Last Updated on May 4, 2023
Introduction
If you are an educator or a presenter, you always look for innovative presentation tools to boost audience engagement and make learning more interactive. With the digital revolution and the proliferation of online learning, the demand for versatile and engaging presentation tools has grown significantly. This comprehensive blog post will delve into Pear Deck, a presentation tool that has garnered attention for its interactive capabilities.
We will explore its features, discuss its pros and cons, and compare it with other popular presentation tools. By the end, you’ll be equipped to decide if this is worth trying.
What Is Pear Deck?
Pear Deck is a dynamic, web-based presentation tool that fosters student engagement and enhances learning experiences. Developed with educators in mind, This allows you to create interactive and customizable presentations, promoting active participation from your audience.
The platform seamlessly integrates with popular learning management systems (LMS) like Google Workspace for Education and Microsoft Teams, making it a versatile option for classrooms and virtual training sessions.
Features Of Pear Deck
1. Interactive Slides
One of Pear Deck’s most notable features is its interactive slides. Unlike static slides, This slides enable students to participate actively during a presentation. With a variety of question types to choose from, including multiple-choice, text response, numeric input, and draggable icons, presenters can create a more immersive learning experience for their audience.
2. Student Engagement
This excels in promoting student engagement. The platform’s real-time response feature allows presenters to view student responses as they come in, fostering discussion and promoting more profound understanding. Additionally, teachers can share anonymized student responses with the class, encouraging peer-to-peer learning and collaboration.
3. Formative Assessment
With this, presenters can collect valuable data during their sessions. The platform enables formative assessment through its interactive slides and real-time response tracking, allowing educators to monitor student progress, identify areas of struggle, and adapt their instruction accordingly.
4. Customization And Flexibility
This offers a range of pre-made templates designed by educators, ensuring that the content is pedagogically sound. However, users also have the option to create their slides from scratch, enabling maximum customization and flexibility. Presenters can embed videos, images, and other multimedia elements into their presentations, making them more engaging and visually appealing.
5. Integration With Learning Management Systems
This seamless integration with popular LMS platforms like Google Workspace for Education and Microsoft Teams makes it an ideal choice for educational institutions. By integrating with these platforms, this allows educators to easily manage their presentations, assignments, and grading within their existing LMS infrastructure.
6. Accessibility And Inclusivity
Recognizing the importance of inclusive learning environments, this is committed to accessibility. The platform meets Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA and offers various features to support diverse learners, such as screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, and closed captioning.
Cost And Price Plans
These offers three cost and price plans:
A. BASIC
- Free
- Design interactive lessons with polls, quizzes, and assessments
- Compatible with Google and Microsoft tools
- Anonymously control the pace of the class and project student answers
- Anonymously enable students to join a session without email login
- Ready-to-teach templates and immersive reader
B. INDIVIDUAL PREMIUM
- $149.99/year
- View and highlight student responses by name with the Teacher Dashboard
- Support remote and asynchronous work with Student Paced mode
- Add Draggable and Drawing responses
- Capture and share student progress with Reflect & Review
- Add Audio to Slides and provide feedback to individual students during a lesson with Teacher Feedback
- Use the Shared Teacher Dashboard to share Session controls and valuable student insight with other designated educators
C. SCHOOLS & DISTRICTS
- Custom pricing
- Premium features for every teacher and student
- No hidden fees for data storage or content
- Efficacy Reports for real-time usage and data
- Custom professional development and training options
- Dedicated support for onboarding and implementation
- LMS integrations with Canvas and Schoology (included with District subscription; fee applies for School subscription)
Pros And Cons Of Pear Deck
A. Pros
1. Enhanced student engagement
This interactive slides and real-time response tracking promote active participation and collaboration, resulting in better student engagement.
2. Customizable content
With pre-made templates and the ability to create slides from scratch, presenters can design their presentations to meet specific learning objectives.
3. Easy integration with LMS
This compatibility with popular learning management systems simplifies managing presentations, assignments, and grading.
4. Effective formative assessment
The platform’s interactive slides and response tracking features allow for ongoing evaluation, enabling educators to adapt instruction as needed.
5. Accessibility and inclusivity
This commitment to accessibility ensures all students can participate in the learning experience.
B. Cons
1. Learning curve
Some users may find the platform’s interface and features to have a moderate learning curve, requiring time to become proficient in using this.
2. Internet dependency
This requires a stable internet connection as a web-based tool, which could be a limitation in areas with poor connectivity.
3. Limited slide design options
While this focuses on interactivity and engagement, some users might find its slide design capabilities limited compared to other presentation software solutions.
Pear Deck For Google Slides
This for Google Slides offers a solution by transforming traditional presentations into dynamic, interactive classroom conversations. This powerful add-on lets you add formative assessments and interactive questions directly to your Google Slides presentations.
A. Benefits
- Seamless Integration with Google Slides
- Enhanced Student Engagement
- Real-Time Feedback and Assessment
- Easy Collaboration
- Access to Pear Deck Templates
B. How To Get Started?
Here is the process of starting with this and using its features to boost student engagement.
1. Setting Up Pear Deck In Google Slides
To begin, open a new or existing presentation in Google Slides. If you’re new to Google Slides, you can easily upload your PowerPoint or Keynote lessons and convert them to Google Slides format.
2. Install The Pear Deck Add-On
Next, install the Pear Deck add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace. Once installed, launch the Pear Deck sidebar within Google Slides by clicking “Add-ons” in the top menu, selecting “Pear Deck,” and choosing “Open Pear Deck Add-on.”
3. Incorporating Formative Assessments
This offers a library of templates designed by educators to support learning objectives. These templates include bell ringers, checks for understanding, and exit tickets. To use a template, drag and drop it into your presentation for instant engagement.
4. Creating Custom Questions
To tailor your presentation to your needs, create custom activities or questions from scratch. Pear Deck offers various question types, including Text, Number Response, Multiple Choice, and Web Slide questions. Upgrade to Pear Deck Premium and access Drawing and Draggable™ response types for more advanced options.
5. Adding Audio To Slides
With the Pear Deck add-on, you can enhance your slides with audio recordings. Record instructions, explanations, or examples directly within Pear Deck or upload pre-recorded audio files. These recordings will play during the Student View of your live presentation sessions, making them perfect for remote learning lessons.
6. Presenting With Pear Deck
Start your presentation and have students join your session using any device with a web browser. Display student responses anonymously on the classroom projector to facilitate safe, judgment-free discussion and learning.
7. Utilizing The Teacher Dashboard
The Teacher Dashboard enables you to monitor individual student responses in real time. Adapt your teaching based on student understanding, and encourage learners to help each other by discussing varying perspectives and strategies. The Teacher Dashboard allows you to provide targeted support and feedback to students as needed.
8. Inviting Collaborators To The Shared Teacher Dashboard
For educators using Pear Deck Premium, the Shared Teacher Dashboard feature allows you to collaborate with other teachers, student teachers, special educators, co-teachers, or substitutes. By sharing session controls and access to student insights, you can work together to address the diverse needs of learners and provide a more effective and engaging learning experience.
How Does Pear Deck Compare To Online Presentation Tools?
When comparing Pear Deck to other popular presentation tools, such as PowerPoint Presentation, Google Slides, and Prezi, it’s vital to consider the needs of your audience and the context in which you’ll be using the tool. While Microsoft PowerPoint presentations and Google Slides offer more robust design capabilities, and Prezi is known for its unique zooming feature, Pear Deck’s strength lies in its focus on interactivity and student engagement.
For educators and presenters looking to create an immersive learning experience, Pear Deck’s interactive slides and real-time response tracking offer a significant advantage over traditional presentation tools.
FAQs
Is Pear Deck a free presentation software?
Pear Deck is not entirely a free presentation software, but it does offer a free version with limited features. The free version of Pear Deck allows you to create and deliver interactive presentations. Still, it restricts the number of slides you can use, the types of interactive questions you can add, and the ability to see student responses in real time.
Is Pear Deck and Presentation Screen Master the same?
No, Pear Deck and Presentation Screen Master are not the same.
Pear Deck is an interactive presentation tool that allows teachers and presenters to engage their audience through interactive slides that can be customized with various activities such as quizzes, polls, and drawing responses. It is primarily used in educational settings and integrates with Google Slides.
On the other hand, Presentation Screen Master is a presentation software that allows presenters to display their content on multiple screens, manage and control the presentation remotely, and annotate the content in real time. It is a versatile tool used in various settings such as business meetings, conferences, and classrooms.
Can I use Pear Deck for remote learning?
Absolutely! Pear Deck cloud based presentation tool is well-suited for remote learning environments, as it enables educators to create presentations that can be shared with students virtually.
Is Pear Deck compatible with my LMS?
Pear Deck integrates seamlessly with popular LMS platforms like Google Workspace for Education and Microsoft Teams. If you’re using a different LMS, it’s worth checking with Pear Deck’s support team to confirm compatibility.
Can I use Pear Deck with my existing PowerPoint or Google Slides presentations?
Yes, Pear Deck offers a Google Slides add-on and a PowerPoint Online integration that allow you to add interactive elements to your existing presentations, enhancing them with Pear Deck’s exciting features.
How can I get started with Pear Deck?
To use Pear Deck, visit their website and create a free account. Once you’ve created your account, you can access Pear Deck through your web browser or install the Pear Deck add-on for Google Slides or the integration for PowerPoint Online. From there, you can create interactive presentations using Pear Deck’s professionally designed presentation templates or add interactive elements to your existing or future presentations.
Can I collaborate with other educators when creating presentations using Pear Deck?
Pear Deck’s integration with Google Workspace for Education and Microsoft Teams enables collaboration between educators. You can share your presentations with colleagues, allowing them to contribute content and provide feedback. Pear Deck’s pre-made templates can also serve as a starting point for collaborative presentation design.
Conclusion
Pear Deck is an innovative presentation tool that promotes student engagement and facilitates formative assessment. It is considered one of the best presentation tools today. With its interactive slides, real-time response tracking, and seamless LMS integration, Pear Deck has carved a niche in the world of presentation tools. However, there may be better fits for users who prioritize slide design capabilities or have limited internet access.
In conclusion, Pear Deck is worth trying if you’re an educator or presenter seeking to boost audience participation and create more dynamic learning experiences. While it may not be the ideal tool for every situation, its focus on interactivity and student engagement sets it apart from other presentation platforms. What are you waiting for? Try Pear Deck and elevate your presentation skills now!
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