Nearpod: Interactive Presenations

When it comes to presentation apps, Nearpod is in a class of its own. Anyone with an iPad, computer, or Android device can log in to your interactive presentation.

The creator of the presentation can control participants screen as long as they are logged in to the app. Participants can take poles, quizzes, view slides, view videos, and even draw responses. The creator has the option of sharing an individuals responses with the other participants.

This is an excellent app for classroom lessons, conference calls, and leading professional developments. One great feature of the app is that it shows you how many people are logged in to your presentation. This allows teachers to be aware of how many students are on the correct screen.

A few notes about the app:

• The free version limits you to small presentations and allows 30 participants to view a presentation at once. Upgrading to the full version allows larger presentations, more participants, and unlocks a few extra features.
• Presentations have to be created on a computer but can be delivered using a tablet.
• Slides can be created in PowerPoint, saved as a PDF, and then uploaded to Nearpod. Nearpod will convert the PDF into slides in the necessary format.
• The full version of the app has a homework feature where students go through presentations at their own pace. Teachers receive reports of each student's assignment. 
• To create a Nearpod account, go to www.nearpod.com.

QR Codes in the Classroom

The QR Code for this blog.

Quick Response (QR) Codes can be a powerful tool to use in your classroom. Any mobile device with a camera can be used to scan the code by downloading a QR Code Reader.

QR Codes can be used to direct people to a website or to send a short message. There are countless websites available to generate QR Codes. The one I use most frequently is www.qrstuff.com. This site allows you to change the color of your code and even embed a picture into the code.

These can be used to turn a normal lesson into something that feels more like a game to our tech savvy students. I have found that even when technology is not available through my school, I can still use QR Codes because most of my students have smart phones. Here are a few ways I have integrated QR Codes in my classroom:

Use the projector to send students to a website.

Enlarging a QR Code and putting it on a projector is the fastest way to get all of your students to the correct website. Most QR Code generators offer you the option of shortening a URL. This removes clutter from the code and makes it easier to scan from a distance. 

Put questions around the room.

QR Codes can be used to save text as well as websites. Rather than putting questions on a worksheet, put them around the room in the form of QR Codes. This gives students the opportunity to move around while still getting the practice they need.


Set up a scavenger hunt.

Use QR codes to lead students in a scavenger hunt around your classroom. At each location, place a QR Code with a link to a website of where to get information about a topic. Place a second QR Code with a clue to lead them to the next location.


Save hints for an activity.

Give students the option of scanning a QR Code when they get stuck in an activity. The code could contain a hint for how to proceed. This works best when you limit the number of hints they may use.


Have students create a webquest.

Give students a list of objectives and have them put together resources about that objective. They can create a QR Code for each of their resources. Students could swap codes or put together a class set to be used as a review.

Your turn.

How are you using QR Codes in your classroom? Reply with a comment to share.