The Power of Integration: Pear Deck Learning and GoGuardian Teacher in Action

Keeping students focused and engaged is harder than ever. Too many platforms, too many logins, and too many digital distractions leave students frustrated and teachers scrambling to hold attention. For Dr. Cecelia Gillam, Ed.D., who teaches AP Environmental Science and Honors Biology at Benjamin Franklin High School in Louisiana’s Orleans Parish Public Schools, these challenges were daily realities.

Like many teachers, she wanted her students to succeed but found that fragmented tools made participation inconsistent. That’s when she began pairing Pear Deck Learning and GoGuardian Teacher to bring everything into one flow, and discovered that what once felt like several platforms could finally work as one.

Too many platforms and distractions

Dr. Gillam didn’t always picture herself in the classroom. She started college in engineering and pre-med before a friend suggested she might make a great teacher. Once she switched into education, she knew she had found the right path. Two decades later, she’s still teaching, and still just as committed to helping every student succeed.

But commitment alone wasn’t enough when every lesson required her students to juggle multiple platforms. Too many logins and websites left them frustrated, while digital distractions pulled them away from the task at hand. 

“GoGuardian Teacher is the guardrails I use to keep them in check. Otherwise, they’re shopping or doing other people’s work in your class. I can turn it on, and everybody’s doing what they need to because they know I can check in on them.”

That’s why Dr. Gillam uses both Pear Deck Learning and GoGuardian Teacher to create a single instructional flow, reducing the number of platforms her students had to juggle while giving her a reliable way to keep them on task.

One system that works together

Pear Deck Learning is the backbone of Dr. Gillam’s instruction, while GoGuardian Teacher is the set of guardrails that holds everything in place.

She uses Pear Start to launch lessons, Pear Deck to present content, Pear Practice to bring students together for collaboration, and Pear Assessment for daily checks. “I use all of them in my class. I love the drawing slides. I enjoy watching them do that in Pear Practice because it gets the conversations going.”

GoGuardian Teacher supports each step by creating structure. “We have a Pear Deck scene,  Pear Assessment scene, and Pear Practice scene. They know that’s all I want them to be on. Otherwise, there are just too many distractions, and the kids can’t help it.”

Because of the integration between GoGuardian Teacher and Pear Deck, she can also launch Pear Deck lessons directly inside GoGuardian Teacher. Students no longer need join codes, and she can move them into the activity right away. “I’ll also use it to push a kid into the spot I want them to be on.”

As she explains to her students, what once felt like several different tools now feels unified. “With this, it’s really one website, just with three different parts. I think it makes things a lot easier for them.”

Differentiating with structure and support

Dr. Gillam also uses GoGuardian Teacher and Pear Deck Learning together to differentiate instruction. “I can give dedicated practice sets, or when I do small groups, I know who to focus on. GoGuardian Teacher lets me put a certain group of kids in a certain scene. Not everybody is doing the same thing, and that feature makes it easier for me to have five doing one thing while keeping them focused.”

She ensures students who miss class don’t fall behind. “When kids are absent and they miss the lesson, I can post the link to the Pear Deck reflect and review so anybody can get it. They always feel safe and secure in that. I find  students will even do the practice sets on their own sometimes without me assigning them because they like it.”

Pairing GoGuardian and Pear Deck Learning

For educators who only use GoGuardian Teacher, Dr. Gillam is clear about the value of pairing it with Pear Deck Learning. 

“GoGuardian and Pear Deck Learning just vibe and gel together. It’s the perfect pairing. I would tell those who haven’t tried them together yet to get in there and try it. I’m telling you, their students are going to like it. Every screen is their screen. Every seat is preferential because my screen is your screen.”

Integration that supports every lesson

Dr. Gillam’s story is not about adding more tools. It is about connecting instruction and classroom management in ways that make teaching more effective. Pear Deck Learning gives her interactive lessons and visibility into student understanding. GoGuardian Teacher ensures students stay where they need to be so learning can continue without disruption.

“GoGuardian is the cherry on top of the cake because I can keep students right where I need them to be with little issue. Once you try both, chances are you’re not going back.”

Together, the two platforms create a classroom where focus is consistent, participation is routine, and students are accountable for their learning. For Dr. Gillam, that combination has turned daily challenges into a system she and her students can rely on.