This week presented the perfect opportunity to use technology in a new and engaging way for my students. My students needed to review for the District Common Assessment for math. I had recently heard about NearPod and decided to try it with my students for review. While I do not have an entire class set of iPads, I was able to put students in small groups for this activity and give each group an iPad. The students were then able to review math questions using NearPod and I was able to see each small group's real time response as well as discuss any misconceptions that I saw in student work. The students loved when I was able to display their work on the SmartBoard after they solved a free response question and they engaged in great conversation if we needed to clear a misconception based on a group's work. This idea came to me the day before reviewing, therefore in the future I plan to know well in advance that I would like to use NearPod to allow my students to each have an iPad, as when they work in small groups I am not able to see each individual student's progression. I am excited to continue to grow in the use of technology in my classroom.
Recently, Jennifer Gonzalez created a blog post about upgrading your classroom design. We often see classrooms that look cozy and modern, allowing students to collaborate and feel at home, yet many teachers believe that it is impossible to make their own classroom this way within budget constraints and small spaces. Jennifer interviewed Bob Dillon to gather 12 things that teachers can do to make their classrooms more student friendly and a better place for learning. 1) Ask students throughout the year "What in this room supports your learning and what gets in the way?" 2) Take things out: if you remove items and you don't miss them then you don't need them in your classroom. 3) Mix up Student Seating: try different arrangements or allow students choice in where they sit. 4) Take notice of the perimeter: Are the walls distracting or do they add to learning? Do certain posters need taken down? 5) Reduce or Eliminate Teacher Workspace: Allow students more...
NearPod seems like something I could use in my classroom. My students would love reviewing for district assessments this way. We are still using paper and pencil reviews and display work using the document camera. I'm going to look into NearPod and checking out the iPad cart to use with the whole class. Thanks for idea!
ReplyDeleteMy kids were definitely engaged. I hope it works for you as well! I look forward to hearing how it goes with your students.
DeleteNearPod is new to me. It sound like a great resource for not only a review, but also as an exit slip. Even if you had to have them answer as they left a station in rotation it could give great data that you can review at the beginning of the class the next day.
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