Nearpod's Time to Climb is one of my favorite tools for increasing student engagement while quickly checking for understanding. In my experience working with elementary students, especially in literacy instruction, students respond really well to activities that feel interactive and game-based. Time to Climb turns simple review questions into a fun and motivating experience while still giving teachers valuable data about student learning.
This short training video walks teachers through how to create and launch a Time to Climb activity and shows how it can be used across different subjects and grade levels. Whether you're teaching literacy, math, science, or social studies, this tool offers a flexible and engaging way to reinforce learning.
Instructional coaching, to me, starts with relationships. Teachers need to feel supported before they are willing to try something new, so coaching is not about telling teachers what to do but about listening, collaborating, and helping them build confidence. In technology-rich classrooms, coaching plays an important role because simply having devices does not improve learning. Teachers need support connecting technology to clear instructional goals so it enhances learning rather than adding extra work. One idea that stood out to me throughout this process is the importance of starting with instruction, not technology, and using modeling and collaboration to make new strategies feel practical and achievable. As an Educational Technology professional, I see my role as someone who listens first and offers practical solutions that help teachers save time, increase engagement, and better understand student learning. I know coaching is successful when teachers feel more confident, students are more engaged, and collaboration among teachers becomes more common. Ultimately, instructional coaching is about supporting people, building confidence, and helping teachers grow so that students benefit from stronger instruction.