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
Sue,
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh when I realized you started your blog post talking about how timid teachers can be about augmented and virtual reality, because I also opened up my own blog post on the matter by saying it's not something I would normally stray towards! You are absolutely correct in that it can be intimidating. I also found it to be something that I thought I wasn't interested in, so when you add that to the intimidation factor, it's likely that I won't check it out unless it's made clear to me that it will be user friendly. So thank you for introducing me to Nearpod and also including some user reviews, that would make things easier when I am trying to decide if it will work for me. I enjoyed your post!
-Kristen DeAnne Anderson
DeAnna,
ReplyDeleteYour introduction had me immediately giggling! I am new to the AR/VR world, and it can certainly be intimidating. I was excited to see that you wrote about Nearpod. I am about to begin my Level 1 Nearpod certification and am very excited about the AR component. As you mentioned, it is not intended to be just and AR platform, which makes it even more enticing to me as I can accomplish many goals and types of learning with one site. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and what you've learned about Nearpod.
~Josie Price
Nearpod seems like such a good way to introduce AR technology to teachers who have never used it before. I love that it includes pre-made lessons and exit slips because then teachers can learn from others who have already been successful using AR. It seems easy to use as a supplement to already established curriculum, and it is great that students can access it from their school provided one-to-one devices because then you do not have to worry about students who do not have smartphones.
ReplyDelete