Peardeck

Peardeck (https://www.peardeck.com/) is an interactive presentation tool that is like a combination of Powerpoint, Kahoot, and Poll Everywhere. Peardeck is a Google Slides add-on, so a Google account is required in order to use the platform. With Peardeck, the presenter can project their slides on learner devices. The learners see both the slides and interactive tools that they can use to engage with the presentation. The presenter can display all responses in real time in a number of ways to facilitate discussion. This tool was created in 2014, but I started using it about two months ago and have found it to be very useful and engaging. There is a free version available that has most of the functionality of the paid version, but very limited data collection. The premium version cost $149.99 per year and has more presentation and data collection controls. There are also school and district pricing structures available. Learn more about these here: https://www.peardeck.com/pricing .

Peardeck gives your Google Slides additional interactive options. There are different types of interactive slides including multiple choice, written response, drag-and-drop, and drawing. These interactive slides can be added to any Google Slides file. Peardeck does a nice job of providing guidance on how to use each type of slide in the comments section. There are also many slide templates that make it easy to create engaging Peardeck lessons on the fly. Once the lesson is complete, the presenter can share the lesson code with the learners. One downside is that all participants must have a Google account in order to use the platform. However, with all participants having Google accounts, presenters can keep track of user data easily with the paid version of the add-on.

This tool is ideal for creating engaging presentations when learners each have a device with which to respond. It is very powerful when used in a classroom or training scenario where all participants are in the same room, however this platform can just as easily be used as a webcast if learners are in different locations. Furthermore, there is an asynchronous option that is entirely self-paced an example of which is provided below. This tool is unique in the level of interactivity that it provides. With Peardeck, learners are not passive recipients of knowledge, but instead active collaborators in a collective learning experience. Peardeck can be used in any situation where a slideshow is used to increase engagement and interest.

Recently I used Peardeck to help my mentee improve student engagement in her Intensive Reading Class. I chose Peardeck because of the interactive and technological nature of the platform. I have provided an example of a lesson that I made to introduce the technology and to learn about one another. This is the self-paced version of the lesson, but In the actual lesson, all students were able to answer in real time and I was able to display their responses to promote discussion and increase engagement. Since then, the teacher has been using this platform to teach reading strategies at least once a week and has been getting positive feedback. I would recommend the premium version for use in a school setting as it has much more control over student activity and data collection that can be used as formative assessments. In order to view the lesson below, you will need to have a Google account.

https://app.peardeck.com/student/tgltivryi