Padlet for all!

You can use it for note taking, note sharing, brainstorming, anchor charting, organizational charts, retelling stories, showing their work or thought process, timelines, group work, discussions, the list goes on! You can upload your own pictures, images from the web, or just use words. So what is Padlet? Well it's basically a sticky pad or a cork board style website and app. As the teacher you can create the board and then share it with your students. You can use it to give students information to read, or you can give them the rights to write and post on the pad you share with them. It may seem like a lot of work, complicated, and maybe boring but honestly it is none of those things. It opens up a new kind of collaboration and a new kind of flipped instruction. So here's the 411 to get you started.

Go to padlet.com and create an account if you don't have one already. You'll have to click through a few screens but then it'll put you on your first Padlet to create. You'll have a task bar on your right hand side that will take you through setting it all up. Here's what it'll look like.

After modifying your Padlet you'll choose your People and Privacy settings as well as your options for sharing the created Padlet. This is probably the most important section.

Here is where you'll set your privacy for people searching on the web. You'll also give permissions here for if others will be able to read it only or write/ post to it. This is important for if you have kids posting, make sure you select that they can post.

Here you can add you kids' e-mails to it so they will get the invite to collaborate on it.

A QR code is handy!

From share you can get a link (to put in Google Classroom maybe or on Facebook to share with parents), along with your other sharing options that are more common. You also have the export option where you can save it a myriad of was. I think my favorite is the print option. Then you can write on it, grade it, and send it home for parents to actually see. OR if it's a really good one you can print it and turn it into a poster.

Check out this example I made as a lesson for my kiddos. You could have your kids create this instead though. (If you click on the image it'll take you to Padlet to see how it looks if you're just allowed to view.)

Now let's try one together where you can post a response. So click the image to go to the pad or click here  and double click on the pad. Enter your answer about your favorite holiday tradition- any holiday, any tradition. You'll notice when you double click you have

the option to type an answer and add attachments such as add audio, add video, add an image.

Padlet is a lot of fun for teacher and student and overall it's easy. I hope you check it out and test it out with your kiddos.

Till next time techies!

You don't use Kahoot? Here's why you should.

We know kids love games but we also know that kids have to study. It's difficult or at least was for me when I taught 4th grade to get them to do a paper based review of concepts to prep for a quiz or test... then I started using Kahoot! I started off using it for review purposes but ended up also using it for pre-assessments, review, and informal assessments. Here are some reasons you should try it out.

1. There are HUNDREDS of pre-made games.

Login to the teacher side, in the search box type what topic you want and peruse away!

2. You can preview the questions of pre-made games.

Before you add a game to your favorites to save for later use, you can preview the questions to make sure the game is up to snuff.

3. You can make your own games.
Can't find a game you like? Have really good questions but they're on a boring worksheet? No problem, just make your own game. It's super easy to do on the teacher side.

4. You can upload images for the questions.
Visuals help our ELL students but also our ALL students and you can add the perfect picture to help them understand the question.

5. No paper involved!
Think about all you'll save- prep time, passing out time, grading time, passing out again time. Just grab your clipboard and take down observation notes as the kids play.

6. Very user friendly, for the kids and for the teacher.
For the kids there's very little they have to type in. When they select the answer, it's a colored shape not a number or letter answer choice.

For the teacher, when you login you are taken to your dashboard. From here you can create a game or search for games. You can also view your favorite saved games on your dashboard. When you start a game Kahoot! generates a join code, kids join and you just click "next" when prompted.

7. No password needed for the students (for real)!
Oh the time this saves! Kids will go to the website or just click on the Kahoot! app and type in a join code that they will get from your screen when you begin the game.

8. You can play on the website or on the app.
There is an app, it's super easy. The website is too though, it looks almost just like the app the only difference is kids will use a mouse or touchpad instead of a touch screen.

9. It's on a timer.
The game plays on a timer and you don't have to set it and keep track of it- brilliant!

10. There's catchy game show music.
How fun!

11. The kids get to pick their name when they log in.
A little whimsy with their learning, eh?! This helps keep anonymity and a risk-free environment.

12. While they answer, you can easily spot that kid that's waiting to see what the people around them are choosing.
Grab that clipboard and document away!

13. It's fun. It's differentiation. It keeps kids engaged.
It's a game. They get competitive. But ultimately, it's just a fun way to do school and take a break from the paper. It'll also keep some of your kids on task that otherwise aren't. It'll allow some to open up and show you they really do get it, just not so much the paper way.

14. It's a risk-free environment.
It's less formal and less stress (except for the ones that don't like competition). If that's the case in your room then don't make it about a contest or individual vs. individual. You can have them play 1-1 or as team vs. team. Kids can make code names for themselves to keep some anonymity. Since it's a game and you're just observing, kids don't feel as pressured about right or wrong answers. At the end of questions, if a majority got the question wrong, you can go over the answer.

15. You can play on any device.
Smart phone, tablet, Chromebook, desktop- it doesn't matter. They all work and for the student view, all look about the same.

So, do you have any reason not to try out Kahoot? If you're nervous to jump into it with your whole class, try it out with your small group or as teams instead so you have less devices to manage. It's a game changer and your kiddos will thank you for it.

Till next time techies!