Teaching Toolbox
Nearpod
On the other hand, sometimes a teacher may have a peripheral goal of getting people more comfortable with using technology in class—especially if it will help them achieve the greater goal: enhancing knowledge and application of the Word. If you’re looking for a nonthreatening way to introduce a little bit of technology into your adult Bible studies, why not consider Nearpod? Nearpod is an educational website that allows you to upload slides you’ve already made and add interactive elements to them.
One sample presentation on the Nearpod site includes slides that you would see in a typical presentation interspersed with slides that contain a collaborative “bulletin board," a “draw it” slide, a virtual field trip, and a student poll, while also incorporating open-ended question slides. That sample can be found here. This website might be a good way to start getting people to bring their own devices to class as they will find Nearpod usable on their laptops, phones, and tablets. Take the poll slide for example. The people logged in as students see the poll question and have the opportunity to answer for themselves. The person logged in as the teacher sees the results on his or her screen in the case of a poll, or everybody’s replies in the case of a “bulletin board” question.
Of course, equity is always a concern when introducing technology to adult classes, so non-tech options need to be incorporated into careful planning and lots of communication.
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