Digital Tools to Support Writing Development

Padlet

Researched by Hannah Barkey

What is it?

Padlet is an online tool that teachers and students can safely use to communicate and share ideas. It is essentially a virtual bulletin board. It is a great way for students to share notes, photos, videos, links, and audio clips. With a free account, teachers can make up to 3 projects, which may not seem like a lot. However, because of the flexibility of the tool, it is possible to have one Padlet to share resources throughout the entire school year. If a teacher would like to make more than 3 padlets, they must pay a monthly fee of $8.25. This will upgrade the account so that the teacher can make an unlimited amount. Which may be beneficial, as Padlet can be used for any grade and subject. The website is completely adaptable. Students can access Padlet on any device if they have the link. Teachers can choose what they want their Padlet to be. Posts can be either teacher- made, student- made, or both! Students can add text through typing on Padlet, but they can also record their voice, add a hyperlink, photos, and even documents! Since there are so many paths to choose from and material to add, the possibilities of this tool are endless!

Example of a teacher- made Padlet on the topic of Roald Dahl. As you can see, this Padlet incorporates different subjects including math, science, and reading. The teacher shared many resources such as linked websites, stories, and videos.

Research supporting padlet

Padlet allows students to write for real audiences, and promotes high levels of student interactions. It also encourages high levels of personal responsibility and ownership of writing projects. Finally, Padlet encourages students to self-reflect and evaluate their own work. All of these aspects are best practices in writing instruction (Graham & Harris, 2019, p. 14). Padlet is also referred to as a noteworthy presentation app by Rachel Karchmer-Klein on page 202 of Best Practices in Writing Instruction.

How to Set Up Padlet

This 12 minute video talks about how to set up a Padlet for classroom use. Here are some important takeaways:

Organization:

Freeform: Posts can be placed anywhere and can even be different sizes.

Stream: Each post is placed below the other.

Grid: The posts will be placed in a square grid- like layout.

*Stream is recommended, as it is the most organized. In a stream post, responses will be chronological order, and students won't be able to write their posts on top of each other.

Safety Settings

You can adjust the safety settings to meet your own level of comfort. You can chose to make the Padlet:

1. Private: only you and people you add by email can access it

2. Password Protected: visitors will be required to enter a password before viewing), hidden link (the padlet has a public link

3. Hidden link: the Padlet will be available to the public, but the link will be hidden on Google

4. Totally Public: The padlet will show up on Google searches and on the Padlet home page.

The many uses of padlet

Listed below are a few examples of how I would use Padlet in the classroom.

Storyboards

Padlet allows students to create dynamic multimodal stories. This is a great way for students to practice writing personal accounts, professional presentations, and interactive stories. Students must conceptualize content and apply what they have learned about a genre (Karchmer- Klein, 2019, p. 200). Using a grid layout, students can add text, images, and videos to map out their own creative writing. You can easily embed graphics, text and videos. This is great practice for students to be aware of audience and share their work with others!

Portfolios

Portfolios allow the teacher to observe growth in their student over a span of time. I like to use portfolios to show student growth throughout the school year. To create a portfolio on Padlet, teachers can select any post made by a student, select the "transfer" option, and add posts to the "Backpack" of each student. This way, throughout the school year the teacher is able to pick and choose student work to add to the portfolio. I also think it is a great idea to conference with students and show them their growth! It's a great way for them to identify their own strengths and weaknesses.

Backchannels

Padlet allows students to create a real- time digital stream that allows students to respond to classroom discussions. Using the stream layout, students can post questions and summarize learning and upload it to Padlet. Backchanneling motivates students, and also keeps them engaged in lesson. It requires them to think about the content and report on it during class time (Karchmer-Klein, 2019, p. 196). This is also a great way to foster a community of learners.

But wait...... there's more!

There are so many other uses for Padlet that can support student writing. It can also be used as a blog a launch pad for student independent work, a photo gallery, and even an interactive whiteboard! The possibilities are endless.

References

Graham, S. Harris, K. (2019). Evidence Based Practice in Writing. In Graham, S., MacArthur, A. C., Herbert, M. (2019), Best practices in writing instruction (3^rd ed.). New York, NY: The Guildford Press.

Karchmar- Klein, R. (2019). Writing with Digital Tools. In Graham, S., MacArthur, A. C., Herbert, M. (2019), Best practices in writing instruction (3^rd ed.). New York, NY: The Guildford Press.

Portfolios on Padlet. As retrieved from: https://padlet.com/blog/portfolios

Padlet: A Fantastic Teaching Tool: As retrieved from: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/how-to-use-padlet-fantastic-tool-teaching/

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