Four Things You Might Not Know about… Padlet
Welcome to “Four Things You Might Not Know About,” a series of short posts on edtech tools and ways they can be used.
Whether you’re teaching or being taught, it’s likely you’ve seen a padlet before. A padlet is a virtual board where people can collaborate in real time by sharing links, images, text and more. Padlets are created through the titular Padlet site, which offers both free and paid accounts.
Padlet’s Basic plan allows for three padlets at a time, with 25 MB of storage space. Despite these limitations, there are plenty of features available. Due to its intuitive design, many of Padlet’s “secrets” are hidden in plain sight in the menus. The variety of use cases makes Padlet useful for teachers of all ages and subjects.
On the professional development side, Padlet can be used to capture post-session feedback and to elicit ideas on a topic from an audience. Access through mobile devices makes audience participation easy, particularly when coupled with a clickable link on a shared slide, a QR code or a short link. Likewise, in the classroom, Padlet can be used for everything from bookmarks to “passion boards,” as seen in this Edutopia article on virtual community.
Read on for four more ideas on how to use Padlet!
1️⃣ You Can Use Padlet for Mind Mapping (and New Formats Help)
Padlet has always been a useful brainstorming tool. It offers a variety of templates, called “formats,” that dictate how posts are shared on the padlet itself. Some formats are organized into rows and columns; some formats are more open-ended. The most flexible, “Canvas,” can be used for mind-mapping.
With Canvas, posts can not only be added to the padlet and arranged into clusters and groups, they can also be connected with arrows. In this way, you can create mind maps for brainstorming, moving outward from a singular idea. These mind maps can even be collaborative, shared within a group or class. This would be especially good for a virtual class, as the padlet could be shown on screenshare as students access the site on their own devices.
2️⃣ You Can Create a Padlet Slide Show
Speaking of formats, the “Stream” format can be used to create an ad hoc presentation! Simply click the “Expand post” button in the menu, then use the arrows at the top of the screen to navigate the posts on your padlet. Check out this guide for more information.
3️⃣ You Can Use Padlet for Assessment and Voting
For assessment, you can enable reactions, which range from adding likes to letting viewers give numeric grades within a set range. Users can also react to their own posts, offering a chance for self-assessment. Likewise, the star-based reaction system could be used to offer mini-reviews of media (such as reviewing books listed on a virtual padlet bookshelf).
Reactions can be used for classroom votes as well. For example, the class could do a mind map or brainstorm for a group name or activity. From there, reactions could be turned on, allowing for an additional layer of feedback to that same padlet.
4️⃣ You Can Add a Surprising Number of File Types and Embeds to Padlet — Including Spotify!
While Padlet has always offered media-rich options for posting, the sheer number of connectors is impressive. There are images from Unsplash, GIFs from Giphy…. It’s worth looking into what’s available by clicking through the file types when you post.
One option that’s easy to overlook is Spotify. Spotify embeds could make for a fun activity. Imagine having everyone share a favorite song in a language class, or having the class build a playlist around a recent piece of literature studied in English. Sharing songs could even make for a good icebreaker.
About the blogger:
Jesika Brooks
Jesika Brooks is an editor and bookworm with a Master of Library and Information Science degree. She works in the field of higher education as an educational technology librarian, assisting with everything from setting up Learning Management Systems to teaching students how to use edtech tools. A lifelong learner herself, she has always been fascinated by the intersection of education and technology. She edits the Tech-Based Teaching blog (and always wants to hear from new voices!).
