Nearpod: Start your fantastic adventure inside or outside the classroom

Since the digital age, mobile phones have become an indispensable part of everyday life. It seems that, for most teachers, mobile phones are the enemy of the classroom. They worry that students will not be able to resist the temptation to play with their mobile phones during class. In China, for example, primary and secondary schools forbid students from carrying mobile phones in class. Even in some universities, strict teachers require that mobile phones be handed in during class time and returned afterwards.

But the truth is, if used wisely, mobile phones are not the enemy😰 of the classroom, they can be a great help😆! Today, I will introduce you to Nearpod, a tool that will help make mobile learning a fantastic adventure!

Highlights

🌴 Nearpod has two modes, one for live participation and one for student-paced. Either mode requires a classroom code to access the classroom.

Live participation mode means that the teacher is the central controller, and the pages on the students' devices are synchronised with the teacher's pages. This makes it suitable not only for the regular classroom but also for remote teaching. The teacher can show PowerPoint, play videos, distribute questions, and receive timely feedback during this process.

Student-paced mode means that students are the main controllers and can control their progress. This means that students can get out of the classroom and go on a fantastic adventure designed by the teacher! Working in small groups, students can follow instructions for field trips within the safety of the school grounds or look for clues set out by the teacher in advance. The teacher in the classroom can also receive real-time feedback on their progress as they answer questions or upload pictures. On the other hand, this is also suitable for after-school assignments.

🌴 A wide choice of content models

There are many content formats and templates to support you when creating a lesson, like interactive videos, gamification, and activities.

🌴 Video library 

In addition to the video section, where you can choose between YouTube or your own videos, the Nearpod platform itself offers an extensive video library with instructional videos on various topics. Other activities are also available with pre-set themed templates.Both the content and the order of activities can be freely adjusted.

🌴 Powerful statistics function

A statistics report is automatically generated after each class is completed. The reports record the completion and feedback of each session. Teachers can quickly review and summarise classroom activities and also help to analyse problems better and make improvements.

Limitations

💦 The student side sometimes might be unstable. They have to log back into the class or start from the beginning. It is not clear if this is related to the state of the device and network. This, although it can be somewhat annoying and inconvenient, is of little impact as the answers submitted each time are still recorded on the teacher's end, even if they are restarted.

💦 Some of the data uploaded by students is not updated in time or is lost, perhaps due to student misuse, which has little impact on the overall control and analysis of the data but can lack some accuracy.

💦 In student-paced mode, although the teacher can keep track of the process through the answers submitted by the students, the details and progress are still uncontrollable. Therefore, students' autonomy is required.

💦 The software does not seem to have an immediate teacher-student communication function, making it impossible for the teacher to know what is happening to students who are behind or experiencing difficulties when using student-paced mode for exploratory activities outside the classroom.For this, I would suggest always assigning activities in small groups and for younger age groups, such as teenagers, narrowing the scope of the movement within the school building.

Here🙎 I share a short class I created whose topic is poetry. Besides the video and quiz games, there is also time for exploration outside the classroom.

It is in the student-paced mode so that you can set your own controls. If interested, you can click here to get a feel for it. The class code is HG2AS. But the class access is valid for a limited time, and you can email me to reset it if it becomes invalid. 

But there is a more recommendable option! After signing up for Nearpod, you can see that it also offers demo class presentations showing both teacher device and student device views.

What's more💃, you can create your own lesson to try out! Click here and start creating your unique classroom adventure!

Although the web version is handy enough, Nearpod can also be used as a plug-in to embed PowerPoint editing. Here's a video with a detailed explanation if you're interested. 
Finally feel free to share any tips or feelings in the comments section! 👋

Image source: screenshots from Nearpod (click)

Video source: video by Pocketful of Primary via YouTube (click) 

H5P: The spice of online learning and remote teaching!

Whether with the prevalence of flipped classes, blended learning, or remote teaching, online resources have been increasingly used in teaching and learning. In China, for example, online teaching has become mainstream in the last three years due to a conservative anti-epidemic policy. It is highly efficient, but there is a risk that students may lose interest and autonomy due to a lack of interaction. 😧

Don't worry! 🙉 Today, I'm going to show you a tool for interactive activities that can be integrated with several popular online platforms—H5P.

Strengths

Multi-functional interactive format

A variety of question types are provided, which can highlight the key points of the instructional videos or test and summarise chapter content, etc.

         

🙋 Let's look at some examples.

👆 Drag the words

👆 Integrative Video

👆 Drag and Drop

👆 Fill in the Blanks

👆 Multiple Choice

User-friendly

H5P is entirely free. The teacher can select different question types from different templates, fill in the required content, and then generate them with one click, without any complicated operations. Students can click on the "check" button to check their answers after answering. Explanations or analyses can also be added to some answers. 

Collaboration with multiple teaching platforms

As I mentioned at the beginning, H5P works with several popular teaching platforms, so teachers can find the H5P option on the original medium and set it up.

Guidance and forums

A dedicated guidance page on the website provides comprehensive guidance. A forum is also available for users to comment on and exchange ideas. Developers solve problems and make continuous improvements.

Limitations

💬 Some of the questions do not seem to be able to be made into a collection and can only exist singly, which may not be convenient in some cases. However, you might consider using a quiz template rather than a single question type to solve this problem.

 

💬 While H5P maximises interaction and assessment, it still relies heavily on student autonomy. After all, students can still answer questions haphazardly or skip sections of questions if they lack the proper attitude.

 

📍In the end, there is an instructional video to show the process in action more visually. If you would like to try it out, click here. Feel free to share any tips or feelings in the comments section! 🌺🌵🌷🌴😊 

Image source: screenshots from H5P (click)
Video source: video by Technology for Teachers and Students via YouTube (click) 

Flipgrid: Your lens, your stage, your story

Short videos have become a trend in recent years, whether on video platforms like YouTube, Tikitok, or other social media. Creating videos seems to give people more enthusiasm for life.

This phenomenon is not limited to leisure time. For example, in China, short videos have also become a popular form of interaction in teaching. Introductions at the beginning of the term, reading exercises before class, after-school readings, summaries of learning experiences, and other exciting activities can all be shared in short videos.

In this context, there are several key questions to think about: 💡

📌 How to ensure the security of the videos

📌 How to store and classify the videos

📌 How to encourage introverted students to enjoy sharing

And Flipgrid can solve all these problems! Whatever the age of your target group, Flipgrid is a great choice!

Why videos

Children always like to try new things, and innovation stimulates them to learn. Written exercises, although necessary, can easily bore children in a single format. Video recordings would be great for spicing things up!

And sometimes, video recording is easier and quicker, honing children's speaking and expression skills, stimulating their creativity, and protecting their desire to express themselves. Watching others' videos may also inspire them to make friends and learn from each other.

How to start

Teachers create groups and invite students to join them. You can also set different topics, and the videos will be grouped, making them very organised and easy to view.

You can also set up member filters to keep videos and information posted in a safe place.

Perhaps an ice-breaking session could be devised, starting with your introduction.

Or perhaps it's an after-school reading share, inviting students to read aloud a favourite passage or enact a small piece of a favourite story.

👀📷 Let's take a look at the shooting video section! The main features are the Options, Effects, and Backdrop sections.

The Options section is the basics. You can upload existing audio or choose whether to turn on the microphone or not.

Mirroring video and recording screens also surprised me, as they seem to be ignored by the usual video apps.

The Effects section is the most fun! 

Various filters, fonts, boards, frames, stickers and backdrops are provided.

Students have the freedom to choose Something fresh every time!

😵Someone might say that such an approach might be a treasure for children who like to be in the camera. What about some kids who may not yet dare to face the camera?

Here's the highlight!💁

Some lovely 'costumes' give even shy children a chance to express themselves! Instead of a dull mask, they change according to their expressions, like the cute coffee and book doctor shown below! Each one is cute and creative!

Students who are uncomfortable with the camera at first can also do well and join in the sharing.

Eventually, with more chances, they might become more confident about putting themselves out there and thus be able to face the camera, too.

Limitations

💢The first is something I'm a little confused about. I found different features on the Ipad and PC side in terms of taking videos. For example, with the face recognition filters like Little Coffee and Dr. Book, I only found this feature on the iPad side, but not on the PC side, which is an inconvenience to some extent. I am not sure if it is due to my device.

💢The second point is the video time limit.

The time limit can be set when posting a task, but the maximum is only 10 minutes.

However, I think the average share can be done in less than 10 minutes, and in cases where there are particularly long ones, students can record multiple segments, so there is no actual limit to the length of content.

Finally, here are more detailed instructions for the whole process! Click here to start your attempt. Feel free to share your feelings in the comments.🙇

Image source: screenshots from Flipgrid (click)

Video source: video by Taniuska Worsham via YouTube (click) 

Canva: The final step before becoming a good teacher—becoming a good designer!

Have you ever scratched your head over a handout, fumbled around in Word and PowerPoint, spent a lot of time looking for images, only to end up with unsatisfactory results😣?

Do you want your students to shout "Wow😍" when they get the handout and then look through it with interest?

Some may argue that it's more important to prepare for the content😕.

But have you ever been frustrated by the fact that you've prepared your handouts but they don't go down well with your students due to a lack of layout and decoration😩?

After all, no matter your target group is young learners or mature adults, who wouldn't love a good-looking handout or PPT😁?

Then! When you try out Canva, you'll find that you're one step away from being a good teacher with a great design! 💪

Strength

Numerous attractive templates

Templates for everything from PowerPoints to posters to documents to logos to CVs are available in a wide range of sizes and styles.

As a teacher, you can choose any template you need when preparing a lesson and modify the content. You can also create a design on your own. 

Sufficient support with enough freedom

Despite being supported by numerous templates, it's still a haven for your design freedom!

Countless thematic images are provided. Just enter a keyword in the search bar, and you can easily find suitable pictures and illustrations.

You can easily adjust the image position, size, clarity, and other attributes.

There is also a wide choice of fonts, including artistic fonts.

User-friendly operation

Effects that require complex manipulation in Word, PowerPoint, and especially Photoshop can be easily achieved with Canva.

Multi-site operation

Canva has a web and an app for the mobile phone or iPad that synchronises content and allows you to create and use it at any time.

 

Is that all?😜

No! There's a bigger surprise!

 

Simultaneous editing function for multiple users🙆

Click the little plus sign at the top right of the page after logging into your account to share the action page and have multiple people edit at the same time!

It's easy to do, whether in an online classroom, an interactive session with the teacher, a group editing a poster during class, or a presentation of an assignment after class.

For example, the image below shows a brainstorming platform where students can freely edit and express their opinions.

Restrictions

🍏 Many images and templates are available for a fee, but the free parts are actually sufficient for most needs.

🍏 Students may spend some extra time on the design. But it is worth it! The beautiful output will inspire their learning. The sense of achievement created by the display will also help them to work hard on their learning tasks from the heart.

Finally, let's learn more tips and tricks through a video. 🙋If you want to try it, click here and start your design! Feel free to share your feelings in the comments.

Image source: screenshots from Canva (click)

Video source:  video by Natalia Kalinska from YouTube (click)

Conceptboard: Always enjoy collaborative activities!

You might still remember my previous post about WebQuest, a web-based learning approach. The process of students taking on individual roles, working in small groups, and summarising and reporting back together is significant. (For new readers or those who can't remember, click here if you want to review.) 

Collaboration has been increasingly valued in learning and teaching. In China, in particular, the shift from teacher-centred to student-centred classes has seen a significant increase in collaborative tasks, both during and after class. In this context, a multifunctional and efficient tool or platform is vital!

Today we will introduce an online collaboration tool for completing learning tasks—Conceptboard🍒! 

With it, the days of running around with multiple devices and switching between chat apps and editing software will be over!

Its features can be seen at a glance in the picture below. Let's see it step by step!💖

⛳ The first step is to create a brand new board.

The board page consists of a top toolbar, a function bar, a chat window in the bottom right-hand corner, and a small window in the bottom left-hand corner.

There are eight main sections in the left sidebar.

Upload files

Inserting documents into the working panel eliminates the need for tedious switching and notes.

Insert sections

Insert sections of various sizes to keep the page organised.

Insert building blocks

There are many flowchart templates here that are useful for organising ideas, summarising key points, and reporting on presentations.

Insert templates

A wide range of templates are provided for various activities that require collaboration or can be done independently.

As an example, the image below shows a feedback grid template where students can write down their gains and progress and ask more questions and ideas about how they can make more progress and learn better.

Insert Icon

Lovely and minimalistic icon markers are provided.

Insert widgets

Voting is available in the standard version.

You can upload images, text, or the iconsas options on the poll page.

It has the option of being set to single or multiple choice. Once the members have finished, the system will automatically tally the results. 

 

Embedded audio or video

Inserting videos is also easy. There is no more need to switch pages.

Get screenshot extension

This is a plug-in for taking screenshots, depending on your needs. For me, the screenshot function of my computer is sufficient.

Strengths

🌀 The pages can be zoomed in and out infinitely, and the scale can be freely controlled.

🌀 At the same time, there is a small window at the bottom left of the page that gives you an overview and allows you to find the inserted board easily.

🌀 Multi-functional to meet multiple needs

🌀 Users can invite each other by scanning a QR code or registering an email address.

🌀 Once you have joined a team, you can edit your work pages simultaneously.

🌀 Also, there is a chat box at the bottom right so that group members can chat and complete editing tasks simultaneously. You can share ideas and move the process forward without switching between chat apps.

🌀 Multiple groups can also be created in the board folder, perfect for sorting.

Limitations

👾 The biggest limitation is that some features still require payment, but as I have highlighted in other posts, the free version is sufficient for most needs.

👾 The second point concerns the problems I have encountered in using it. For example, it is not possible to cancel a document during the upload process, and if it is a document with many pages, you have to wait until it is all uploaded. This can sometimes be a waste of time. Also, I can't seem to drag or delete videos after inserting them, but I'm not sure if this is a problem with my operation or my device.

👾 Students may have difficulty or lack autonomy in completing group activities on their own. A good solution to this is to include the teacher in the group. The teacher does not need to intervene too much but can supervise the process and give guidance when needed.

👻In fact, the first time I used it, it took me a long time to invite members to create a group, for which I found this video with specific instructions on inviting members.

If you want to try it out, click here. Feel free to share your feelings in the comments.😜

Image source: screenshots from Conceptboard (click)

Video source: video by Conceptboard via YouTube (click)