Beginner's Guide to Padlet

Although I've posted about Padlet before, I couldn't resist sharing materials I recently created for a presentation.  (Interested in a screencast about Padlet?  Check this out, created by my friend Jennifer Plourde.)

What is Padlet?  http://padlet.com/ is a website that allows users to build a wall that can be written on with “sticky notes.”  Users can post to the wall, adding words, links, pictures, or documents. Each wall has a unique URL that can be customized to be easier to find or to remember.

Want to write on a Padlet?  Add a post here!  To post, just double click anywhere on the page.  The top part of the note is  for your name, and the bottom part is for the answer to the question. 

Check out my last post about Padlet, which includes ideas for classroom use.

1.  Making an account

2.    Complete your profile.  Please note that user names need to be fewer than 15 characters. 

3.  The Dashboard

4.  Making a wall:  Create the Padlet

5.  Modify Your Wall (Part 1)

6.  Modify Your Wall (Part 2); Click “modify wall” or the gear to see the menus below

7.  Modify Your Wall (Part 3):  Privacy

8.  Some Considerations

• What is the purpose of the wall?  For a warm-up in the computer lab for example, you will not want to moderate posts, and can set appropriate expectations for posting.
• Do you want to password protect the wall?
• Do you want to link the page to your school website so that students can have easier access to the page?
• What sorts of projects could students create using padlet? 
• Do you want to embed a padlet on your web page?
• Do students know how to make accent marks for posting?
• Documents become pictures, so this is a great way to share documents but does not work well for document storage.
• Some walls from padlet website:  http://padlet.com/wall/vjuctipuqp, http://padlet.com/wall/PadCal

Five Solutions for Online Translators in the World Language Classroom

As a French teacher, I hated and loved internet translators. 

HATED: 

• Essays written in a native language, copied into translators, and turned in
• The past subjunctive used in level 1
• That in the past fifteen years, translators have improved

LOVED:

• The accessibility and availability of this tool 

How I both worked with and avoided translators:

1.  In-class drafts.  Almost all first drafts of essays were completed in class, in a "quick write" form.  This no-pressure first draft gave students the confidence to use the language and take risks.  Students would write for ten minutes in complete silence; after ten minutes, I would give the entire class five minutes to ask questions to peers and to me.  Repeat cycle.  After peer editing and a quick proofread from me, the prof, students would write the final draft at home. When grading, I would require students to turn in all drafts.

2.  Uncheatable homework.  Instead of the typical worksheets, I gave a variety of choices for homework that was largely optional. When students completed assignments at home, they were based on interest and choice, and without the pressure of "zeros," homework was rarely copied or completed with online translators.

3.  Teaching dictionary skills.  I found that one of the reasons students would use internet translators was because they wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it.  I spent a lot of time teaching students HOW to use the dictionary, which requires a series of steps. I would also teach students how to use an online dictionary such as www.wordreference.com  An assignment I created is below. 

4.  Setting appropriate expectations with students about writing.  Another reason students would use translators was because they were frustrated by their smaller knowledge of the target language as compared to their native language.  With writing assignments, I gave very clear expectations that students would only use words they knew, and would give bonus points for using a certain number of new things; this rewarded students for trying to find new expressions while also relieving the stress of trying to write in the same way in two different languages. 

5.  Translator analyses.  Finally, in level 1, I gave an assignment for students to compare internet translators.  This was based on an activity by Deborah Blaz, and allowed us to discuss when and how to use translators and WHY they fail.  This activity is also below. 

How have you handled the use of internet translators in your own classroom? 

_______________________
Teaching Dictionary Skills

 

_______________________
Translator Analyses

 

 

 

Tips for Incorporating Technology Into the Classroom

I love using technology in the classroom. Here are some tips for its effective integration, especially for teachers who are just beginning to utilize these important tools.    

1.  Start small.  Begin with one assignment with one website.  Based on student feedback and results, your knowledge and use of technology will slowly increase over time.

2.  Demonstrate the technology the first time.  For example, if giving a “flipped” assignment, review the rubric and how to access the materials online, or if using Voki (www.voki.com), do the first assignment together using a class set of computers. That being said, I do not always “hand hold” the use of technology. Students always amaze me with their ability to figure things out. I also privately approach learners I suspect may need assistance.

3.  Utilize a technology “home base.” Creating a class website where students can access project links and materials makes it easier for students to complete assignments.  It is also a good idea to post project rubrics and templates so that tech-savvy students can type them instead.  Over time, this “home base” will evolve and grow.

4.  Embrace that most students know more about technology. When I give technology workshops, many teachers are overwhelmed with mastering the intricacies of websites and are afraid they will be unable to answer student questions.  Embrace that students know more, and encourage them to teach each other and you, the teacher.  This can greatly improve class culture, and the act of “letting go” demonstrates to students that you, too, are a learner.  

5.  Let students do the work.  If you want to create a series of videos for classroom use, assign them to students in small groups.  Later, save those videos to use with other classes.  Be sure to preview the videos before showing them to the entire class!   

6.  Ask students their opinions.  Some of the best assignment ideas come from students.  I often explain to students my idea for projects, then ask them how to make them more engaging and relevant.  Listening to their input can lead to greater choices within the assignment, and ultimately, more completion and better products.

7.  Give students choices for format. When assigning presentations, videos, or other projects, let students choose the technology. Instead of, for example, requiring the use of Prezi (www.prezi.com), Voicethread (www.voicethread.com), or Animoto (www.animoto.com), let students select the best way to meet the assignment criteria.  As part of the project rubric, require that students email you the link. (I would also, at times, give learners non-technology options too.)  Choice is a powerful motivator and a tool for creating independent learners.  

Important tip for world language teachers:

Teach students how to put accent marks into a variety of documents and web-based tools using laptops, desktop computers, tablets, and cellphones.  

Padlet: Online Wall for Collaboration

What it is:  http://padlet.com/ is a website that allows users to build a wall that can be written on with “sticky notes.”  Users can post to the wall, adding words, links, pictures, or documents.  Each wall has a unique URL that can be customized to be easier to find or to remember.  

Some questions and options to consider when building your wall:  

• Backgrounds:  Which fun background will you choose?
• Positioning of posts: Do you want them random or ordered? (I personally like them haphazard.)
• Access: Which visitors can access your wall?  Email invites only, password protected, public, or public and hidden?
• Power Can visitors view, add to, or edit the wall?  Will posts be moderated?
• Location:  Will you embed your wall into your webpage or blog or share the link?

What I like:

• Padlet is great for brainstorming or collaboration in real-time
• Users can create walls without accounts (but it is easier to track walls with an account)
• Walls can be password protected and moderated

What I dislike:

• Documents added to the wall are turned into pictures, so Padlet is not for document storage
• As each wall is only one page, they are best used for just one assignment
• In the past, I found that walls or “Wallwisher” would occasionally be unavailable, though I have not found that to be the case since this site became “Padlet”

Ideas for the World Language Classroom:

• Brainstorming session.  Give students a theme, like “vacations,” and ask them to add words, expressions, sentences, or paragraphs related to the topic.  This can be done in class while all in the computer lab, or at home for a homework assignment
• Project presentation.  Instead of a typical poster, student groups can use this wall to create a visual accompaniment to their project.  .
• Class opener/closer.  Begin or end a class (perhaps in the computer lab) by surveying students on their learning or interests
• Question(s) about reading.  Post questions about a homework assignment, and require students to answer the question and also respond or comment on the posts of classmates
• Advertising campaign.  Students create an infographic to convince users in the target culture to use a product  

Review in a nutshell:  Padlet is an easy-to-use, visual tool that is a great jumping-off point for online collaboration

Sample walls (from the Padlet website):

http://padlet.com/wall/vjuctipuqp

http://padlet.com/wall/PlacesToSee

http://padlet.com/wall/PadCal

Infographics: 5 Ideas for the WL Classroom

Infographics are a great way for students to create and present with the target language using twenty-first century skills.  To ramp up those skills (www.p21.org), ask students to collaborate in groups. These ideas also support the ACTFL 5 C’s (www.actfl.org) and the Common Core (www.corestandards.org).

1.  Class poll/results.  Students create a poll or survey for the class in order to solve a class problem (www.polleverywhere.com, www.surveymonkey.com, www.pollthemob.com, www.mentimeter.com), give the survey, collect the results, then report them to the class, in the target language, using an infographic.  

2.  Autobiography.  Students create an infographic describing themselves in numbers.  The infographics are presented in the target language in small groups or in front of the entire class.  In the autobiography, students explore an issue of interest in the target culture that they are researching on their own.

3.  Global warming:  Statistics and solutions.  Students investigate an environmental issue in the target culture and create a solution.  Both the problem and the solution can be displayed using an infographic.  

4.  Class trip.  Students plan a class trip two places in the target culture.  The budget is prepared and explained for each place, and they are compared in the infographic.  The class evaluates the benefits of each trip and votes on a selection.

5.  Story explore.  Students create an infographic to summarize and evaluate a story read individually in class. Characters or locales in the story can be explained.  In small groups, students share their infographics, and then students choose two additional stories to read based on the infographics of their peers.

Sample infographic, courtesy of @nerdgraph

World Languages: Facts and Numbers

Some Infographic websites:

www.easel.ly

www.gliffy.com

http://www.tableausoftware.com/public/

http://www-958.ibm.com

Helpful links:

P21 WL Skills Map:  http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/Skills%20Map/p21_worldlanguagesmap.pdf)

ACTFL 5 C’s Executive Summary:

http://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/public/StandardsforFLLexecsumm_rev.pdf

Common Core:

www.corestandards.org

Voicethread in the World Language Classroom

www.voicethread.com

Voicethread is an engaging website where users publish content with pictures and words or voice, and then others can add comments with either words, voice, or drawings on the presentation.  Users can limit who can comment on presentations, are able to moderate comments, and can make the voicethreads either public or private.  

How I used it:

I mostly used Voicethread to introduce vocabulary in the world language classroom.  I created my first voicethreads by uploading the images from PowerPoints I had on file.  A few days before formally introducing a new unit, I would give students an assignment to use the new vocabulary word or expression on the “slide.”  Instead of focusing on accuracy for this assignment, I focused on communication of ideas.  Students had to write an original sentence and were encouraged to connect to prior comments. Later,  using my Smartboard in class, we would review the comments in the target language.  The online connections, combined with the high school sense of humor, created many funny minutes in the classroom.    A sample activity and rubric are below.

What I liked:

• Asynchronous online communication
• Many students were “braver” in French because it was online and they were able to plan their sentences
• Improved vocabulary memorization
• Students were able to make voice comments, important in the world language classroom
• There is a Voicethread app

What I disliked:

• The technology was not as intuitive as others used in the classroom, so some students needed assistance.
• Users are required to “login” with email, which did not jive with district policy; so we paid for student accounts ($1 each) to allow sign-ins without email. This process was not obvious. 
  
  
  ________________________________
  For homework, you must: Answer the questions on each picture.
  Directions:
  1.     Go to my web page for school
  2.    Go to “French 3”
  3.    Go to “Assignments”
  4.    Click to add comments; you will be prompted to login; follow the prompts.
  
  
  How you will be graded:
  
  

  	# of comments	Quality of comments
  10 points	6	        Creative use of language, using a variety of vocabulary and expressions from French 1-3         You use the vocabulary expressions appropriately.         Few errors; they do not interfere with your message.
  8 points	4-5	        You use the vocabulary expressions appropriately.         Few errors, 1-3 may prevent communication of ideas.
  6 points	1-3	        You use the vocabulary expressions appropriately, but a bare minimum.       4+ errors prevent communication of ideas.