Nearpod vs. Unique Learning System

Nearpod works great in any classroom, but the presentation must be projected or each student must have access to a internet connected device.

Incentivized

Unique Learning System is well suited for students in self-contained classrooms who need to access grade-level curriculum. I would love to see more life skills incorporated for students who are working on functional skills. It doesn’t translate well to the general education classroom for students who go to inclusive settings.

Incentivized

• Provide timely and individualized feedback.
• Allow for the teacher to check for understanding, for the entire class, in one view.
• Present an array of different interactive lesson items, at the fingertips of every student.

Incentivized

• differentiated reading levels with picture support
• constantly updated articles and materials
• ease of login for students with disabilities
• broad variety of topics
• easily accessible games for students of all cognitive levels

Incentivized

• The notes feature in Nearpod sometimes has bugs that can be bothersome.
• The free version of Nearpod is limited, and missing some of my most favored features.
• Becoming proficient at lesson creation outside of Google Slides can take some time until you have mastered the learning curve.

Incentivized

• I would like the print options to be easier to use. I wish I could create a file of the pages I want to print instead of downloading the entire PDF across multiple levels and picking and choosing. My students do not all have digital access due to a variety of reasons and print is a better option for many.
• I would like Unique Learning System to offer shared licensing. We have classrooms of 6 students where there may be 1 teacher, 5 paraprofessionals, 1 BCBA, 1 SLP, 1 OT, etc. It is a group effort to prepare learning materials for the students and deliver the instruction. I would prefer the licensing to be by student instead of by teacher, it takes a village.
• I dislike how complicated materials have become with courses, the library, the units, etc. I wish there was a way it could all be organized a little better. I would also love small graphics to be paired with the materials so I don't need to open everything to find what I am looking for. Such as in the Transition Portfolio section.

Incentivized

Goal is to continue our subscription for the 2019-2020 school year

Incentivized

While there is some learning curve to fully understand and know how to lead a lesson with Nearpod, once mastered successfully, Nearpod lessons are simple to create and deliver. When leading a lesson, it is relatively simple to see how everyone in the class performs and how well they participate and understand.

Incentivized

I’ve been using Unique Learning System for about 12 1/2 years. And I feel like I am very well-versed and all of the different features. I will say it did take me time to get to this comfortability level. However, if you aren’t afraid to explore and learn, then it will be very easy for you to Figure out

Incentivized

The support staff for Nearpod is top-notch. I have not had technical issues, but I did have a concern about my bill and they reached out to me nearly immediately to address the problem. I was very satisfied with how they handled the interaction from beginning to end. They did a great job.

Incentivized

The individuals helping have always been great. The response to requests for changes in functionality or reporting less so.

Incentivized

Outside of Miro, Nearpod is my favorite program for leading a lesson. If I am presenting, and not requiring my students to perform any activities, then I really like Miro for presentations. If I have a large class, then I still prefer Nearpod to all others. Additionally, the more certain I am of what I want to do when, the more I like using Nearpod for lessons.

Incentivized

Unique Learning System is by far easier to utilize. The Vizzle system was fraught with issues for me and the students just used their learning online systems as games and clicked through to the finish with total disregard to what the computer was asking or saying to them. They did not have as much available for level one students and you could not easily assign work or print materials as you can in Unique Learning System.

• Nearpod has a positive impact on my students because they learn while using technology vs. traditional method.
• My students' scores have improved ever since I've started implementing the consistent use of Nearpod.
• I cherish the fact that the teacher is in control but the activities are all student centered and fully engages them.

Incentivized

• There has been nearly 100% improvement in data collection for teachers who began implementing Benchmark assessments and Unit Checkpoints. Many teachers don't have the time or capacity to create their own data tracking tools - if it's not provided, it falls through the cracks.
• When content is applicable, Unique Learning System saves on planning time immensely. It is a grab and go resource, but also customizable based on student needs.
• I like how the checkpoints are modeled in a similar fashion to our Florida Alternate Assessment. This helps students practice how to test take throughout the year.

Incentivized