Interactive Lesson Ideas using Nearpod

Nearpod provides teachers with interactive tools, resources, and content in one platform to simplify teaching. The platform boosts student engagement through collaborative learning with dynamic media and formative assessments.

In this guide we will walk you through various ways you can use Nearpod in your instruction to create interactive lessons for your students.

Tips to Get Started with Nearpod

Tips	Description
Launch a slide lesson in two ways - both providing student feedback.	Live Lesson Option: Teachers share a live session, students enter a code, and the lesson is synced to all devices. Student Paced Option: Share a lesson code for students to complete at their own time and pace, to create a more flexible and equitable remote teaching experience.
Using the editable pre-made lessons	With Nearpod's Activity Banks teachers can: Use quick stand-alone activities to check for student understanding on the fly. Reduce lesson creation time by adding ready-to-use standards-aligned activities to any Nearpod. Add an activity for students to complete as an exit ticket, an assessment, independent practice of a new skill, or to wrap up a lesson with an engaging gamified quiz.
Digitize your paper-based lessons	Save prep time by importing existing lessons (PDFs, JPEGs, PPTs) and adding Virtual Reality (VR) Field Trips, collaborative boards, Quizzes, Polls, Matching Pairs, Time to Climb activities ( students race to the top of the mountain against the clock by answering multiple-choice questions). Or, start in Nearpod or Google Slides to add your favorite Nearpod activities.

Tips

Description

Launch a slide lesson in two ways - both providing student feedback.

Live Lesson Option: Teachers share a live session, students enter a code, and the lesson is synced to all devices.
Student Paced Option: Share a lesson code for students to complete at their own time and pace, to create a more flexible and equitable remote teaching experience.

Using the editable pre-made lessons

With Nearpod's Activity Banks teachers can:

Use quick stand-alone activities to check for student understanding on the fly.
Reduce lesson creation time by adding ready-to-use standards-aligned activities to any Nearpod.
Add an activity for students to complete as an exit ticket, an assessment, independent practice of a new skill, or to wrap up a lesson with an engaging gamified quiz.

Digitize your paper-based lessons

Save prep time by importing existing lessons (PDFs, JPEGs, PPTs) and adding Virtual Reality (VR) Field Trips, collaborative boards, Quizzes, Polls, Matching Pairs, Time to Climb activities ( students race to the top of the mountain against the clock by answering multiple-choice questions). Or, start in Nearpod or Google Slides to add your favorite Nearpod activities.

Lesson Ideas using Nearpod

Nearpod offers several pedagogical advantages and can be utilized in different ways to enhance the learning experience. This section discusses three main approaches to leveraging Nearpod: tracking consistent engagement across a class period, facilitating group brainstorming, and conducting ungraded assessments.

Nearpod's Open-Ended Questions:
- Ask students to propose activities for practicing active listening.
- Leveraging this feature, the instructor could monitor understanding, prioritize learning, create engaging experiences, and adhere to best practices in educational technology for student-centered learning.

Nearpod open Ended Question Example

Nearpods Polling Feature:
- Pose a topic-related question to spark in-person discussions.
- Feature can be used to facilitate real-time feedback and encourages thoughtful participation, fostering inclusivity by discussing reasons behind differing perspectives rather than singling out individuals.

Picture example of Nearpods polling feature

Nearpod's Discussion Board
- The discussion board feature can be configured so students cannot see each other's names, while the professor retains access for tracking participation. This setup benefits shy students who might hesitate to claim their answers in front of peers.
- Utilize this feature during interactive presentations to gauge student understanding and provide brain breaks throughout a lecture.

Interactive Lesson Ideas using Nearpod