ETA: Padlet became an app today! Wahoo!
I have had a lot of success using Padlet for bellringer activities, silent discussions, exit tickets, and more. I chose Padlet for the #JulyiPadChallenge because of its ease of use and because it is truly “device agnostic;” teachers and students can use it across devices and platforms. It’s a great way for students to “show what they know,” which is our focus on Thursdays this month.
Formerly known as Wallwisher, Padlet lets students collaborate and contribute to a common space. Students don’t need to create an account, remember an ID/password, or log in. They just need to open the link I give them (I create the Padlet walls in my account) and then start adding to the wall! (See the image below for a glimpse of what that usually looks like in my class.)
The background and layout can be customized, and students can add both text, links, and images. More specifics and a lot of helpful info can be found here.
One of my favorite features of Padlet is that it instantly generates a QR code that I can project on my screen. (Select ‘mobilize’ under the Share/Export tab to generate the code.) All my students have to do is scan the code to open the wall. (I don’t have to e-mail, project, or Chirp the link, though any of those options would also work.) Chrome/Chromebook users, also note that there’s a Chrome app and a Chrome extension for Padlet.
It’s also super cool that there are so many options for saving and sharing once you are done with a Padlet wall; you can e-mail it, save it as a .jpg or .pdf, print it, or embed it. And you can also post it to Twitter, Pinterest, and a bunch of other platforms as well!
If you’ve never tried Padlet, today is your day! Let me know how you think you will use it in class!
ETA: I forgot to mention that since you can upload your own image to be the background of your Padlet wall, graphic organizers like these work really well for organizing your notes. Thanks, Erin, for the tip!
Digital Skills For Teachers 