Collaborating and Networking with the Nearpod Certified Educator Community
Think of your best lessons and the best teaching strategies you use. Then think of how critical your own professional learning network was in helping you with those lessons and strategies.
Collaboration and networking are so critical for a classroom teacher to be successful. This is why the Nearpod Certified Educator community is so very important!
Since joining Nearpod a few months ago as community manager, I’ve chatted via phone, email, and social media with a myriad of talented educators. I’m so happy to be the person responsible for networking them together as proud NCEs and awesome edtech enthusiasts.
You may have already seen our brand new landing page with quotes from 5 impressive Nearpod Certified Educator community members demonstrating the reasons why this professional learning network is valuable.
Linked on the landing page is an updated NCE Lesson Guide, which was designed to help any teacher leverage Nearpod more fully in their classrooms and excel in instruction.
Arguably the most interesting part of being Nearpod community manager is reading all of the different stories that new Nearpod Certified Educators tell of how Nearpod helped them solve common classroom problems.
Below are two NCE stories that recently caught my attention:
Lori McEntee
Nearpod Certified Educator, Bunker Hills Middle School
Washington Township, New Jersey
“Computers and Financial Literacy is a class with very mixed grouping, with students along a wide spectrum of achievement levels. Nearpod allows for student guided and paced learning which means that students can work at their own pace. This process has allowed me to keep all of my students engaged at the level that is best-fit for them.”
Erika Clerc
Nearpod Certified Educator, Port Chester Middle School
Port Chester, New York
“My students were starting book clubs, and with that comes 5 different choices in books. I wanted to provide background information to help students understand their book better. I didn’t know how I was going to do that with 5 different books! Then I thought ‘I can use Nearpod self-paced lessons!’ So that’s what we did! Students even got to experience the Swat Valley, where Malala lives, and the Great Barrier Reef, the setting of another book-club book.”
One of the best features of the NCE community is all of the support that community members give each other on the exclusive Facebook group.
Community members often share best use practices with each other. But the most popular post ever was when Rosie Fleming, from Liberty County Schools in Hinesville, Georgia posted:
“Submitted everything to become a Nearpod PioNear! Fingers crossed!”
There was an outpouring of support of the NCE community wishing her luck in achieving her personal goal. This was so great because community members were not acting in their own self-interest, but to support Rosie!
Some NCEs are also taking their commitment a step further and participating in a community directory where they list their bios and professional areas of expertise. The directory lives in the NCE Community guide, which is full of ideas to get members collaborating and supporting each other.
And there is more in the works. To make sure you stay plugged in to the benefits of the Nearpod Certified Educator community, apply here!
If you are still wondering what else the NCE community can do for you, I’ll leave you with a few parting words from current community members:
Rosie Fleming
Nearpod Certified Educator, Liberty County Schools
Hinesville, Georgia, USA
“The Nearpod Certified Educator community is a place where you get so much support from other NCEs and you can feel safe to ask questions, get feedback and suggestions all in one central location! You get immediate feedback on your question from several competent, highly trained individuals at your fingertips ready to respond at the click of a mouse. It is a valuable resource for those who want to learn how to get started with Nearpod now that they have gotten Nearpod certified. It is such a great place to get all kinds of information. The NCE Community is invaluable to its members and I am just so thankful to be a part of it!”
Adam Howard
Nearpod Certified Educator, East Central High School
Tulsa, Oklahoma
“The NCE community has become a key element of my personal learning network, and in turn, a catalyst for driving our school forward as we leverage everything Nearpod makes possible in the classroom. Having such an accessible way to collaborate with educators and see first-hand what they are able to achieve with Nearpod has not only increased the creativity in our teachers’ lessons but increased our confidence in student outcomes.”
Rachelle Dene Poth
Nearpod Certified Educator, Riverview Junior High School
Oakmont, Pennsylvania
“Becoming a member of the Nearpod Certified Educator Community has helped me to globally connect with other educators, which has opened a whole new world of learning experiences for my students. Through these connections, I have grown professionally and personally, and have a supportive community to help me to provide new, engaging and more immersive ways for my students to learn.”
As you can see, Nearpod Certified Educators connect and support each other to make sure we are all successful. If you are not an NCE yet, we hope you will join us very soon!
Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.
