Dear Padlet,
I hope this is not to forward of me, but: I love you.
I did not expect to love you. It was not love at first sight. Not even close. When I first met you, I was introduced by a few enthusiasts over the course of a year. You reminded me of the stickies feature on my computer, which I used at the time, but I didn’t feel a strong need for yet another tool just to facilitate public sticky notes. I was okay with just defaulting back to fairly linear/hierarchical discussion board posts for sharing. And I really love comments and threading, which wasn’t really your thing at all.
And then you grew, and I grew and here we are.
I dabbled here and there, but when the pandemic came around I spent more time playing with a variety of tools and there was a spark. I got some ideas. I kept putting you to the test in different contexts, and as long as I could beckon others to contribute, things were great.
Shall I share some of what I love? Some of what you have helped me accomplish?
I love the ability to organize content. To share content. And to have other people share and comment on content.
Take a look at this! It’s the “base” Padlet I created for a class! I used a shelf format, with a week by week layout. Each week I was able to link in resources that we would use in class and interaction spaces for class activities and homework (including other Padlets). I controlled the base Padlet structure, but set it so students could add resources to a given week as well. Everyone could comment and like, too. The sub-Padlets, set up for activities, could be set up in a variety of formats and ways. I remember doing a timeline activity, for example. Oh, and if I planned something for one week and we didn’t get to it? I could just cascade it to the next week’s shelf with a simple click and drag.
I also love the ability to share so many different media types and sources in one spot, along with a title and annotated commentary. Text! Images! Videos! Web sites, including other interactive tools — anything with a URL works! Even VoiceThreads! I mean, you can even embed from Spotify or record quick videos on your webcam.
It was great reading about your experience with Padlet. Thank you for sharing! I am not an avid user of Padlet but first discovered in about a year ago. It was confusing at first but I got the hang of it. I recently used it in April with a large group of 11th graders from all over the state for one of my events at the Florida Department of Education.
ReplyDeleteAfter making the post, I realized I wished we would have gone a little further with Padlet itself versus just having students post a photo of their work. We would have if there was time! One thing I realized was that my previous director wanted to integrate technology and this was a way...however, I felt incomplete because the students didn't actively engage with the technology and each other. It does make me feel a little better reading that you have experienced the same.
Anyways, I had not given Padlet much exploration so I appreciate learning more about its features through your post.
Ahah, what a lovely declaration! I cannot say I won't understand your love of Padlet. I first met Padlet after being ghosted by Zeef. No phone call, no explanation. Just a note on the website that, due to to multiple abuse, current users were no more able to create new curated pages on Zeef. That's the risk when you're too social.
ReplyDeleteBut even if Padlet a very popular platform now, it does not seem to have gone to its head. It stil looks like a basic platform with a vintage look. I gave it a try after my tough breakup with Zeek and I never turned back. Recently, when curating resources for our last assignment, I found that the team behind Padlet was made of lovely people who provided me with hidden data for free, to help me track views and visitors and understand how I could improve.
Thank you, Dr. Dennen, for this well-deserved tribute to Padlet. It's been quite a match for me too :-).