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Nearpod is a teacher tool used to present information to students as live content or as an online slide presentation with enhancements like embedded virtual reality and assesment tools that give teachers real time feedback. Nearpod CEO Guido Kovalskys, who co-founded the company with Felipe Sommer and Emiliano Abramzon in 2012, described the startup’s products as: “Software and content that teachers can incorporate into their day-to-day instruction without any additional work.”
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Nearpod's main product is a platform for digitally enhanced slideshows that embed virtual reality and allow students to provide teachers with instant feedback on their understanding of an idea. Nearpod uses a "freemium" model that has brought an army of teachers on board and given it the momentum needed to move towards a fee-based structure paid by individual teachers or by schools or whole school districts.
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I started using Nearpod in my class over four years ago. I found that the biggest challenge was my own organization. Because we have to book out the iPads a week in advance, I often found that lessons would come and go as I waited to get the iPads and have my slideshow ready. A BYOD system would eliminate this issue, but this does not work well in the grade school environment. On the other hand, Nearpod has had a very positive impact on my lesson planning and organization. Now that I have my base set of presentations in place, I find that this structure helps create the organization I need to be a better teacher.
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