Title: 5 Tips for teaching Social Studies in any classroom
Author: Arthur Vambaketes
Location:https://nearpod.com/blog/5-tips-for-teaching-social-studies-in-any-classroom/
The last article I selected was more focused on implementing Nearpod in a social studies classroom. As a social studies teacher, I thought this article would be extremely helpful in learning the best strategies to implement this new application into my classroom. The article discusses similar ideas that were presented in other articles such as the formative assessments and gamification. However, this article includes more social studies specific capabilities of Nearpod like virtual field trips and virtual reality capabilities as well. In addition the author stated that Nearpod has partnered with social studies companies like National Geographic and ICivics to create pre-made and ready to use Nearpod lessons that teachers can access. These lessons can be copied, adapted, and used in almost any social studies classroom and are included when you sign up for Nearpod.
The author explains 5 ways to increase student engagement and utilize Nearpod in a social studies classroom. The first strategy is to use Nearpod as a tool that hooks students in a lesson topic or an anticipatory set. Students can respond to live polls or discussion boards where they can see each other’s response to get them hooked on a subject. Next, use dynamic media to engage students such as Nearpod 3D which allows students to manipulate and explore 3D models or events throughout history. Teachers can also access large libraries of videos and primary sources from the BBC and use the PDF viewer to add them to any presentation. The third strategy encourages teachers to check out the virtual reality capabilities of Nearpod which transports students into the history they are learning. On top of the formative assessment activities, virtual reality and digital field trips bring history alive for students in the classroom. The last two strategies work well together by being strategies that increase student engagement and involvement. The two strategies are utilizing Flipgrid or another interactive media tool with Flipgrid to encourage authentic learning and discussion, and using the gamification features of Nearpod to foster competitiveness and engagement. The article ends with asserting that Nearpod is the best interactive presentation tool because of the vast amount of applications and flexibility it provides.
The applications that could be made from this article in my class are almost endless. I have been looking for a reliable way to incorporate virtual field trips into my classroom and this seems to be the application to do it. I researched a little more on the Nearpod website, and found a field trip to the Palace of Versailles and to the Berlin wall I could use in my classes this year. I also looked into the virtual reality lessons which are extremely applicable as long as I can use my district’s virtual reality goggles. These strategies would allow me to make history come alive for my students in my classroom and allow for increased engagement and participation in my classroom. That outcome is the main goal and purpose of me selecting Nearpod as a topic for this project. On top of the formative assessment, hook activities, and gamification opportunities mentioned above, the virtual field trips could really transform the way I teach about history. Lastly, I often use Kahoot and Quizizz as ways to review and include gamification in my classroom, but students seem to be losing interest in the same review activities. Nearpod will provide another alternative review activity for students to take part in. The major takeaway I have had based on the research I have completed thus far is that Nearpod is extremely versatile and increases student engagement in a multitude of ways.
References:
Vambaketes, A. (2022, August 1). 5 tips for teaching Social Studies in any classroom. Nearpod Blog. https://nearpod.com/blog/5-tips-for-teaching-social-studies-in-any-classroom/
Hey Eric, I’ve enjoyed learning about Nearpod through reading the research on your blog. I have not used this collaborative tool myself so reading your blog has been an eye opening experience. I am intrigued by the idea of having students responding to live polls and discussion boards as a way to hook their interest in a specific topic. Nearpod 3D is another tool that has me interested. The idea of a student manipulating and exploring historical events through a 3D model seems exciting. I do units on music history and feel that this could come in handy. There seems to be a huge amount of resources for the teacher as well. The libraries of articles and videos from the BBC that can be streamlined into presentations seems like a great feature of Nearpod. The virtual field trips are another feature I could definitely see my students getting engaged by. This seems like a great way to make history come alive. Finally the vast variety of formative assessments offered on Nearpod will save time in lesson planning.
I’m wondering if this tool gets repetitive for students once the novelty of it wears off. I see that many of the activities are test and quiz driven, instead of focused on reflection on learning or creative demonstration of learning. Is that an issue?
Mike,
There are also activities that are not geared towards formative assessment. Activities like quick draw, quick write, and Nearpod 3D all are different activities you can assign rather than just formative assessments. Like any other presentation application you want to be careful of overuse, but using Nearpod as a change of pace every now and then usually helps keep students engaged in lessons.
Eric