Success Is Messy: Nearpod Works To Perfection

Yesterday, I was reminded of how successful things happen.  Mr. Anderson attended a PLC day at Adlai Stevenson High School and noticed that the presenter engaged the audience with PearDeck.  Unfortunately, PearDeck comes with a price we are unable to pay.

When Mr. Anderson approached me about the concept, I initially thought that the presentation tool of questions in Google Slides would be an adequate solution.  We found this could be a tool, but being a single teacher in a classroom proved a little challenging to monitor those questions.  A teacher needs to toggle back and forth between the presentation and the question/answer window.

As we were talking, Nearpod came to my mind.  It quickly became clear that this was the perfect tool that would serve his Anatomy students in their learning experience.

• Upload a presentation from Powerpoint or Google Slides
• Upload images or PDFs
• Once a presentation is uploaded, add "activity cards", "polls", or "questions"
• No sign up required by the students.  Simply display the code that they enter into the Nearpod app. Quick, Simple!
• Teacher begins to present.  Immediately the presentation shows up on a student's device.
• When it's time for an activity or question, students interact on their iPad by writing, drawing, typing, highlighting
• Students share their creation back to the teacher
• Teacher discusses some responses by the students

Lectures are not always necessary, however when they are the correct delivery for the content, Nearpod became a great tool for our this teacher.

In a 30 minute discussion, Mr. Anderson and I did exactly what the right arrow above states.  We went around in circles, backwards at times, but eventually found the tool that serves him best for his content area at this time.

After his experience during the day, Mr. Anderson introduced the tool to his Biology team.  Teachers learning and then teaching teachers!  It was a great learning experience.

View The Images From Class

Failure Becomes A Good Story

The recent interview with CEO Phil Libin from Evernote provided some great insight into failure!  It wasn't until the 6:00 minute mark of a 7:44 interview that a blog post was born.



Mr. Libin explained:
"What's holding back entrepreneur in other countries is that they have a much less healthy attitude toward failure. It is seen as a much more permanent thing.  One of the great things America does right is we kinda celebrate it.  Failure becomes a good story.  As long as you haven't failed for something stupid.  As long as you've learned something and can demonstrate what you learned.  It's kinda celebrated.  It's healthy."

If I would have turned it off while he was talking about the design and where the company was going, I wouldn't have heard these powerful words.

So many times in education, whether it be from internal or external forces, we are taught that "failure is not an option."  In actuality, Mr. Libin's comments resonate that it is an option, as long as "it's not for something stupid."

Can we as parents and students, educators and administrators, accept this concept of failing?  Failing to the point where it drives us to learn something with a greater intent, create a better product, collaborate more openly, think more critically, and be more creative. This will push all of us to move past the failure into success.

Head Coach Bill Self recently stated after a loss by his basketball team that they were "the worst team ever at Kansas"

Failure.

Last night, they demolished their instate opponent, Kansas State!  Coach Self stated, "We have been so bad for about a week, but the guys showed up (tonight)."

Success.

Please allow your son/daughter, student, colleague, or yourself some failure.  Let's not "beat each other up or ourselves" for failure.  Let's not accelerate to "Defcon 5" Let's determine the path that will be needed to get back to success.  Let's celebrate it!

As long as it's not for stupid stuff.