Imagine...no more sticky notes! Countless times I have gotten home with a sticky note stuck to my shoe with a student’s hard work written on it. If only there was an easy way to discuss an idea on a common topic where students and teachers can quickly scan the thinking of the entire class. Wait...there is! It’s called Padlet!
Padlet is an online application that allows users with a specific link to post virtual sticky notes on a “wall” to discuss a specific topic. Not only can students post their thinking but they can also attach images, websites, documents, video, etc. I have used this application with adults at professional development trainings and with students in my classroom. There are premium packages for schools and businesses but the free version works great. This application is compatible with laptops, chromebooks, mobile devices and iPads.
This digital tool allows for many opportunities to enhance student learning. The second ISTE Student Standard (2017) is, “students use digital media to communicate and work collaboratively”. This learning tool allows students to share their thinking and comment on their peers’ ideas. When conducting research projects in my classroom, Padlet has been a great tool to share resources and findings. Doug Belshaw (2012) believes, when structuring lessons to integrate digital technology into a class, it is important to equally focus on individual interests and important issues. Padlet provides an outlet where students can interact and be social while communicating about important topics.
Dalton (2012) discusses how multimodality has changed how we communicate. We now have an interactive experience when we communicate using text, images, videos, and more. Padlet allows students to not only share their thinking using words but to also include other modalities. Multimodality not only increases engagement but also student understanding when reading their peers’ posts. Ryan, Scott, and Walsh (2010) described that when students used technology in a multimodal context it was, “intrinsically motivating and they felt very much at home with it” (p. 481). Some of my students that are more hesitant to take notes in their journal are quick to write a response in a Padlet.
Padlet is a strong resource to use in the classroom. Students work hard on their posts because they want their peers to see their best work. Students can cite their work by adding links or add to their work by including images, documents, videos and sound. The collaboration is key to students learning more and practicing constructive conversations that the Common Core State Standards expect. There are a couple of recommendations I would give to Padlet if they were hoping to improve their program. One thing that would be very helpful is to allow students to search for images directly though Padlet, similar to Google Apps. Instead students must paste a link to the image which can get confusing. Also, the submit button is very easy to select. Often times, my students submit early and need to go back to edit. This is a problem because their peers see the unfinished post and believe they are done. This leads to them responding to work that is not complete. The last function I would add is the ability to alter the font. When writing the instructions at the top and any post, it is nice to have access to bold, italics, and different sizes.
Do not allow these recommendations to deter you from trying this digital learning tool. The video below will give you a tour of Padlet’s easy to use interface.
References
Belshaw, Doug [Tedx Talks]. (2012 March 22). The Essential Elements of Digital Literacies.
[Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8yQPoTcZ78.
Dalton, B. (2012). Multimodal Composition and The Common Core State Standards. The Reading
Teacher, 66(4), 333-339.
ISTE Standards for Students. (2017). Retrieved February 3, 2017, from http://www.iste.org/
standards/standards/standards-for-students
Ryan, J., Scott, A., Walsh, M. (2010). Pedagogy in the multimodal classroom: an analysis of the challenges and opportunities for teachers. Teachers and Teaching: Theory & Practice, 16(4), 477-489.
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