Pear Deck

Abstract

This article provides a review of Pear Deck which allows teachers to create interactive slide presentations. In this article, we first provide an overview of Pear Decks’ features and some background information about this tool. Then, we discuss its technological features as well as its pedagogical features. Next, we evaluate the teacher fit in terms of theoretical underpinning of this tool and how it can support student learning. We underline that Pear Deck might be beneficial in creating more student-centered and collaborative slide presentations and in allowing teachers provide their students with ongoing formative assessments. We also discuss how Pear Deck can address the needs of diverse group of learners which is crucial in the distant learning environment of COVID-19 pandemic when learners might feel more isolated and might need individualized help. In this respect, we point out that Pear Deck has some features such as Teacher Dashboard which allows teachers to monitor individual student progress and provide immediate tailored feedback. However, we note that some additional features such as student-takeaways, immersive reader and audio options for slides are only available in paid “Premium” version which limits the efficacy of the product.