Peardeck as a Tool to Increase Learner Engagement
Overview
This OER is an analysis of the Google Slides add-on Peardeck
Why did you select this technology for this project?
Peardeck is Google Slides add-on that allows educators to seamlessly integrate checks for understanding, retrevial practice, and fromative assessment into their lessons. Peardeck gives each learner an opporutnity to share what they know without the pressures of having to share in front of their peers. Peardeck gives educators the option to question students in real time while presenting content in a Google Slide.
I choose to highlight Peardeck for this project because I have seen first hand how effective this add-on is in the learning environment. The ability for educators and learners to recieve immediate feedback allows for the learning process to be conitually adjusted to meet the specific needs of a group individual learner. The use of this tool increased learners engagement during presentations because learners knew their understanding would be checked. The use of Peardeck makes learners active participants during presentations rather than passive participants.
Where can I see this being used?
Peardeck is being used at K-12 Districts, and Insititutions across the country. I was first introduced to this tool by Scott M. at Hilton HS during my student teaching experience. In Hilton CSD Peardeck is widely used by teachers and students have become acustom to the use of the tool while content is being presented via Google Slides.
Teachers at Hilton utilize this tool to create a variety of different checks for understanding that they are able to scatter throughout their Google Slide presentations. The teachers are able to use this feedback immediatly while students are answer the question and can use that feedback to determine if the class is ready to move on or if more instruction is needed. This feedback can also be saved and used for more indepth and individualized feedback on student learning. Teachers at this school also use the peardeck tools ability to assign a grade to a student performance during the presenation of a Peardeck.
What are its key features?
As previously mentioned, Peardeck allows teachers to ask students questions while moving through Google Slide presentations. One key feature that Peardeck has is that the students can move through the presentation at their own pace (Student Paced Presentation) or the teacher can lead the class (Instructor Paced Presentation) and each student follows along on their own device. The teacher will be prompted to choose what mode they would like to use and this can be seen in the picture below.
When creating a Peardeck presentation, Instructors have some choice in the types of questions that they would like to ask their students. Teachers will be able to choose from a total of six different types of questions including text, choice, website, draggable, draw, and numbers. Each one of these types of questions opens up vast amounts of possibilites for educators to get creative and engage their students. The question will automatically be prompted to students as they move through the slide show and the answers will be recorded for the teacher to view. Teachers can save these responses to review at another time.
How does it work?
- The first intial step that an educator will need to take to use Peardeck is to visit the Google Chrome Store and download the Peardeck add-on by clicking "Add to Chrome." I have included the link here for convience: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pear-deck/dnloadmamaeibnaadmfdfelflmmnbajd?hl=en.
- Once you have downloaded the add on you will need to find or create a presentataion and brainstorm some questions that you may want to add for your students. Now that you have some questions that you want to ask you will find the "Add-on" tab at the top of your Google Slides screen. You will then manouver through the menu until it prompts to click the "Open Peardeck Add-on."
- A menu will open on the right side of your screen with the options for the various types of questions that you can ask your students. You are now ready to insert whatever question that you would like into your Google Slide presentation. There is no limit to the amount of questions that you can ask your students. Once you're ready to present you will click the "Start Lesson" button and choose which type of presentation you would like to do, Student-paced or Instructor-paced. A code will appear and students will be able to join your Peardeck!
How does it work for educational purposes?
The value that Peardeck provides to educators is undeniable. Teachers can use this platform to create interactive and engaging presentations that aim to enage every student in your classroom and get them to participate in the classroom activity. Peardeck specifically serves as a type of formative assessment that provides valuable feedback to educators during the course of a lesson.
Peardeck helps teachers to evaluate everyone including students that don't typically participate in the classroom. For example, when I was student teaching I discovered Peardeck and began to employ it in my classroom. In this classroom, just like every other classroom, I had groups of students who didn't actively particpate. What I found when using this tool was these students began to be more engaged and would even be excited to see their answers up on the board. In some instance I had these students asking me to read their answers to provide them with feedback on what they put. Keep in mind just days prior these students were not engaged in the same type of presentation and did not particpate. By mindfully integrating this tool into my presentations I was able to create a better and more effective learning environemnt for my students.
What are the future uses and implications of this technology in the context of three education levels: K-12, Higher Ed, Corporate?
As technology continues to be integrated into classrooms across the world so will the use of add-ons and edtech tools such as Peardeck. Peardeck allows quick and effective feedback for both educators and learners which was not previously possible with the traditional paper and pen setting. This is the goal of integrating technology into classrooms, enable educators to provide learning opportunites not previously possible without technology. This tool will continue to grow in education and create learning opportunites.
There are no limits to what types of presentations or what types of settings that Peardeck can be integrated into. It is easy to use and very straightforward allowing it to be used by even the least tech-savy individuals. This technology will contribute to the transformation of our educational institutions and it is likely that it will weave its way into the corperate educational setting as well.
What are the challenges/downsides to using it and what tips can you give users to deal with these?
- There are not many downfalls to using Peardeck, but there are a few things to keep in mind when using this add-on. One thing to consider is that every user will need to have a google account to be able to join the Peardeck. This is not an issue in many K-12 schools, but higher ed insititutions and at the corperate level it is not guaranteed that each learner will have an google account. Google accounts are very and easy to create so this isn't a significant barrier.
- Another consideration is that there is a paid version of Peardeck, but it is not requried to use the base version of the add-on. There are six total tools that can be used and with the free version of Peardeck you will have access to four out the the six tools.
- Lastly a challenge that teachers may face with Peardeck is students working at different paces. When creating questions with Peardeck you will want to consider this and plan for it. My reccomendation is to keep most questions simple checks for understanding with a longer or increasingly difficult question at the end of the presentation.
My views on OERs.
Open Education Resources (OERs) are a valuable part of the collaborative nature of education. Allowing educators to share content, ideas, and materials in a medium that encompasses thousands of differnet types of resources is a valuable resource. OERs provide immediate and continued access to tons of resources of educators. OERs foster collaboration amoungest educators by allowing them to share materials that can then be adapted, improved, and shared again. OERs are another way that technology is working to push forward and improve our eductional systems.