Padlet: Using Technology to Naturally Enhance Curriculum for All Students

Throughout the years, warriors of various cultures considered the sword merely an extension of the arm.

In other words, the two blended together, enhanced each other.

I think the same advice holds true for curriculum and technology. Rather than force technology into the classroom, it should be used more as a natural extension of learning. The technology being used-whether a program, website, or device-should allow students to explore the curriculum in more depth, with more creativity and higher-level thinking. These are important goals for all students, but particularly helpful when meeting the needs of the highly advanced or gifted child.

The question then arises: As a teacher, what technology should I use?   I think the answer depends on many factors, including the curriculum and subject at hand, the students’ needs, available resources, and time constraints.

In this blog, I’d like to offer up a technology that has helped me enhance my teaching of English Language Arts Common Core standards addressing speaking, listening, writing, and collaboration. The website has enabled me to extend classroom discussions, allowing students to share information and push each other in their thinking. The site is called Padlet.com—and the good news is that the basic service is free.

Padlet serves as a virtual wall, which allows you to post information to it. Imagine a giant whiteboard where people come up and post sticky notes on it. Now, you have the idea. The “walls”, which are automatically saved to your account, can be modified in various ways, including the format and background.

To provide a better idea of how the web site can be used in the classroom, I’ll share a typical lesson involving my gifted elementary students.  The students work on independent research projects, collecting information about topics and using evidence to support answers to a series of questions. By the end of the class period, students must post a fact or information from their research to the Padlet wall. In addition, students are also required to post a higher-order question to a classmate. As the teacher, I can also comment on their postings, clarifying and asking questions as well. The online discussion format is a great way to encourage sharing and collaboration, and kids love it.

Of course, that’s just one way to use the site. Other ideas include:

• Having students write an opinion piece based on a prompt that’s posted on the wall.

• Having students write book reviews on the wall.

• Students summarize topics from math, science or whatever subject

• Post “exit tickets” at the end of a lesson.

Remember, use technology as an extension of learning, an enhancement. Padlet is just one tool to help you get there!

Thanks for reading,

Steve