in your absence.

Simply email the Sub Plans to your substitute teacher beforehand. You can monitor the classroom’s activity remotely since you can access real-time data through the Teacher Dashboard, or you can review all of the lesson data after class time is over in the Student Reports. Find ways to create Sub Plans that are engaging yet meaningful, and encourage students to continue learning on their own even if you’re not right by their side.

7. Adjusting code expiration date

When you choose to use a Student-Paced Nearpod lesson with students, you can send the lesson using a 5-letter code. And you can share content with students’ families—think newsletters!—in the same fashion. Usually, the platform will default to having the access expire in two weeks. However, with Nearpod Gold, you can modify the expiration date. This flexibility enables you to extend a student’s learning as needed.

When crafting an authentic assessment as part of your Project-Based Learning (PBL) approach, you may realize students need more time with activities and materials. Or, you may want to provide further reinforcement and materials for students to explore on their own during a given unit of study. You may want to plan ahead and curate materials for rotation stations or provide access for students who are absent, or you may want to create open access for resources that students can repeatedly use, such as reflective journals or choice boards. There are many reasons for wanting to extend access beyond two weeks, and Nearpod Gold provides that flexibility.

Upgrade to Nearpod Gold

Go for gold … Nearpod Gold! You can find the upgrade option by clicking on your account settings in the upper right-hand corner of your screen and following the prompts. As you use the next couple of months to prepare for another banner year, consider how Nearpod Gold can help you and your students start off the new school year successfully. If you have any questions or would like to see a demo of some of the premium features, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team to learn more!

Teachers can sign up for free below and then upgrade to Gold to access and create interactive lessons. Or, take your Nearpod game to the highest level and experience the full power of this platform with a school or district account. Speak to your administrator about Premium Plus accounts for schools/districts!

Nearpod Team

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

nearpod.com/

The post 7 Ways to maximize teaching with Nearpod Gold appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Don’t have a Nearpod account? Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons and activities mentioned in this article. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

June 21, 2024

Enhanced Quiz Experience

Our new Quiz experience enables teachers to combine formative questions and activities into a single assessment, simplifying the process of evaluating and tracking student learning.

Admin Usage Reports

Admin usage reports provide actionable data to support strategic implementation and decision-making. This update is essential for administrators to understand and optimize Nearpod usage across their schools and districts.

Lesson Co-Editing and View Permissions

The new co-editing feature allows teachers, curriculum coaches, and content specialists to effortlessly share lessons and set editing permissions for colleagues within their school or district.

Expanded Grading Options for Student Activities

This update introduces new grading options for various student activities, enhancing the feedback loop between teachers and students and providing teachers with more real-time, data-driven insights to drive effective instruction and improve student outcomes.

Student Reactions

Student reactions will allow teachers to receive real-time student feedback on a lesson, providing them with an at-a-glance view of student understanding. This will allow teachers to see which students feel confident with the material, which have questions, and which feel they need additional support.

Improved Library Organization and Search Capabilities

• Add multiple lessons at once to a school or district library–including folders
• Customize school or district search results for the most relevant and aligned content
• Organize, copy, duplicate, and delete in bulk

Updates to Nearpod Programs

• Nearpod 21st Century Readiness: Nearpod has integrated visible standards alignment and expanded its curriculum to cover new state standards and initiatives for subjects like Keyboarding, Digital Citizenship & Literacy, Essential Technology Skills, and Coding & Computational Thinking.
• Nearpod EL: Nearpod is introducing a new Academic Language Skills series with over 300 activities to help educators integrate WIDA standards for academic English into K-8 math and 6-12 social studies instruction.
• Nearpod Social Studies: Nearpod is enhancing its 6-12 social studies curriculum with increased standards coverage and new content for 2024.
• Nearpod Math: Nearpod’s Math curriculum team is continuously developing new lessons, activities, and centers to improve math skills instruction.

October 6, 2023

Teacher-to-student feedback stickers

Live Teacher Feedback STICKERS are here! This highly-requested feature enhances real-time feedback with a fun twist. Choose from various sticker designs to personalize interactions, boost student engagement, and promote success.

July 24, 2023

Teacher-to-student feedback

• Provide direct feedback on individual students’ work in drawable activities, such as Draw It, Drag & Drop, and Math Manipulatives* (math manipulatives are exclusive to the Nearpod Math Program).
• Gain access to a wealth of real-time insights and adjust your instruction on the spot to better support each student’s unique needs.

NEW Lesson Builder

• Create and build lessons with a streamlined, familiar experience 
• Quicker and easier lesson creation functionality—build, edit, and reorder slides and activities

Lesson Library search functionalities

• New search filter to easily find lessons created by specific publishers 
• New lesson counters 
• Related search term suggestions to better refine search results

Implementation of LTI 1.3

• LTI 1.3 provides an optimized learning journey that combines streamlined processes, advanced security features, and enhanced user authentication.

August 1, 2022

With the new Nearpod add-on, educators can do even more within Google Classroom:

• Seamlessly assign Nearpod lessons to their entire class or individual students
• Allow students to join Nearpod lessons without a code
• View post-session reports and assign a grad

Slide Editor and Toolbar

• Enhanced functionality, including drawing capabilities
• Drawing, rich text, math formulas, lines, and shapes on favorite activities like Draw It, Drag & Drop, and Virtual Math Manipulatives*

*Exclusive to Nearpod Math Program

Teacher Dashboard

• New slide carousel to easily navigate through lesson slides
• Numbered slides in the slide carousel (no more counting slides! Yay!)
• Ability to preview slide thumbnails before sharing with your class
• Easier access to activities, Brain Breaks**, Whiteboard, & Live Annotation

**Exclusive to Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program

Redesigned Reports

• Beautiful, modern, completely reimagined reporting interface
• Improved reporting capabilities for key activities such as Time to Climb, Draw It, Open-Ended-Question, and more
• Use new insights into the most frequently missed questions and misconception trends to drive your lessons and instruction

Enhanced Search & Enhanced Nearpod Library

• Search the Lesson Library, Programs, and My Library at once
• Predictive suggestions that appear as you type
• Search results are organized by assets type: lesson, activity, video
• Completely redesigned filtering experience

February 22, 2022

NEW Time to Climb Updates

With these new enhancements, Time to Climb options increase to bring you:

• Multiple correct answers
• Volume controls
• Pausing between questions
• All new teacher data on the dashboard

NEW Collaborate Board Updates

With these latest updates, Collaborate Board offers:

• New themes and backgrounds
• Ability to add more reference media
• New media options for students’ posts
• Ability for students to reply to posts*
• Ability for teachers to organize posts into columns*

*Available for School/District Premium Plus license

NEW Teacher Dashboard Updates

The Teacher Dashboard includes a new Menu that keeps your key teacher tools handy but out of the way, such as the option to add an activity on the fly or email your post-session report. There’s also a Presentation button that opens a student view of the Nearpod lesson in a new window.

February 10, 2022

NEW: Teacher Dashboard

Based on teacher feedback, we launched the new Teacher Dashboard to all users with improvements to toggle back and forth between what your students see and their responses to you. You’ll find all the same tools you know and love are there, but streamlined to make your classroom experience even easier! Try it now!

New Current Event Lesson

In this current events lesson, students explore historic examples of economic inflation and read about inflation in the US. Click here to preview.

New Lessons: myOn

We have added 20+ new lessons in partnership with myOn! (myOn subscription needed to access) Click here to preview.

New Lessons: Freckle

We have added 5+ new lessons in partnership with Freckle! Click here to preview.

New Higher Ed Lessons: OpenStax

We have added new science and social studies lessons from OpenStax for Higher Ed! Click here to preview.

New Drag & Drop activities in core subjects

• Science
• Social Studies
• Math
• ELA

January 28, 2022

New Nearpod Originals

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added new a new lesson on:

• Mixtures & Compounds

New Current Event Lesson

In this current events lesson, students explore the history of the Winter Olympics and read athletes’ quotes about their well-being. Click here to preview.

PBS Kids Lessons

We’ve added 43 videos on American Presidents from PBS Kids to our lesson library. Click here to preview.

ABCmouse Lessons

We’ve added 48 videos on ELA, Math, Life Skills, and Science from ABCmouse to our lesson library. Click here to preview.

January 14, 2022

New Higher Ed Lessons: OpenStax

We have new OER offerings of science and social studies lessons for OpenStax:

• American Government
• Anatomy & Physiology
• Biology
• Chemistry
• College Physics
• Psychology
• Sociology

New Drag & Drop activities in core subjects

• Science
• Social Studies
• Math
• ELA

December 30, 2021

New Nearpod Originals

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added new a new lesson on:

• The Paralympics
• Fossils
• Mixtures & Compounds

New Drag & Drop activities in core subjects

• Science
• Social Studies
• Math
• ELA

December 21, 2021

New Nearpod Originals

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added new a new lesson on:

• Photosynthesis
• The Taíno

New Current Event lesson

• Words of the Year for 2021
• End-of-Year Holidays
• Diplomatic Boycotts & the 2022 Winter Olympics

New Perspective Analysis Lessons

A collection of quick activities centered around one piece of media designed to build critical thinking and reflection skills with two types of activities. Check them out here. We’ve recently added new lessons on:

• Occupy Wall Street
• Risk Assessment Algorithms
• Wangari Maathai: Nobel Prize
• Environmental Justice Explained
• How did Kitty Cone Change Disability Rights?
• The Commercialization of Día de los Muertos

November 19, 2021

New Nearpod Originals

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added new a new lesson on:

• Five Themes of Geography
• Allusions
• Prime Numbers

New Current Event lessons

• Supply Chain Crisis
• Native American Heritage Month & Ancestral Lands

November 5, 2021

New Nearpod Originals

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added new a new lesson on:

• Lunar New Year
• Tecumseh
• Diwali
• Energy
• Katherine Johnson

New Current Event lesson

In this current events mini lesson, students will read an article and discuss the CDC’s proposed approach for trick-or-treating in 2021. Click here to preview.

October 22, 2021

New Nearpod Originals

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added new a new lesson on:

• Jupiter
• Kingdoms of Life
• Tundras
• Langston Hughes
• Opinion Writing
• Text Features
• Deserts
• Forests
• Cesar Chavez
• Grasslands

New Current Event lesson

In this current events lesson, students will explore the potential impact of TikTok challenges in schools and communities. Click here to preview.

September 24, 2021

New Nearpod Originals

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added new a new lesson on:

• The Oregon Trail
• Biography
• Percents

September 10, 2021

New Nearpod Originals

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added new a new lesson on:

• Equivalent Fractions
• Parallel & Perpendicular Lines
• Mass, Volume & Density
• Black Wall Street & the Tulsa Massacre
• Jazz
• Slavery in America
• What is Matter?

New Slide Editor Improvements
With Nearpod’s Improved Slide Editor teachers have one less tool to manage and can maximize the impact of any slide.

• Upload your own videos or add your favorite YouTube video
• Convert slides made with the new Slide Editor into Draw It activities
• Customize slides with larger font options

August 27, 2021

New Nearpod Originals

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added new a new lesson on:

• Making Inferences 
• Even & Odd
• Natural Resources
• Bar Graphs
• Divisibility Rules
• Juneteenth
• The Transcontinental Railroad
• Cardinal & Intermediate Directions
• Telling Time to the Hour

Drag & Drop got an upgrade! Now teachers can:

• Provide students a more seamless Drag & Drop experience and turn off unlimited copies of draggable items in any Drag & Drop activity 
• Turbocharge Drag & Drop activities with added Draw It tools for drawing and adding text
• Access premade standards-aligned Drag & Drop activity banks in the Google Slides Add-on

Note: this feature is available for Gold, Platinum, and School/District Premium Plus accounts. To learn more about our license types, visit our Pricing Page.

August 13, 2021

New Student Accounts

Student Accounts is an optional feature that administrators can enable for a school or district. Students will enjoy seamless access to lessons using their account, including the ability to change devices, take breaks or finish lessons later without losing their progress or submissions.

Note: this feature is available for School/District Premium Plus accounts. To learn more about our license types, visit our Pricing Page.

New Nearpod Collections Content

• English Learners
  • 200+ content companion lessons for science, math, social studies, and ELA

July 30, 2021

New Live to Student-Paced mode (launched 8/2)

With Live to Student-Paced mode teachers toggle between Live and Student-Paced mode for flexible instruction to support differentiating for student needs.

Note: this feature is available for School/District Premium Plus accounts. To learn more about our license types, visit our Pricing Page.

New Drag & Drop (launched 8/2)

Categorize, label, and sequence items or images with Nearpod’s new Drag & Drop activity.

Note: this feature is available for Gold, Platinum, and School/District Premium Plus accounts. To learn more about our license types, visit our Pricing Page.

New Slide Editor Improvements
With Nearpod’s Improved Slide Editor teachers have one less tool to manage and can maximize the impact of any slide.

• New themes

New Nearpod Originals

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added new a new lesson on:

• Commas
• Veterans Day
• Patriot Day
• Gender Identity & Expression
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Voting
• Perimeter
• Plural Nouns
• Latitude & Longitude

New Nearpod Collections Content

• Digital Citizenship & Literacy
  • 60+ activities for K-12
• College & Career Exploration
  • 45+ activities for K-12

July 16, 2021

New Slide Editor Improvements
With Nearpod’s Improved Slide Editor teachers have one less tool to manage and can maximize the impact of any slide

• Show warning before clicking on a hyperlink and open link in a new tab
• Support for annotate feature on slides created with the new slide editor

New Nearpod Originals

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added new a new lesson on:

• Thanksgiving

New Nearpod Collections Content

• Social & Emotional Learning
  • 30+ videos for K-12
  • 40+ activities for K-12
• Digital Citizenship & Literacy
  • 70+ videos for K-12
• College & Career Exploration
  • 30+ College exploration videos
  • 15+ Learning strategies videos

July 02, 2021

New Slide Editor

With Nearpod’s Improved Slide Editor teachers have one less tool to manage and can maximize the impact of any slide

• Streamlines slide creation to save teachers time from creating slides in PowerPoint, Canva, or Keynote and bringing them into Nearpod
• Empower students and meet their needs with more opportunities for accessibility through Immersive Reader

New Nearpod Original Videos

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added lessons on lots of topics, including:

• Long Division
• Types of Rocks
• Food Chains
• Addition with Regrouping
• Yuri Kochiyama **AAPI Contest Winner**
• Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

June 18, 2021

New Nearpod Original Videos

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added lessons on lots of topics, including:

• Simple & Compound Sentences
• Capitalization
• The Sun
• Adaptations
• The Great Depression
• Bills & Coins
• Halloween
• Possessive Nouns
• Planets
• The Scientific Method
• Harriet Tubman
• Comparative & Superlative Adjectives

June 04, 2021

New Activity Banks
Find pre-made Time to Climb, Matching Pairs, and Draw It activities in the Nearpod Library. Use as stand-alone activities or embed into lessons. We’ve recently added new activities for:

• 250 Draw It, Matching Pairs, and Time to Climb activities in Spanish and Portuguese (grades 3-5)
• 20 Check for Understanding Draw It activities

New to the Nearpod Lesson Library

New Perspective Analysis Lessons: A collection of quick activities centered around one piece of media designed to build critical thinking and reflection skills with two types of activities. Check them out here. We’ve recently added new lessons on:

• Min Jee’s Lunch
• Marsha P. Johnson
• James Baldwin

New Nearpod Original Videos

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added lessons on lots of topics, including:

• Conjunctions
• Prefixes & Suffixes
• The Circulatory System
• Three Branches of Government
• Contractions
• Run-On Sentences
• Oceans

May 21, 2021

Find Higher-ed content in the Nearpod Library

We’ve added a higher-ed filter to the Nearpod lesson library to make it easier than ever to find our growing library of higher-ed content.

New to the Nearpod Lesson Library

10 New Perspective Analysis Lessons: A collection of quick activities centered around one piece of media designed to build critical thinking and reflection skills with two types of activities. Check them out here.

New Nearpod Original Videos

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added lessons on lots of topics, including:

• Ramadan & Eid al-Fitr
• Five Elements of a Story
• World War II

May 07, 2021 – New to the Nearpod Lesson Library

• 65+ Nearpod Training Videos – Tutorials and how-tos on Nearpod. Includes videos in Spanish and English
• PBS Kids – 12 lessons added to the Elinor Wonders Why collection, including 10 lessons in Spanish

May 07, 2021 – New Nearpod Original Videos

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added lessons on lots of topics, including:

• Idioms
• Lines of Symmetry
• Democracy in Ancient Greece
• Memorial Day
• Types of Triangles

April 23, 2021 – New Nearpod Original Videos

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added lessons on lots of topics, including:

• What is Poetry?
• Onomatopoeia
• Supply & Demand

April 9, 2021 – New Nearpod Original Videos

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added lessons on lots of topics, including:

• The Lost Colony of Roanoke
• Alliteration & Assonance
• Vowels
• Ruby Bridges
• Types of Angles
• Subject-Verb Agreement

March 29, 2021 – Lessons on using Nearpod

Need a way to teach students how to use Nearpod? Try these lessons:

• Nearpod Orientation (K-2)
• Nearpod Orientation (3-5)
• Nearpod Orientation (6-12)

March 29, 2021 – New Nearpod Original Videos

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added lessons on lots of topics, including:

• Respect
• End Punctuation
• Correlation & Causation
• The Skeletal System
• Sacagawea
• Internet Safety
• Plot Structure
• Why Do We Need Fractions?
• Growth Mindset

March 22, 2021 — iOS update!
Have teachers and students update their app for these updates:

• Rich text for OEQs, Quizzes, and Polls
• Support for math formulas 
• Co-teaching support 

…and more!

March 15, 2021 — Co-Teaching with Nearpod

With co-teaching on Nearpod, teachers who co-teach can both facilitate the lesson. Here’s how. With this new feature, both teachers:

• Get real-time insights into learning so both can see what every student knows in the moment
• Control the pace of the lesson for seamless co-instruction

Note: this feature is available to teachers with a school or district Premium Plus license. To learn more about our license types, visit nearpod.com/features.pdf.

February 25, 2021 — SEL Check-Ins

We’ve added two new lessons to our SEL Premium Collection on helping others. Check out the K-2 and 3-12 versions to help students identify and share ways they can identify and help others in need.

February 25, 2021 — NEW Nearpod Original Videos 

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos (check them all out here!). We’ve recently added lessons on lots of topics, including:

• Adjectives
• Personification
• Mesopotamia & the Fertile Crescent
• Adverbs
• The Digestive System
• Continents
• History of the Atom
• Pronouns & Gender Identity

February 12, 2021 — Updated Post-Session Reports for Interactive Video

We’re incorporating Video Multiple Choice Question and Open-Ended Question reports into the reports, rather than having them live on a class board.

February 12, 2021 — Math formula editor

Teachers can now add more complex math formulae to the following features: Open-Ended Question, Quiz, and Poll. Insert stacked fractions, matrices, and more!

February 12, 2021 — Toggle off left-swipe transition between slides

We’ve received a lot of teacher feedback asking to have an option to remove the swiping slide transitions. Now, teachers can turn this off in their Lesson Details!

January 29, 2021 — Video & Activity Library

Download pre-made Matching Pairs, Draw It, and Time to Climb Activities and Interactive Videos to use on their own, or embed them directly into your lesson to create Nearpods even faster! Learn how here.

Available to teachers with an individual Silver, Gold, or Platinum account or a  Premium Plus school or district account.

January 29, 2021 — Live Teacher Annotations

Draw, write, or highlight on any content slide (one you’ve created within Nearpod, or brought in from PPT or Google Slides), and students will see your annotation in real-time on their device. Learn how here.

Available to teachers with a Premium Plus school or district account.

January 29, 2021 — Live Teacher Whiteboard

Pull up a blank whiteboard on your teacher view. You can write and draw, and students will see on their device in real-time. Learn how here.

January 12, 2021 — iOS app update

It’s time to update your iOS app! We’re constantly improving how Nearpod works on apple devices, so make sure you and your students are up-to-date!

December 27, 2020 — Create questions with rich-text

Teachers can now use text bolding, color, and more when creating Polls and Open-Ended Questions in Nearpod to get even more out of their formative assessments. We’ll be adding this to the other question types too!

November 27, 2020 — A new way to provide feedback!

Nearpod has started using a platform to hear from educators like you for how we can be even better. If you or your teachers have feedback, head to nearpod.com/feedback to share your ideas.

November 13, 2020 — New ELA & Math skill practice lessons

Check out over 250 lessons for ELA and Math skill-based lessons, perfect for review or extra practice opportunities.

November 13, 2020 — Smithsonian videos added to the Nearpod Video Library

We’ve added 40+ Interactive versions of videos from the Smithsonian archives to our Video Library. See them all here!

November 13, 2020 — New Nearpod Original Videos 

We’re expanding our library of Nearpod Original Videos. This week, we’ve added lessons on: 

• Mean, Median, Mode
• Weathering & Erosion
• Word Choice 
• Primary vs. Secondary Sources
• The Periodic Table

Check them all out here!

November 2, 2020 — New lesson partnership with Calm

Nearpod brings Calm into the classroom with 9 lessons that include guided meditations to help boost confidence, reduce stress and anxiety, and teach students the basics of mindfulness meditation for a happier, healthier life. 

These lessons are a part of our SEL collection, but we’re making unlocked versions of them available to ALL teachers to support positive, empowering classroom environments.

November 2, 2020 — Multiple correct answers on video Multiple Choice Questions

While adding Multiple-Choice Questions within a video, you can now select multiple correct answers. Simply choose all of your correct answers while creating the question.

November 2, 2020 — iOS App Update

Update your app today! With the newest version of the iOS app:

• students will be able to use Immersive Reader in the iOS app if their teacher has this feature enabled
• teachers will be able to launch and facilitate Interactive Video from within the app

November 2, 2020 — Update to our reference media audio recorder

Now, when you record audio for reference media, the audio recorder will not cover the rest of the activity. This will allow you to see the text you’ve entered while recording.

We’re starting with Open-Ended Question, and will be rolling this update out to additional activities!

November 2, 2020 — New lesson partnership: Elinor Wonders Why with PBS Kids

These Pre-K/K lessons promote an inquiry-based science approach to nature, getting students to ask questions like “What can I observe?” and “What do I think about the world?” Check out the lessons here.

November 2, 2020 — Interactive Smithsonian videos

Interactive Videos featuring a collection of science and social studies videos for elementary, middle, and high school from the Smithsonian’s collection.

October 19, 2020 — Trimming for Interactive Video

We’ve added the ability to trim the beginning and end of videos while you’re creating an Interactive Video in Nearpod! Learn more about our Interactive Video feature, if you’re not already up to speed, here.

October 19th, 2020 — Spanish Digital Citizenship Lessons

Just in time for Dig Cit week! Spanish versions of our K-8 Common Sense lessons are now available to make digital citizenship accessible to all students. Check out these lessons, and the rest of our sample Dig Cit content, here.

October 19th, 2020 — Mass enable Student Name Validation

District admin can now enable the feature that requires students to use their Google or Microsoft account to validate their names when joining a lesson for all teachers in your district! Learn more here.

October 19th, 2020 — New Nearpod Original video: What Is Irony?

Irony is often misunderstood. In this investigative video, students learn what irony is and what it is not. They follow a character as she seeks to understand irony and its different types, and they explain irony in their own words. Check it out here.

October 7th, 2020 — Election lesson collection

This set of lessons includes lessons from Vote by Design, iCivics, Teaching Tolerance, and more to help you discuss the election with your students.

October 7th, 2020 — New Nearpod Original Videos

We’ve released two new Nearpod Originals: engaging, relevant, and standards-aligned videos with interactive questions built-in. Check them out:

• Tuskegee Airmen
• Active Listening

October 7th, 2020 — Updates to Interactive Video

We’re continuing to add even more features to Interactive Video. Here’s what we’ve recently added:

• Students can slow down a video while watching. Just use the speed controls within the video player
• If teachers add a video from YouTube that has manually uploaded captions, these captions will be available within Nearpod, and students can adjust the language

October 7th, 2020 — Updates to creating a lesson

We’ve done some Fall Cleaning in My Library to make it more clear when you’re trying to create a new lesson or folder! Use the Create menu at the top (or above your lessons) to create a new lesson or video, and click “+Folder” if you’re trying to get organized.

October 7th, 2020 — Halloween themed Time to Climb

Teachers can now choose this spooky setting for their quiz games. The other themes are still available, for those who want to keep it classic. Check out this blog post for even more Halloween goodies!

October 7th, 2020 — Codes now contain numbers!

In order to keep up with all of the Nearpod lessons teachers are launching, we’re adding the numbers 2-9 to our Nearpod codes. Existing codes won’t be impacted.

September 24th, 2020 — Perspective Analysis lessons

We’ve added a collection of quick activities centered around one piece of media designed to build critical thinking and reflection skills with two types of activities. Check them out here.

There are two lesson types: 

• Windows & Mirrors invites students to reflect on the ways a piece of media does and does not reflect their own experience using a Collaborate Board.
• The Box invites students to take a step back from a piece of media and consider which perspectives are being emphasized, only mentioned or left out completely using a Draw It.

September 24th, 2020 — Updates to Interactive Video
We’ve made a ton of updates this week to our Interactive Video feature, including:

• YouTube Closed Captioning: When teachers create an Interactive Video with a video from YouTube, if closed captions are available for that video, they will be available for teachers and students in all three teaching modes. Note that this only applies to YouTube videos that already have closed captions built-in.
• Immersive Reader: Nearpod’s Immersive Reader integration now works on questions within Interactive Videos. Please note that this is available on browser only (exciting updates about that coming soon!)
• Convert a stand-alone video into a slides lesson: While creating an Interactive Video, if a teacher decides that they want that video to be part of a slides lesson, they can convert that video into a slides lesson within the video editor. Note that last week we also released the ability for teachers to add videos from their Library into a slides lesson.
• Auto submitting student responses: if a student navigates away from the video using the blue back/right arrows before clicking submit, their answer will be automatically recorded. This is applicable to videos within larger Nearpod lessons.

September 24th, 2020 — New iCivics Lessons

We’ve added two new lessons to our collection of iCivics resources. These lessons feature iCivics games that students and teachers love. There’s one on the campaign experience from a presidential candidate’s perspective and one about the voter experience. These are a part of our election content offering, which we’ll start highlighting next week.

September 10th, 2020 — Hair to the Queen lesson

These two lessons for K-5 teach about cancer in a compassionate and supportive way, through a short story that features diverse characters. One of the lessons provides read-aloud support where parts of the story are narrated by a child.  Download here. 

September 7th, 2020 — Mute sound for Time to Climb

Students know when they hear the Time to Climb theme song, class is about to get even more fun, but sometimes it’s better to play with the music off. Now, you can turn the sound off on Time to Climb for all students before starting the game!

September 7th, 2020 — Updates to Interactive Video

We’re continuing to add even more features to Interactive Video. Here’s what we’ve added today:

• Add videos from their library (ones they’ve downloaded or created) to a Nearpod lesson
• Allow students to edit and resubmit their answers in Live Participation mode

September 7th, 2020 — New Draw It colors

We’ve expanded our Draw It colors to give students even more opportunity to express creativity, especially since we’ve seen so many teachers are using Draw It for getting to know you activities at the start of the year.

August 24th, 2020 — Add Interactive Videos to your Google Slides

You can now embed a video with questions within your lesson through our Google Slides add-on! Simply add a video the same way you’d add any other media or interactive using the add-on.

August 24th, 2020 — Student name validation with Google and Microsoft SSO

Teachers can now validate student names with their Google and Microsoft accounts. When this setting is enabled, students will be required to enter their Google or Microsoft credentials to join the lesson or video, and the name associated with that account will be the name they use to join Nearpod.

August 3rd, 2020 — Make any video interactive

Now, you can take any video and make it interactive with Nearpod! Get started with a YouTube video, or one you upload and add in multiple-choice and open-ended questions, or search our library of standards-aligned videos, including Nearpod Original videos and partners like CrashCourse, LearnZillion, and more. Learn how.

August 3rd, 2020 — Nearpod Original videos

We’re launching a library of Nearpod Original videos, culturally relevant, engaging, and standards-aligned videos that make rigorous topics relatable for students.

July 7th, 2020 — Zoom Integration

With our new Zoom integration, you can launch a Zoom meeting from within Nearpod in just a few clicks. Then, your students join both the Nearpod and the Zoom with one code.
We’ve made sure it’s extra secure for you and your students by automatically enabling waiting room and password protection so you can control who is in the meeting.
Please note, you’ll need a Zoom account to use this new feature!

June 1st, 2020 — Immersive Reader beta Now on Google Slides Add-On

Our Immersive Reader integration now works for text on slides from presentations made using our Google Slides add-on! For any presentation created using the add-on, students can use text-to-speech, translation, and more for text typed on the slide. Learn more about Immersive Reader and Nearpod here.

May 29th, 2020 — New K-5 Spanish Lessons

We’ve added 200+ lessons for K-5 Spanish! These lessons are great for dual language setting and are conversation-based for authentic practice while teaching vocabulary in context and using images. As with all of our lessons, they’re built on evidence-based techniques! Check out the K-2 and 3-5 lessons today!

May 29th, 2020 — Blank Graph in Desmos Tool*

We’ve added a blank graph to our Desmos tool to make it even easier and flexible for teachers to share Desmos with their students. With Nearpod, teachers can easily embed a Desmos graph into their lesson, for seamless lesson delivery!
*Available for educators with School or District Nearpod accounts

May 15th, 2020 — Requiring Student Response Submissions

You can now require students to submit a response to certain activities before moving along to the next slide in Student-Paced mode in a web browser. Turn this on when you launch your Student-Paced code to ensure students don’t forget to submit their work! This will occur for Quiz, Poll, Draw It, and Open-Ended Question.

May 15th, 2020 — Fill in the Blanks in the Teacher View and Reports!

We’ve added Fill in the Blank scores to your Teacher View and post-session reports! Now, you can see how many correct responses students scored on a Fill-in-the-Blank assessment, for even deeper insights into student understanding.

April 30th, 2020 — New Time to Climb Character!

We’ve added a new face to the Time to Climb crew. Launch a gamified quiz to introduce your students today! 

April 20th, 2020 — Microsoft Teams Integration Now Supports Live Lessons!

Our Microsoft Teams integration now supports both Live and Student-Paced lessons. With this integration, you can easily share lessons with your students, and they can join your Nearpod directly within Teams, without needing a code. Check out this video to learn more!

April 17th, 2020 — Teacher View in Student-Paced Mode

Since teachers are using Student-Paced lessons more than ever to support distance learning, we’ve added a Teacher View for Student-Paced mode. Now you can:

• easily monitor and analyze student progress the same way you do during a live lesson
• quickly determine which students have joined the student-paced lesson
• get real-time insights into student understanding, even in Student-Paced mode
• moderate Collaborate! boards and manage student joins in your lesson

March 26th, 2020 — Time to Climb in Student-Paced Mode

To ensure you can use this favorite quiz game more flexibly, we’ve released Time to Climb in Student-Paced mode! Now, you can assign a Time to Climb quiz as part of a Student-Paced lesson, and your class can work on it on their own time. Try it with one of our pre-made quizzes, or create your own. Learn more here.

March 26th, 2020 –Moderate Student-Paced Collaborate Boards

Teachers now have the ability to delete posts from Student-Paced collaborate boards, by viewing the board in their reports. Learn how here.

March 26th, 2020 — Immersive Reader Beta now on Matching Pairs

We’ve added our beta integration with Microsoft Immersive Reader to the Matching Pairs activity! Now, your students can have text read aloud, translated, and more on directions and cards for matching pairs. Learn more about Nearpod and Immersive Reader here.

March 19th, 2020 — Student Audio Submissions for Open-Ended Questions

Now, you can allow students to respond to an Open-Ended Question with audio, text, or both! Teachers can play back student audio submissions from the teacher dashboard, or later in the post-session reports. Learn more by watching this video. Please note that this feature works on the web only.

March 19th, 2020 — Nearpod App now available on Xbox

The Nearpod Microsoft app can now be accessed from an Xbox! As a reminder, this app is for students only.

March 18th, 2020 — Relevant Lessons about COVID-19, stress-management, hand washing, and more

We’re continuing to add relevant lessons that teachers can use to support students and keep them aware of what’s happening with COVID-19. Check them out here.

Recent lessons include:

• Current events lessons on COVID-19
• Mini-lessons featuring Flocabulary videos: Wash Your Hands & Bacteria and Viruses
• A K-5 lesson in Spanish on germs & staying healthy
• A 6-12 current events lesson in Spanish on the pandemic

March 17th, 2020 — FlipGrid as a Nearpod Activity

Teachers can easily add their Flipgrid links into Nearpod, and view/moderate the Flipgrid teacher dashboard within the Nearpod teacher view, while students are responding in a Nearpod lesson. You can check out a quick video tutorial here. Please note that this feature works on the web only.

March 15th, 2020 — Quick Launch Activities

Teachers can now quickly create individual activities within Nearpod, and launch them to their students in seconds with Quick Launch activities. You can “quick launch” Draw It, Open-Ended Question, Collaborate! and a NEW Nearpod timer!

March 5, 2020 – WORLD101 lessons 

Help students understand key global era issues with lessons in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations. Check them out here.

February 21st, 2020 – Reference Images for Time to Climb

Teachers now have the ability to add reference images for questions in their Time to Climb quizzes. This means that images can be included for Time to Climb as questions and/or answers. Students can expand the image to look more closely.

February 20th, 2020 – Live View of Draw It Responses

Now, when teachers and students are both using Nearpod in a web browser, they can view student responses as they work!

February 10th, 2020 – Valentine’s Day Time to Climb Theme

This Valentine’s Day, bring a little bit of extra love to your classroom with our limited-edition Time to Climb theme. Available through 2/14!

February 1, 2020 –  New lessons for Black History Month

Five new Flocabulary Topic Sparks lessons released for Black History Month! Each lesson includes a Flocabulary video and best-loved Nearpod features. Check them out here.

January 10th, 2020 – Immersive Reader Beta Updates

Our Beta release of Microsoft’s Immersive Reader is now enabled for three new features: Draw It!, Quiz, and Poll, in addition to Open-Ended Questions and slides created within Nearpod.

December 4th, 2019 – Time to Climb Winter Theme

For the month of December, let it snow in your classroom with the Time to Climb winter theme. Teachers can select this new theme upon the launch of a Time to Climb activity.

November 18th, 2019 – Update to folder deletion in My Library!

By popular request, we’ve updated the behavior when you delete folders in My Library! Going forward, when you delete a folder, all contents of the folder will also be deleted, similarly to the behavior you’re used to in the file management platforms you work with, such as Google Drive.

November 15th, 2019 – Limit Time to Climb Questions to 5 or 10 Seconds!

We have updated the timer functionality within Time to Climb. With this update, you can now limit your students to 5 or 10 seconds per question.

November 1st, 2019 – We’ve removed our 2-slide restriction!

In an effort to make the lesson creation process easier, we’re removing the requirement that Nearpod lessons need to be 2 slides. This means that teachers can now create 1-slide Nearpods.

October 16th, 2019 – Nearpod Integrates with Microsoft’s Immersive Reader

Nearpod has expanded students’ ability to take ownership of learning by integrating with Microsoft’s Immersive Reader. This early integration with Immersive Reader, launching in beta, provides interactive tools to support students’ reading skills and comprehension, such as enhanced dictation and syllabification. This feature is currently available within Nearpod “slides” and Open Ended Question activities. To enable this feature, go to your advanced settings.

Enable now!

September 24th, 2019 – Resize the background image of your Draw It activity!

Teachers can now rotate and resize the images that they upload to the Draw It activity. This will make it easier to find the perfect background for your students to annotate.

September 20th, 2019 – Easily share lessons with this new improvement!

When applicable, users can easily copy editable links for lessons directly from the Link tab in the Share Lesson modal!

September 16th, 2019 – Classlink SSO

We now have a Classlink SSO application within Classlink’s Launchpad. Users can now add our Nearpod SSO button within Classlink to sign in with just one click! Below you will find some helpful documentation.

Install Our Application: https://support.classlink.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005631828-Adding-Additional-Apps

September 11th, 2019 – Time to Climb Now Supports Images as Answers

Nearpod’s newest gamified activity just got better! You can now add images as answer options within Time to Climb. Go to Nearpod to check it out!

July 31st, 2019 – Nearpod Add-on for Google Slides

You can now embed the magic of Nearpod directly into Google Slides. This new integration makes it easier than ever to create, edit and collaborate with peers. Leverage the flexibility of the Google Slides editor with your favorite Nearpod features and activities.

Learn More

July 31st, 2019 – App Navigation and Lesson Library Updates

We’ve made some changes to the Nearpod experience to make YOU more productive on Nearpod. You’ll experience a navigation side-bar that makes it easier to find all of your favorites in Nearpod, an improved search experience (including better filters), and more! Go to Nearpod to check it out!

July 31st, 2019 – Timer for Draw It

You can now experience the timer feature on a Nearpod favorite… Draw It. The timer feature helps with time management, creates a sense of urgency to complete the activity, and creates friendly competition to beat the clock.

Check it out!

July 30th, 2019 – User Permissions

Admins of our School and District Nearpod accounts can selectively grant user permissions to specific features without giving full admin access. This allows granular access control across a full list of permissions to be assigned for individual users within a School or District account.

July 22nd, 2019 – Nearpod iOS App Version 11.9 is Available!

Update your Nearpod iOS app to our latest version, 11.9. This version of the app includes minor improvements to the Nearpod experience.

July 22nd, 2019 – Share to Microsoft Teams!

You can now share Nearpod Live and Student-paced lessons to Microsoft Teams. This button will allow teachers to share a session directly to their Microsoft Team in two ways, either as an announcement or as an assignment. Students who see the post within Microsoft Teams can click the link and join the session in a new tab without the need to enter a Join CODE.

June 24th, 2019 – Up the engagement with Time to Climb!

Time to Climb is Nearpod’s NEW “game-like” activity filled with fun assessment challenges on subject-specific topics. Peak engagement by using Time to Climb in a lesson or as a stand-alone activity. Perfect for bell ringers, reviews, exit tickets, and more! Ignite the fun in learning with Time to Climb.

Learn more

June 24th, 2019 – Nearpod has a new and improved search engine!
When searching within the Nearpod Lesson Library, you’ll experience improved search results and faster searches so you can get what you need in lightning speed. If you have a Nearpod School or District account with access to supplemental curriculum lessons, results from those packages will appear in your searches as well.

April 24th, 2019 – Check out our Google Chrome Extension for Google Classroom!

With this brand new integration, teachers will have the ability to access their Nearpod Library and assign Live and Student-Paced lessons directly to Google Classroom. This extension is free, easy-to-use, and available to users of any subscription type.

Check out our FAQ’s here.

April 22nd, 2019 – iOS App Update!

We have released our latest version of our iOS app. This version of the app includes an updated look and feel of our Poll, Quiz, and Open-ended Question activities for students.

April 18th, 2019 – Keep your Nearpod library organized with these new features!

Effortlessly organize your library with our new “drag & drop” functionality and the availability of subfolders. Drag and drop, lessons into folders, folders into folders, and more!

April 5th, 2019 – Retail Purchase Changes:

Experience the new address collection form for retail purchases in the US!

April 5th, 2019 – Slide Editor – Audio Recorder Design Improvement:

You asked we listened! You can now view the entire screen when recording audio within the slide editor.

March 25th, 2019 – Update your iOS app!

We have recently released a new version of our iOS app. This is version 11.7.2 and includes minor bug fixes and improvements.

March 18th, 2019 – Updates for School and District Library!

Managing the School and District Libraries just got a lot easier! We have introduced Drag&Drop functionality on the admin side of both the School and District libraries. Now admins can drag and drop lessons into folders, drag and drop folders into other folders, and many more combinations!

Take a look at this blog for ideas on how to organize your School and District Library!

March 12th, 2019 – New PhET Simulations!

We’ve added 26 additional HTML5 PhET simulations for teachers to enhance their  Nearpod lessons. Now, teachers can incorporate simulations, like quadratic equations, masses and springs, and fractions.

February 25th, 2019 – Integration with Clever SSO!

Nearpod now integrates with Clever SSO! Teachers can now find our app in the official Clever library, and securely sign-in to Nearpod through Clever. If a teacher new to Nearpod uses this button, they will automatically have an account created for them. If they already have a Nearpod account, we match their email and automatically sign them in!

January 25th, 2019 – Timer for Poll, Quiz, and Open-ended Question 

Set the pace and up the engagement in our most loved activities! You can now specify a certain amount of time for your students to complete a poll, quiz, and open-ended question activity.

January 25th, 2019 –  Improved Student Experience for Poll, Quiz, and Open-ended Question

We have updated the student experience for poll, quiz, and open-ended question to be more delightful for students.

January 25th, 2019 – Desmos Interactive Graphic Calculator

Reach more students with a meaningful math rool for immersive experiences in upper-level math classrooms. Introducing our new Desmos integration! With Desmos, students will:

• Access the graphing calculator that is used on state and national assessments (plus SAT & ACT exames!)
• Engage and connect with students who may struggle with math concepts
• Explore and think critically

December 5th, 2018 – Update on Silver User Class Sizes! 

We know that many class sizes, particularly in states like Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington, teach more than 30 students in their classrooms. In an effort to support all classrooms, we have increased the class size for Silver users from 30 students to 40!

November 9th, 2018 – Product Update for Admins! 

We have reworked the *Impersonate* feature of our platform. Our previous iteration of the feature was clunky to use and required a logout/login to get back to where you left off. We know there is room for improvement on many of our old, backend features, and we are always looking for ways to reduce frictions and save admins time. Starting today, you should notice significant flow improvements to the *Impersonate* feature. Try it out for yourself!

November 9th, 2018 – Android Student App Update!

We are excited to announce that we have an updated version of the *Android App* in the Google Play store. This app is for students and includes access to matching pairs, as well as overall functionality improvements. If you are an Android user, go check it out!

October 30th, 2018 – Updates for Admins! 

We have made some improvements to the Nearpod Admin Usage Statistics and Graphs! Now, School/District Admins will see a few new and improved aspects of the “View Usage” section of the Nearpod Admin area of the platform.

• We have added an email column under “Usage Statistics”
• The default view for “Usage Statistics” is now descending from Total Sessions
• Timeframes for “Usage Statistics” and “Usage Graphs” have been updated. Admins can now view all historical data, giving increased insight into their school’s or district’s long-term Nearpod growth. Additionally, the “Last X Months” timeframe options should now include the current month in addition to the past X months.

October 10th, 2018 – iOS 11.5

We have recently released a new version of our iOS app! This new release includes the premium feature of updating Student-paced CODEs and minor improvements. Visit the app store to update your app.

September 9th, 2018 – Delete Lessons

We are enabling the Delete option for paid lessons from school or district users’ My Library. Users who add paid (but effectively free because of their content package) lessons to My Library, either from the store or from their School or District Library, will be able to delete unwanted lessons.

August 24th, 2018 – CODEs Expiration, Classlink Integration, Platinum License Updates

• CODEs Expiration
  Instructors can now adjust the length of student-paced CODEs for up to 365 days.

• Classlink Integration

Through this integration, Nearpod will import and manage your teacher rosters. Any changes to enrollments are synchronously applied behind the scenes for a seamless experience throughout the school year.

• Platinum License Updates

Users wanting to purchase Platinum will be able to do so through credit cards online (just like Gold).

August 1st, 2018 – Matching Pairs with Timer

This new activity allows teachers to select corresponding text and images for students to match. The timer feature allows the teacher to specify a time limit for the activity to be completed.

*This feature is available to gold, platinum, school and district users.

July 30th, 2018 – Improvements to My Library and Nearpod Lesson Library

• New look & feel for My Library: we have been making several changes to the My Library section to look even better!
• New organization for the My Lessons section, for the content that teachers create and save.
• Tips & Tricks section: we have added lots of self-training guides for new and existing Nearpod users.
• New look & feel for Nearpod Library search bar: the search bar is now left-aligned and longer, and the search filters have moved to the right.
• Auto-suggestions in Nearpod Library search: this is the reason why the search bar is growing longer! As the teacher types in the search bar, we’ll feed suggested searches.
• Updated Nearpod Library thumbnails: we have redesigned the lesson thumbnails so that they expand to display relevant information.
• Better visibility for Standards when searching by standards in the Nearpod Library: when teachers search by standards, they’ll see a Standards tab next to Related Content in the lesson preview pane, which will make it easier to decide whether this lesson fits the class’ needs.

June 27th, 2018 – Integration with Blackboard Learn

Nearpod now integrates with Blackboard Learn! Check out the guide to installing and using this new integration.

June 11th, 2018 – iOS Update

• Integration with Apple Schoolwork

Nearpod is first integrating support for Apple Schoolwork’s “integrated handouts.” With integrated handouts, teachers will be able to send Nearpod student-paced lessons to each student. While students are completing the Nearpod handout, teachers will receive real-time feedback on each student’s progress within the lesson, including assessment results.

Learn more about how Nearpod integrates with Apple Schoolwork here.

May 24th, 2018 – Managing Multiple School Libraries

District Admins now have the ability to manage multiple school libraries. This will provide District Admins with more visibility into what is being shared across schools and offer additional means of organization.

Here is a quick video that demonstrates the new functionality:

Learn more about this update here.

May 23rd, 2018 – iOS Update

• Search by State and National Standards available.

• Redesign of the Student Notes feature

Before taking notes, students are now prompted to select the location in which they’d like to save their notes. Students can now save to Microsoft OneDrive, in addition to Google Drive and Email.

• Redesign of the Slideshow feature: we have redesigned this existing feature to enhance the user’s experience.

• Updates to the Draw it Feature

Students can now rotate and flip images in the Draw-it activity.

May 10th, 2018 – Integration with itsLearning

Nearpod now integrates with itsLearning! This first version offers a full-site navigation of Nearpod within the itsLearning platform. We are exploring additional means of integration – more on this coming soon!

You can learn more about the current integration on our LMS landing page.

April 16th, 2018 – Draw It Improvements

• Teachers view more closely matches student view now and instructions can be up to 1,000 characters, images can be rotated.

April 11th, 2018 – Reference Media Audio Recorder

• Record audio directly onto Reference Media in Quiz. Coming soon also to Draw It and Poll.

April 10th, 2018 – Fine Arts as Subject

• Teachers can now choose Fine Arts as the Subject for their lessons when creating one.

March 16th, 2018 – iOS 10.5 Update

• A new version of our iOS app is available for download. In this version, School and District users can now access School and District Library and Content Packages, such as Nearpod EL, Ready to Run PD, and Digital Citizenship, on an iPad.

March 15th, 2018 – Student Notes Redesign

• The new design of the side drawer enables a natural experience with note-taking.
• Students can more easily navigate to notes on past slides and organize them.
• Notes Autosave Upfront to Google Drive, OneDrive or Email.

March 15th, 2018 – Subfolders in School and District Libraries

• Administrators are now able to more easily organize lessons in the libraries. Note that teachers who are not admins won’t be able to create and organize lessons into these subfolders.

February 15th, 2018 – Content Search Filters

• Teachers are now able to search the Nearpod Store for lessons that meet 5 state standards in addition to 3 national standards.
• The state standards are Florida, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
• The national standards are CCSS, NGSS, and NCSS.
• The remaining 45 states will be ready for the back-to-school season in August.

February 15th, 2018 – Content Search Filters

• Teachers are able to search the Nearpod Store for lessons that meet 5 state standards in addition to 3 national standards.
• The state standards are Florida, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
• The national standards are CCSS, NGSS, and NCSS.
• The remaining 45 states will be ready to go by back to school in August.

February 8th, 2018 – New PhET simulations

• We just added 20 NEW PhET simulations for you to use in your next lesson, and therefore provide your students with hands-on discovery in Science!

January 31st, 2018 – Convert to Draw It

• The full “Convert to Draw It” feature is now available for Gold, School and District users.

January 22nd, 2018 – New Version of Slide Editor

• We listen to you, teachers! We’ve added seven new themes with different background colors and fonts, and also a new slide layout option for you to customize the design of your presentations.

January 17th, 2018 – Easier, Faster Quiz Creation

• Up to 1.000 character questions
• 500 character answers
• 15 answer choices
• Better previews of reference media
• Easier reordering of questions and answers

November 22nd, 2017 – Collaborate! in the Student-Paced mode

• Teachers can now deliver Collaborate! boards in Student-Paced Lessons.
• This option can be turned on in the Advanced Setting. After changing the setting, a new lesson code needs to be generated for the option to take effect.
• Teachers won’t be able to delete Collaborate posts in Student-Paced lessons.

November 16th, 2017 – Share your next Nearpod lesson through Remind

• More than 2.5 million teachers and 70% of U.S. public schools use Remind to communicate with students and parents. We’ve added a Remind button for teachers to share their lessons with their class in a faster and more effective way.

November 15th, 2017 – BBC Videos for any Nearpod lesson

• The new BBC Video Tool is now available on Nearpod. Choose from over 50 high-resolution videos to use in your next lesson. Ready-to-teach lessons that feature this striking media are also available in the Nearpod store.

November 13th, 2017 – Student Mode on the Teacher Dashboard

• Student Mode allows the teacher to toggle between the traditional Teacher View they are used to and the Student View. This way you’re able to demonstrate how to use a Draw It or play a video to your class without risking showing a quiz dashboard accidentally.

To learn more about this feature you can read more about it here.

October 19th, 2017 – Flip images for Draw it

• Students will now be able to flip images inserted into a Draw it either horizontally or vertically or rotate them anywhere from 1-360 degrees. This gives students greater flexibility to be creative in their responses. This feature is currently available on the Web-based Nearpod app and will be available in iOS by the end of this year.

October 17th, 2017 – Modify Student Submissions

• With this new feature, students will be able to edit answers that they have previously submitted during a Live Lesson and resubmit them (for Quizzes, Polls, OEQ, and Draw It activities). Only the most recently submitted answer is shown to the teacher. This feature is automatically on for students during Live Lessons. It can be toggled off in the Advanced tab within Account Settings. Currently, this feature is available only on computers.

September 28th, 2017 – Standalone version of Collaborate!

• We have launched a standalone version of Collaborate. You can create a board independent of a Nearpod presentation from this site: https://collaborate.nearpod.com/new or by clicking “Try it now” on the Collaborate web page https://nearpod.com/collaborate.

September 14th, 2017 – New iOS app

• A new version of our iOS app is available for download. In this version we’ve made some new improvements and bug fixes in preparation to Apple’s new iOS operating system (iOS 11).

September 11th, 2017 – PhET Sims on Nearpod

• We have added PhET Simulations to Nearpod! PhET Sims are free interactive math and science simulations that are based on extensive education research and engage students through an intuitive, game-like environment where students learn through exploration and discovery. PhET Sims can be added from the “Add Content” section of the Content Creation Tool.

August 7th, 2017 – New Nearpod 10 for iOS

• This update features several improvements designed to enhance the teaching experience from your iPhone or iPad.
• Reference Media allows teachers to add a video, audio, website, PDF or image to their interactive activities such as Draw Its for more engaging and in-depth assessments. Reference Media is available for Open-Ended Questions, Polls, Quizzes, and Draw It activities.

• Showing Quiz Results During Student-paced Lessons: Students can now see results from their Student-paced sessions in real-time, on their own. By enabling this feature, students can quickly and easily determine their level of knowledge and self-assess before reviewing with their teacher.

Teachers can enable this feature from their Account Advanced Settings.

• Now Teachers can Launch Collaborate! from their iPhone and iPad. Here’s what it looks like on the new iPhone app.

• Folders can now easily be shared from My Library (iPad only).

• Auto-correct is now enabled from student view.

• You can download the latest version of the Nearpod app here.

July 28th, 2017 – Showing Quiz Results During Student-paced Lessons on iOS devices

• Students can now see results from their Student-paced sessions in real-time, on their own. By enabling this feature, students can quickly and easily determine their level of knowledge and self-assess before reviewing with their teacher.

• Teachers can enable this feature from their Account Advanced Settings.

July 5th, 2017 – Collaborate! Improvements

• With this update, teachers are now given the option to preview and approve or reject student comments when launching a Collaborate! slide in a live lesson. The purpose is to prevent inappropriate or off topics comments from populating the board, keeping students focused on the topic of the lesson. Watch this video to learn how to use this new feature:

July 5th, 2017 – Reference Media

• Now videos, audio files, PDFs & websites can be added as reference media to assessment activities! With this feature teachers can ask students more in depth and richer questions. Watch this video to learn how to use this new feature:

• Reference Media is available for Open Ended Questions, Polls, Quizzes, and Draw It activities.

June 20th, 2017 – Canvas Student name and Gradebook integration

• The Canvas Gradebook integration allows teachers to easily access and grade students’ Nearpod post-session reports – all within Canvas. Watch this video to learn how to use this new feature:

June 5th, 2017 – My account settings

• We’ve given a fresh look to the account settings page within Nearpod!

• Navigate your profile and account settings easily and efficiently with the new layout.

• Quickly access advanced features like Student Notes and Student-paced quiz results.

June 5th, 2017 – Quiz results during Student-paced lessons

• Students can now validate their understanding of a lesson by receiving feedback in real-time.
• See how Student-paced results works below or read more about it in this blog post.

June 5th, 2017 – Limit Polls to one response

• Teachers can now add Polls to their Nearpod lessons that accept only 1 student response.
• To activate this feature, simply turn off the ‘multiple options’ setting when adding a Poll to your lesson.

• You may also revisit previously created lessons to enable this new feature for Polls!

May 24th, 2017 – iOS 9.8.5

• This is a new release of our iOS app that includes technical improvements and bug fixes.

May 23th, 2017 – School Library (beta)

• The beta version of the new School Library is now available for teachers with School or District accounts! Scroll down to learn about all of its great features.

• Teachers can now add lessons to their School Library directly from their Nearpod library.

• Admins are able to find lessons quicker and easier with improved search.

• The School Library has folders (with colors!) to organize lessons.

• No more need to access the store in order to reach School Library material!

May 20th, 2017 – New Student Notes format for teachers with School or District Editions

• Now when a students submit their notes, teachers receive a new editable layout (.docx) with references to the slides of the lesson as well as the associated student notes. View an example here!
• This new feature allows students to review their notes and answers to activities so they can rewatch videos and revisit 3D Objects.

April 24th, 2017 – Convert to Draw It

• Convert to Draw It allows teachers to transform any of their slides into interactive Draw It activities in one click! With these converted slides, students are able to engage with the content they are learning by highlighting, drawing, and annotating.

April 10th, 2017 – Control where videos are played and resize slide background images

• Teachers are now able to choose whether to play Youtube or Vimeo videos embedded in their lessons on all student devices or only their own.

• Resize your slide’s background images with ease using the Slide Editor tool!

March 27th, 2017 – Nearpod 9.6 for iOS now available

• Learn more about our latest update to the Nearpod iOS update here.

March 24th, 2017 – Schoology Integration

• If you love using Schoology, you can now access the entire Nearpod site within the Schoology platform. Create lessons, access reports, browse lessons, and all your favorite features.

• You can now also add Nearpod course materials in Schoology without requiring your students to use a code.

March 24th, 2017 – Draw It background image visible on the teacher dashboard

• From the teacher dashboard you can now see the background image used in your students’ submissions.

March 24th, 2017 – Upload PDF files

• If a PDF file is dragged or dropped into the Content tool, you are now able to add it as a document or individual slides.

• If you’re a Silver user, upgrade to Gold to access this feature.

March 1st, 2017 – Add .gifs and backgrounds to your slides

• Make your slides even more engaging when you add .gifs to them!

• In this latest update, you can now add backgrounds to your slides.

March 1st, 2017 – Math symbols in slide editor

• Math symbols are now accessible when creating activities such as Quizzes, Polls, Open-ended Questions, or a Draw It! Choose from various categories to pick the right symbol for your lesson.

February 6th 2017 – You can now share folders

• With this new feature, teachers are now able to share an entire folder with lessons with a colleague or friends.

• If the folder contains lessons that are purchased or downloaded from the store they will not be included in the shared folder.

New to Nearpod? Try it for free here!

January 31st 2017 – Displaying CODE in student devices

• We are now showing the session CODE on the Student devices.

January 30th 2017 – Collaborate!

• Collaborate!: an interactive brainstorming tool for teachers and students to share text and images in real time. While on a collaborative activity, students and teachers submit posts with text and images, they are able to see each other’s responses and like other’s posts in real time. The teacher can organize the discussion board and then share it via email, social media or link. Collaborate provides teachers with a new way to easily engage students and foster meaningful discussion in the classroom.
• Important notes:

~ Teachers can use Collaborate! to teach from a browser or an iPad.  At this point teachers cannot use the iPhone Teacher App with Collaborate!

~ In order to use Collaborate! from an iOS device, users must upgrade to Nearpod iOS 9.5 which is currently available in the App Store.

~ For now, the feature is free to be used by all teachers, no matter the type of account they have.

~ Collaborate! only works on Live lessons. Because of the lack of content moderation, it is not available for Student-paced sessions.

January 26th 2017 – Microsoft Windows App

• A new version of our Windows App is now available at the Microsoft Store. In terms of features, this version is a full catch up with the Web App. Here is the access to this app.

January 12th 2017 – Nearpod iOS 9.5 – iPad and iPhone apps 

• New and improved Content Search for iPhone teacher app

• Ask a question to the class. Works exactly as the “Open Ended Question” feature. Records answers in dashboard and post session reports. Only for iPhone teacher app.

• Updated Live lesson teacher dashboard. iPad only.

• Teachers can pause student devices for slides containing audio and video. This is a free feature available for iPad and iPhone teacher app.

• Multiple Active Codes is a paid feature and works for both iPad and iPhone teacher app .

• Support for Folders in My Library. iPhone teacher app .

• Students can now access images stored on their One Drive accounts from the Draw It. iPad and iPhone teacher app .

January 16th 2017 – Android app

• New version of the Android app is available in the Google Play Store. It is a student only app, what means that teachers will have to access via the web app if wanting to teach a lesson from an Android device.

December 30th 2016 –  Teachers can pause student devices for slides containing audio and video

• Teachers can pause student devices for slides containing audio and video. Teachers now have the option to pause student devices when presenting slides that contain audio or video. When projecting the teacher dashboard, this makes it easier to manage bandwidth and prevent distractions that arise when the playing the same video or audio across many student devices simultaneously.
• If a teacher launches a session from the up-to-date app or the web app, all student devices will support this feature – even students using an old version of the native app.
• This feature will affect any slide that contains multimedia:

~ Video Slides – both uploaded & Youtube videos

~ Audio Slides

~ Slide Editor Slides with any combination of audio and video

December 20th 2016 –  Nearpod <> Canvas integration improvements

• Live Lesson as a Canvas Module (until now, only Student-paced was possible)
• Live Lesson and Student-paced as a Canvas Assignment
• Both Live Lesson and Student-paced could be embed in a Canvas page
• Now teachers have ability to call Nearpod within Canvas

Learn more about the Nearpod <> Canvas integration here!

December 20th 2016 –  Draw It Collage

• Teachers can share the magic with parents and colleagues. The Draw It collage displays student work in an appealing way that can be shared easily.
• Here is how it works. Teacher teaches a live lesson that at least has a Draw It activity. This new functionality will randomly select 5 Draw It images submissions, assemble them in a graphic template and email the final collage to the teacher.

November 30th 2016 – Multiple Active Sessions

• Allows teachers to maintain several active sessions at once.
• Available only for Gold, School and District users.

November 24th 2016 – Renaming PIN to CODE

• Effective now, the unique identifier of a session is called CODE and no longer PIN.

November 20th 2016 – Teacher Dashboard Redesign

• The Scrubber has been divided into 3 parts:
  

~ The Student Roster has been moved from the top-bar and now occupies the left side of the scrubber.

~ The middle part of the scrubber contains the slide navigator.

~ The right portion of the scrubber lets you show or hide student names.

• The button that launches On-The-Fly features has been moved to the top right toolbar.

October 31st 2016 – New Admin vertical menu and Manage district access

• The new side menu provides much more flexibility in terms of navigating the different components of the Admin/Support menus.
• In addition, the “Manage School/District” functionality can now be accessed from the Nearpod main menu.

October 31st 2016 – Content Tool Upload files

• Until now, it was only possible to drag and drop PPTs or PDFs into Nearpod. With this new functionality, teachers can now browse and navigate to their local or cloud files directly from the Content Tool.

October 15th 2016 – Nearpod 3D

• Nearpod 3D is a new feature of the Content Tool that lets teachers insert 3D objects slides into their lessons.
• We are hosting a library of almost 100 curated 3D objects separated in categories.

September 5th 2016 – Sway

• Teachers can enhance their lessons with high-quality, engaging Sways created by the Nearpod Content team. They can also create their own high-fidelity Sways and include them within a Nearpod lessons.
• The ability to use own existing Sways or create new ones is only available to Office 365 Business users.
• This feature is available for all types of Nearpod accounts.

August 15th 2016 – One Drive

• We are now supporting Microsoft One Drive in the same way we currently integrate with Google Drive, Dropbox and others.
• One Drive will be enabled to all the features of the Content Tool that support the uploading of files. Examples: Video, Slide Editor, etc.

August 5th 2016 – Admin Charts

• This new module is about showing usage stats information in graphs / charts format. It will only be available for District/School Admin users.
• In this first version we will support the following 4 charts:

~ Teacher scoreboard: Ranks teachers based on their platform usage considering how many valid sessions they have launched in the selected time period.

~ Sessions launched: Amount of valid sessions in the selected time period.

~ Students joined: Amount of students joined to valid sessions in the selected time period.

~ Active teachers: Amount of teachers that launched valid sessions in the selected time period.

July 30th 2016 – iOS 9

• Full support to Folders (iPad only)
• Content Search (iPad only)
• Interactive preview of NPPs (iPad only)
• Support for Office 365 (iPad and iPhone only)

July 12th 2016 – Nearpodize

• Turn your Google presentations into Nearpod lessons in just a few steps and instantly engage your students.
• The Nearpodize extension allows you to turn your existing Google presentations into Nearpod lessons in just a few steps.

Nearpod Team

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

nearpod.com/

The post Keeping up to date: The latest updates to Nearpod appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Collaborative learning is all about coming together with others to understand a concept or work on a common task. In the classroom, collaboration is a great way to practice life skills that students can take into the future. Classroom communities often reflect a smaller version of a future workplace or project where students must work together on a joint task.

Use Nearpod’s Collaborate Board for collaborative learning

With Nearpod’s Collaborate Board, teachers have an opportunity to connect technology with pedagogy in the classroom. Students work to understand how their individual thoughts, ideas, and contributions fit into a larger shared collection of thoughts in Nearpod. Whether you are new to Nearpod or an experienced user, an individual feature like Collaborate Board can offer many unique ways to bring student-centered discussions to life.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

5 Ways to create collaborative learning experiences in the classroom

1. Make collaborative classroom discussions part of every lesson

Classroom discussions in any subject are an essential part of the learning process for students. Discussions are an opportunity to brainstorm creative ideas, put students at the center of their learning, learn from peers, and develop critical thinking skills.

When discussions happen in the classroom, students are at the center of learning. They listen to and learn from their peers while actively absorbing knowledge from each other’s thoughts. Additionally, discussions emphasize the need and importance of multiple and different perspectives.

However, most students don’t naturally engage in discussion around academic content that builds their understanding of something they’re learning. Sometimes students choose not to participate in a traditional classroom discussion. When students aren’t engaged in classroom discussions, they aren’t benefiting from the critical thinking and problem-solving skills of their peers.

With Nearpod’s Collaborate Board, student-centered discussions merge with technology to ensure students have a platform where it’s easier than ever for their ideas to be heard, shared, and developed. Using technology to support discussions helps all students develop the confidence to participate, which broadens the different perspectives and ideas all students are exposed to in the classroom.

Teachers use Collaborate Board to pre-assess students’ knowledge of a new concept they’re about to learn, check in on students’ well-being, and foster a sense of community around academic learning. Collaborate Board provides students with even more opportunities to build confidence around discussions in the classroom. Just add a question for students to respond to and let them take charge of their own learning.

2. Keep feedback at the center of classroom discussions

Discussions are most beneficial when students receive feedback on their contributions. Student-centered feedback is especially effective. Feedback and ongoing conversation during a collaborative learning discussion help students develop skills like learning to agree and disagree respectfully, leadership skills, and social skills and allow them to learn and grow from each other.

In today’s classroom, students are engaging with technology more than ever, and digital citizenship skills are especially important. Learning social and interpersonal skills in the digital world can be especially challenging. Still, with student-centered technology like Collaborate Board, teachers can support students and model how to recognize ideas, cooperate, and share appropriately. Teachers can even model how a student’s idea may change someone’s perspective, helping to create a safe environment and boost confidence in the classroom. To take cooperative learning a step further, split students into groups and assign roles for team building games such as scavenger hunts or role playing to practice social skills.

Students can provide feedback on each other’s posts on a Collaborate Board with hearts. Teachers with a School or District Premium Plus license can allow their students to comment on each other’s posts, bringing even further development to classroom ideas and higher-level thinking skills. This feature ensures that discussions brought into Nearpod don’t end at individual contributions. Instead, those initial posts and thoughts from students can change and grow over the course of a discussion with additional input from their peers.

3. Make collaborative learning visible

Visual learning helps students break down information into manageable pieces that are easier for them to understand. Classroom discussions are often not visual. However, when you can connect technology to a classroom discussion, teachers have the opportunity to give visual purpose to every discussion and reach visual learners.

Collaborate Board helps students collect and share thoughts or information all in one spot, making it easier for every learner to track the discussion and digest the information. When students learn in ways they like and understand, students are more likely to engage, pay attention, and be motivated to participate. Making learning visual in a discussion will also increase students’ interest in that subject matter which leads to long-term retention and makes communication easier and quicker.

4. Collaborate and contribute in multiple formats

In a traditional classroom discussion, students raise their hands and participate by talking. It can be difficult to hear from every student and increase participation in a method that only some students may feel confident using. When integrated with technology, students can participate in multiple ways. Providing multiple media formats values everyone’s contributions to the class. It helps personalize student learning and can even boost comprehension for students. 

Collaborate Board allows all users to share their thoughts with more than just a text or image post. Students can record an audio response, upload a video responding to a discussion, or even post a GIF to support your collaborative teaching initiatives.

In order to get all students actively engaged and collaborating in a classroom, students need their different needs met. Some students may require specific scaffolds or support. Collaborate Boards allow teachers to add new reference media to support student understanding. Teachers can provide a web link, video, PDF, an audio file, or image with their discussion question as a way to ensure all learners can access the information or have the support they need to engage confidently in a discussion. Consider trying problem-based learning by setting up group work opportunities for think-pair-share and encouraging team members to discuss a specific topic.

5. Build community and social emotional skills

Each classroom’s community is representative of the types of communities students will find themselves in as adults. Building a strong sense of community in class will help set up students for success when collaborating and building those life skills they’ll take into the next stages of life.

Collaboration helps build relationships by allowing students to access diverse viewpoints, acknowledge their peers’ differences without critique, and create safe, comfortable learning spaces. When students are in a learning community, they build interpersonal skills that allow them to work with all types of people. Engaging in culture-building and social emotional learning activities further enhances students’ ability to develop empathy, emotional intelligence, and effective communication within their learning communities.

Collaborate Board can be used at any point in the classroom to not only facilitate academic and collaborative learning strategies but to build community at the same time while practicing academic skills. We encourage teachers to use opportunities to collaborate in every lesson and ensure every student’s voice or perspective is heard during discussions. Create active learning experiences for team teaching with these collaborative learning activities.

Start using Collaborate Board

Technology only makes collaboration easier in the classroom by giving students multiple ways to collaborate and the supportive tools to make it happen. It brings so many benefits to 21st-century skills students will take anywhere in life. Using Collaborate Board will help nurture responsible citizens with global perspectives who can collaborate to solve real-world problems. Here at Nearpod, we can’t wait to see how working together in the classroom creates a better learning experience and positively impacts student achievement!

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Nearpod Team

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

nearpod.com/

The post 5 Ways to create collaborative learning experiences in the classroom appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

How to convert your existing presentations into interactive Nearpod lessons

Educators can import existing slides from Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations onto their Nearpod lessons. Upload files directly from your device or from Google Drive, Office 365, or Dropbox. Imported content will be uploaded as static slides. To build or edit content slides on Nearpod, you can use Nearpod Slides Editor. After your content has been imported, you can start adding interactive activities, assessments, and dynamic media! Learn more here or watch the tutorial below.

Ready to import your slides? Follow these steps:

Step 1

Begin by navigating to your “My Lessons” page. From there, click on “Create” and select “Lessons” to initiate the lesson creation process.

Step 2

Once you’re in the lesson creation interface, locate the center of the screen and click on “Upload Files” Alternatively, you have the option to simply drag and drop your files directly into Nearpod for seamless uploading.

Step 3

Nearpod offers multiple options for sourcing your files. You can choose to upload files from your computer or opt for files stored in Google Drive, Office 365, or Dropbox, providing you with convenient access to your preferred platforms.

Step 4

After successfully uploading your file, you’re all set to enhance it with Nearpod’s interactive activities. Take advantage of the platform’s formative assessment tools and engaging media features to make your lesson truly captivating and impactful. For a comprehensive guide on creating lessons, be sure to explore our tutorial resources.

Google Slides add-on

If you use Google Slides, streamline your workflow and save valuable time by utilizing Nearpod’s Google Slides add-on. Discover the convenience and efficiency this add-on offers as you seamlessly integrate Nearpod activities into your Google Slides presentations. Google Slides add-on is exclusively available to teachers with Gold, Platinum, School, or District accounts.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Nearpod Team

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

nearpod.com/

The post How to convert your existing presentations into a Nearpod lesson appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

What is Nearpod for Canvas?

Canvas is an LMS that helps to gather all the tools together so students and teachers can easily access them – think of it as a custom one-stop shop. If your school or district uses Canvas already, you can save your teachers and students time by integrating your Nearpod account. The four tips below will help you get started and learn how to add Nearpod to Canvas.

How to add Nearpod to Canvas: 4 tips for integrating

1. Install Nearpod LTI 1.3 for Canvas

Nearpod is LTI (Learning Tool Interoperability) Advantage certified, which is an interoperability standard that allows institutions to create a technology ecosystem where different products can “speak” or communicate with each other. This communication is key, whether products are being used in the classroom, for distance learning, or in a hybrid scenario. You will need to have a Nearpod School or District license to access Nearpod LTI.

Nearpod’s LTI 1.3 (the latest) for Canvas includes:

• Single sign-on
• Assignment linking (deep linking)
• Canvas SpeedGrader – manual grading
• Support of all Nearpod school and district setup configurations
• Support of all Nearpod rostering options

2. Create a home base

Schools and districts can maximize their Canvas investment by showcasing how Nearpod seamlessly integrates. You can embed and assign live and student-paced lessons and videos into Canvas. Students then click on the shared link to access the shared lesson. You and your students will appreciate the ease of accessing resources curated into one centralized hub.

How to add a Nearpod assignment to Canvas

1. From the left navigation menu, click on Assignment.
2. In the top right corner, click on + Assignment.
3. Scroll down to Submission type, and from the drop-down menu, select External Tool.
4. Click on Find.
5. From the modal that appears, find Nearpod (LTI 1.3).
6. Sign in to your Nearpod account if you have not already done so. 
7. Select the Nearpod delivery type from the lesson you want to add to this assignment, Live Participation or Student-Paced.
8. Complete the Canvas assignment details and click Save & Publish when ready.

3. Track and grade student progress

With Canvas, teachers can input, manage, and share grades with students via the Canvas Gradebook. You can sort through students and/or assignments to reflect on your next instructional steps.

Via Gradebook, you can access Canvas’s SpeedGrader to gain real-time insights into students’ understanding. SpeedGrader displays students’ submissions, and you can provide feedback via annotations. You can grade submissions using a simple point scale or a comprehensive rubric. Students will be able to see their own reports in “Submission Details.”

You can access the SpeedGrader through the Assignments or Grade areas. Click below to view step-by-step instructions for both ways.

4. Seek out professional growth opportunities

Make sure that you and your colleagues are up to date on the latest and greatest features that Nearpod’s integration with Canvas includes. Consider creating a teaching cohort, as Cleburne Independent School District in Texas did, so that all teachers can see the ease of use and share best practices.

“We wanted to make sure from the instructional technology side that we were creating an actual cohort, where we could help teachers grow during the process.”

– Tracy Shea, instructional technology & district multimedia specialist

5. Showcase the results

Share with your stakeholders the ways in which you are enriching students’ learning experiences with tech. Tout the ways in which you are creating continuous student engagement through Nearpod’s integration with Canvas. As referenced earlier, Cleburne ISD leveraged Nearpod’s integration with Canvas to transform its practices and build a strong culture of digital citizenship within and across its schools.

Start using Canvas with Nearpod now

Take advantage of how edtech companies like Nearpod and Canvas collaborate so that their platforms can support one another in making teachers’ instruction more efficient, engaging, and effective for students. Consider speaking with your district or school’s tech lead to see what needs to happen for your Nearpod account to integrate with your Canvas account!

Admins: Interested in Nearpod for your school or district? Schedule a call to access these integrations and so much more!

Nearpod Team

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

nearpod.com/

The post Tips for integrating Nearpod with Canvas LMS appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

New to Nearpod? Sign up for free below to access quality, standards-aligned lessons and create your own interactive lessons and activities!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Nearpod

What is Nearpod?

Nearpod gives you access to 20+ formative assessments and dynamic media features to create interactive lessons and activities. Also, Nearpod has a library of 22,000+ premade lessons made by reliable content experts and trusted partner brands. You’ll also have access to 3 teaching modes: Student-Paced, Live Participation, and Front of Class.

Does Nearpod cost money?

No, Nearpod Silver is a free license that offers all of the basic features that you need to get started with the platform. However, to unlock the full potential of Nearpod, you can request a quote or schedule a demo for our most popular license type, Premium Plus for schools and districts. We also have additional offerings such as our Gold and Platinum accounts.

How to use Nearpod as a student?

Students do not need accounts to access Nearpod. When you start a lesson, you’ll launch a five-letter code. Share the code with students, or share the lesson through your learning management system (LMS), like Canvas, Schoology, Google Classroom, or Microsoft Teams. Explore tips on how to teach your students to use Nearpod.

If you have a school or district Premium Plus access, Student Accounts is an optional feature that you can enable. If you choose to enable Student Accounts, all student account information and submissions will be contained within your school or district account and are fully managed by your school or district administrator.

Can I use a Nearpod lesson to assign homework or independent student work?

Nearpod is great for independent work! You can easily launch a lesson in Student-Paced mode, then share the code out with your students by email, or share through your LMS. Take a look at 6 ways you can use Student-Paced lessons.

Are there limits to how many students can join a Nearpod lesson?

For Silver accounts (free accounts), up to 40 students can join per lesson. If you have a school or district Premium Plus account, up to 250 students can join per lesson. For Gold, up to 75 students can join per lesson. For Platinum, up to 90 students can join per lesson. For Platinum, up to 90 students can join per lesson.

How can I check what type of Nearpod account I have?

Log into Nearpod and click on the avatar in the upper right corner. You’ll be able to view your account type under your information.

Can I use Nearpod with video conferencing?

If you’re facilitating live instruction with a video conferencing tool, Nearpod is a great way to get real-time insights into student learning and deliver engaging, interactive media. Learn more about how to use Nearpod with video conferencing.

Is Nearpod compliant with my school/district privacy policy?

Nearpod takes privacy seriously. Nearpod follows all applicable federal and state laws and is a proud signatory of the Student Privacy Pledge. Have further questions? Email us at: privacy@nearpod.com.

Can I use single sign-on for Nearpod?

Yes! You can use Google, Office 365, Clever, or ClassLink SSO to log in to Nearpod. For Google and Office 365, simply go to nearpod.com/login, then select your SSO option. For Clever and ClassLink, add the Nearpod app to your portal. Then, click on the Nearpod icon to be automatically signed in!

Can I sync Nearpod with my LMS, like Canvas or Schoology, Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams?

Yes. Nearpod has robust integrations with many LMS. You can learn more here about Nearpod’s LMS integrations.

I have feedback and suggestions for Nearpod. Who can I contact?

We love to hear from educators about what you want to see in Nearpod! Send in your Nearpod feedback and suggestions here.

Is Nearpod offering any professional development or tutorials to help districts ramp up teachers?

Yes. We host live webinars daily to get teachers up and running with Nearpod. View our webinar schedule and register on our Teacher Resources page. You’ll also have access to video tutorials, our educator communities, and more. Additionally, districts may request specialized Nearpod training for their teachers if we have enough interest. Please reach out to your Nearpod rep for more info.

We also encourage you to register for Camp Engage, Nearpod’s free virtual professional development for educators. Camp Engage happens several times a year – around February, July, and November.

Does Nearpod have any educator communities I can join?

Yes! Join a Nearpod community to gain exclusive resources, support for sharing Nearpod, and a network of educators transforming teaching with technology. Learn more about how to join Nearpod’s communities here.

Are there other Nearpod resources educators should know about?

• Join our Nearpod Educator Facebook group to learn from other teachers and Nearpod team members how to integrate Nearpod into your classroom.
• Get the most up-to-date information about your Nearpod license.
• If you have more questions, or need other support, please visit nearpod.com/help or contact us at support@nearpod.com.

New to Nearpod? Sign up for free below to access quality, standards-aligned lessons and create your own interactive lessons and activities!

Nearpod Team

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

nearpod.com/

The post Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Nearpod appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

An introduction to Nearpod lessons

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Join us for Camp Engage: Back to School!

Join us for Camp Engage on July 25-27th! This FREE virtual professional development event is designed to provide educators with engaging, high-quality learning experiences, led by experts in the field. Our sessions are crafted to offer practical insights and strategies, ensuring immediate impact in the classroom.

Whether you’re new to Nearpod, a seasoned expert, or interested in learning, everyone is welcome to join!

What you need to know before creating a Nearpod lesson

As you begin creating lessons for students, it is important to understand Nearpod’s features. Interactive slides are broken down into three major categories:

Creation media

Slides, Sways, and Slideshows hold the essential content to guide your learners through the interactive lesson. The most common content media educators use is slides.

Dynamic media

Incorporate 3D objects, Simulations, and VR Field Trips to breathe life into your content, fostering a deeper understanding.

Interactive activities

Engage your students with captivating activities like Time to Climb, Draw It, Open-Ended Questions, and Collaborate Boards, which capture the pivotal moments of learning.

How to create a lesson on Nearpod

Our Lesson Builder features a user-friendly design familiar to those who have experience with tools like PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Step 1: Launch the Lesson Builder

Click on “Create” and select “Lesson” to launch the Lesson Builder.

Step 2: Choose your slides

Select “Slides” from the Activity Selector. The Slide Editor offers a variety of pre-designed templates and layout features, enabling you to curate content slides for your lessons. Unleash your creative style in text boxes, leveraging rich-text capabilities and the Nearpod Equation Editor. Layer images, GIFs, and even your own audio directly onto slides. Create your content even faster using the new quick add slide button!

Step 3: Incorporate interactive media and activities

Click “Add New” to continue adding Dynamic Media and Activities, to finish building your interactive lesson.

Include activities from the Nearpod lesson library to customize your lesson using the Activity Bank. With thousands of pre-made Time to Climb quizzes and Matching Pairs, Drag and Drop, and Draw It activities, teachers can easily customize any lesson in Nearpod with standards-aligned activities.

Step 4: Input lesson details to stay organized

Click on “Lesson Details” to give your lesson a title, provide a description for the lesson, and tag the lesson with relevant grade levels and subjects. This metadata enhances searchability, making it easier to find and share your lessons.

Step 5: Launch and observe the magic

Launch your lesson in either Live Participation or Student-Paced modes and see the impact of Nearpod in action!

Tips for creating your own Nearpod lesson

As you design interactive lessons for students, here are some tips to get you started!

Tip #1: Use the lesson library for inspiration

It can be difficult knowing where to start when building lessons for your students. Nearpod’s curriculum team comprises former educators who design lessons around the latest research into active learning strategies, such as the 5 E’s Model and Guided Inquiry. Filter the Nearpod Library by grade level, subject, or state standards to discover new ways to approach your content. You can even copy and paste library resource content directly into your lessons!

Tip #2: Use what you already have

We know you already have amazing resources in other formats. Use the Upload Slides feature to quickly upload your PowerPoints and Google Slides into Nearpod, transforming them from static presentations to lessons for your students. You can even use worksheets for Draw It or Drag and Drop activities. Learn more about how to convert your existing presentations into a Nearpod lesson.

Tip #3: Enhance your Google Slides with the Nearpod Add-On

If you prefer to “Nearpodize” your existing Google Slides while working within the familiar Slides tool set, Gold, Platinum, and School or District users can integrate Nearpod activities and dynamic media content directly with the Nearpod add-on! With the Nearpod Slides add-on, your embedded hyperlinks stay active, and Microsoft Immersive Reader will be able to read all the text on your Slides to support all learners. Learn more about integrating your Nearpod lessons in Google Slides.

Already have access to a free Nearpod account? Click below to upgrade to Gold!

Tip #4: Organize ALL of your digital resources in one space

As we incorporate technology into our classrooms, it is easy to lose students to an array of open tabs. Direct students to specific websites, district curricular resources, or collaborative learning experiences with Google or Microsoft tools quickly and easily, using Nearpod’s Web Content feature. Using Web Content, all of those links can be easily integrated directly into your interactive lessons, ensuring you and your students are always on the same page. Learn more about enhancing your lessons with Web Content.

Tip #5: Combine dynamic media and activities

When creating lessons, it is important to remember all of the magic you have available to you in Nearpod. VR Field Trips, PhET Simulations, and 3D objects help the learning come to life. But did you know that you can easily pair that dynamic media content with one of Nearpod’s activities to truly make student thinking visible?

• Combine several VR Field Trips for a compare and contrast interactive classroom activity. Students can explore the various locations and then use a Collaborate Board to discuss or even debate their findings with their peers.
• Add a blank Draw It after a Simulation for students to upload their discoveries. First, they experience the simulation and then take a screenshot of their work. They can upload their image and then annotate right on top of it to explain what they have uncovered. 
• Create a Drag & Drop activity to label the parts of a cell using a screenshot of a 3D object. Students can explore the cell in their browser and then demonstrate their understanding by correctly labeling the various parts they have seen.

Start creating lessons on Nearpod

Whether you are using pre-made lessons from the Nearpod Library, enhancing your own materials, or even working directly in Google Slides, Nearpod makes it easy to create lessons for your students’ learning needs.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Nearpod Team

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

nearpod.com/

The post How to create interactive lessons for students with Nearpod appeared first on Nearpod Blog.