What popular technology
trend can strike delight in the hearts of children while simultaneously
subjecting many teachers to immediate, acute mental paralysis? Why augmented
and virtual reality of course! Teachers
of the younger variety may not have such an extreme reaction to the suggestion,
but those of my generation may feel a little underqualified when contemplating
ways to realistically (no pun intended) incorporate AR and/or VR into their
existing curriculum. Before this week’s readings, I know I would have! That’s why the tool I would like to focus on
here is one that I believe provides a smooth segue into trying more advanced
technology down the road, especially for teachers who may be reluctant to add anything
new to their established learning units.
In 25 resources for bringing VR and AR to the classroom, Jennifer Snelling shares a myriad of tools. Some are free, some are costly, some are simple, some are advanced. One of my favorites, for its unassuming ease of use, is Nearpod which Snelling (2019) describes as a, "free for teachers, VR-based curriculum” (para. 5). Once a free teacher account is established, students can join Nearpod sessions on their 1 to 1 device by visiting the site and typing in a teacher provided join code. One of the most readily apparent strengths of Nearpod is that when used as a formative assessment tool, it provides educators with real time feedback because students’ interactions and responses are immediately viewable on the administrator’s screen. Another enticing feature is the vast library of existing lessons and exit slips. Favorites can be collected and saved in one's personal Nearpod library to be used again and again. There are also options to customize existing lessons or to create something new and unique for individual class needs.
Image from www.nearpod.com shows a side-by-side comparison of teacher and student views.
Common Sense Media reviewer,
Marianne Rogowski (2021) notes that there is room for improvement in Nearpod's collaboration capabilities and feels that some new users may experience a significant learning curve, but
she gives the tool a hardy five-star review overall. Read more about what
Rogowski has to say about Nearpod by clicking here, and explore ten specific ways to begin using Nearpod in your classroom here!
Nearpod may not be the most dynamic VR/AR tool, some may even question if it can even be qualified as such given the livelier VR/AR products on the market, but its gamified activities and live participation capabilities make it a valid and valuable resource for those educators who want to build more engaging activities into their lessons while sharpening their own technology skills.
References
Rogowski, M. (2021, July). Nearpod: Engage and assess
students with media, videos, and interactive slides. Common Sense Media. https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/nearpod
Snelling, J. (2019, Nov. 26). 25 resources for bringing VR
and AR to the classroom. ISTE. https://www.iste.org/explore/In-the-classroom/25-resources-for-bringing-AR-and-VR-to-the-classroom
