Padlet (Instructional Technology)

Padlet is a tool that teachers can use in a hundred million different ways- that’s a lot, I know! Here are three different ways you could use Padlet in your classroom right now! 

1. As a Resource Hub
2. Self-Paced To-Do List
3. Discussion Board

My most common uses for Padlet with my 7th graders is as a To-Do list for a self-paced activity and as a formative assessment. Above is an embedded How-to-Guide on setting up both of these. You may also click {here} for a digital copy 🙂 

Padlet as a Resource Hub

Padlet’s “Shelf” design makes it so super easy for us to house a hub of resources for our kiddos. You could post student examples, templates, choices for engagement, etc. 

 

Padlet as a To-Do List

Because we do a lot of self-paced learning, I ask my students to follow a specific “to-do list”. Before Padlet, I was writing this to-do list on the board, but sometimes I would have a different to-do list for different classes, and having both on the board would cause major confusion. Now, I use Padlet for my to-do lists! [Click {here} to view one of my to-do lists for a self-paced lesson} 

Here is a short list of my favorite perks: 

1. Easy-to-Read format (step one is on the top, step two is under, etc.)
2.  Add videos or images to aid in your instruction 
3.  Add links to sites students need to visit to complete their assignment. 

 

 

 

Padlet as a Formative Assessment

Padlet is SUCH an easy way to gather a quick formative assessment. Students just click and begin typing! Click {here} to see an example from my class. 

Here is a short list of my favorite perks: 

1. All student responses are in ONE window –> HUGE grading time-saver! 
2. Print or Export feature for easy grading –> Another HUGE grading time-saver!
3. Student engagement (for some, it’s quicker than writing their assessment on paper and turning in). 
4. Collaboration- If you give Ss choices in their responses, other Ss are able to read the different responses after approval. 
5. Moderation Mode- As the “moderator,” you have the ability to leave a comment (by editing directly in their response- I use all caps, so they know what to delete) on the S’s response for them to correct BEFORE “approving” it for all Ss to read. 

Tips: 

1. I recommend setting your Padlet to “Moderate” mode. This way, you, the teacher, has control over what other Ss see. Only “approved” posts will be displayed on everyone’s screen. 
2. For the “layout”, I recommend the GRID setting. From experience, FREEFORM gets way too crazy and disorganized for my taste- especially for grading. 
3. If you have multiple classes, you may want to create a separate Padlet for each class so it doesn’t get too crowded. 
4. Add the link to Google Classroom for Ss to have easy access. 
5. You may also customize the url for your Padlet. 

Happy Posting!