Why I chose Padlet
I’ve worked with Padlet before and even had to create one for an assignment in my teacher certification program, but I chose this over Slack because I never really learned how to use the tool to collaborate and because the Marzano facilitators that have been working with our school rely heavily on Padlet. As such, our teachers are becoming somewhat familiar with it which will make it easier for me to promote it in my PLCs as a collaboration tool. It even made an appearance at a recent county-wide teachers conference, and since it seems to be catching on. I would rather ride that wave than try to introduce something new.
Having said that, I loved working with Padlet in relation to Module 2. While I learned how to create a Padlet in the past, I never really understood how to use it to my benefit. I even had it in my to-do list (for a few years, actually) to watch YouTube or something to try and crack the code. Module 2 did that for me, and it was a revelation. I now see how I can use Padlet in my PLC, in my classroom instruction, and as a communication tool with my parents and guardians.
Padlet in the Classroom
I see so many classroom uses for this. Distance learning assignments can be accessed and submitted without the need for parents to travel to and from the school. Extra credit and preferred activities could have their own columns, reducing the amount of time students spend out of their seats or wandering the room. We could use Padlet to blog and microblog in a totally private environment. Should my Japanese class come to fruition, I can record and post video lessons and link to other resources to help my students with language acquisition. As the students become more familiar with this and other similar resources, they could begin using them for their own scholastic and personal projects. The sky really is the limit with Padlet.
Padlet as a Collaboration Tool
Currently, my Professional Learning Community collaborates via in-person meetings and email, which leaves everything to individual memory, stacks of email, and piles of paper with no good system for keeping track of them. With Padlet, we’ll be able to post our projects, information, and communication in an organized fashion. What I’ve created for this assignment is a basic template that we can improve upon later, once school is back in session and our PLC starts having regular meeting. I added a section for Arizona resources since the three grades in my PLC all cover Arizona in our state Social Studies standards, an Intervention section for shared resources, and a miscellaneous section for, well, miscellaneous stuff. I expect the tool will evolve once my other PLC cohorts are on-board.
And like our facilitators from Marzano, Padlet could be used to help create international cohorts for collaboration with teachers in different states and countries.
The Required Elements
We were required to include six different elements represented under four columns for our Module 2 assignment. Under the Overview column I included a text-only post and a voice recording. Under the Arizona Resources column, I included a link to an outside website and a PDF document. Under Intervention, I included a link to an outside website and a Google Doc. Under Miscellaneous, I added an embedded video from YouTube and another PDF document. My “collaborator” was one of my other Padlet accounts, which posts under my real name. The post from that account ended up under Overview, and the comment can be found on the Google document under Intervention.
Here’s what my Padlet looks like now, but I expect it will undergo major changes once it becomes a part of our PLC at the beginning of the school year. I’m considering creating a new page for a reading PLC with the K-3 teachers and our Title 1 staff, providing they are willing to collaborate. If you want to keep up with it, you can find it here. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think.