Wednesday, July 9, 2014

My newest Thinglink creation:-)...and a Padlet tutorial



Today, I'm linking up with I Teach 1:1 for their Tune into Technology link party (I LOVED this series last year:))

I posted sometime in the last week or two about my love for Thinglink.  Feeling bitten by the creativity bug (and wanting to help out a fellow comrade), I created a new Thinglink for A Long Walk to Water.  Here it is:



I think it would be a great introduction to the book.  I included a link to the author's website, a YouTube video where the author is discussing the book, the Water for South Sudan website, a Google form with vocabulary questions, and a Padlet with a discussion question. This is also a great way as a teacher to have all of your topics organized in one place (links, videos, websites).

If you haven't heard about Padlet, you're really missing out!  It is similar to a discussion board, but it happens online.  As the teacher, you create a Padlet board (you get to pick the background, give it a title) and then add your own text, links, pictures or even videos.  Students can then interact with your post.

Its pretty easy to use. All you need to sign up is an email and password.


This page shows you all of the functions of the main buttons.  But, like I tell the teachers at my school, don't be afraid to touch some buttons and see what happens!


This is the main toggle button.  From here, you can change your background (the background pictured is one I created in Powerpoint, took a screen shot, then imported into Padlet), determine how private you want it (you can even choose to moderate posts, so you have to approve things before they show up!), and even change the web address (for easier sharing:))


This is quite possibly my favorite part about Padlet - the sharing feature! You can share via social media, embed it into your class blog, or even scan the QR code.  I love me some QR codes:)  You could even go old-school and print it out if you would like!

Now, just in case you were thinking this isn't able to be used in your classroom, I promise, it can.

1. In science, do something like this:





Students can create their own examples of renewable and non-renewable resources.

In math, you could do something like this:




Students input their own examples of equations and expressions.

Hopefully you are now sufficiently inspired to take a closer look at Padlet.

10 comments:

  1. LOVE all of your ideas and examples for using Thinglink and Padlet. I definitely underutilize both of those resources in my classroom. Great tutorial on Padlet! Thanks so much for linking up! Hope you come back next week.:)

    Kristin
    iTeach 1:1

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    1. I'm so glad you liked the apps and my post:) I've been following you for years and have been so inspired by many of the things you do! Thanks for taking the time to respond to the post:) I'm sure I'll be back next week too!

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  2. Very cool! Thank you so much for sharing. I've only used Thinglink a tiny little bit...I need to venture more into this! :)
    Alison
    Rockin' and Lovin' Learin'

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    1. I think you will enjoy Thinglink. The teachers at my school can be hesitant to try anything new, but they have really taken to it (and it is very easy to use:)
      Thanks for stopping by:)

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  3. I love all the examples you included for various subjects! Thanks for linking up!
    Aylin
    Learning to the Core

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    1. I think it is important for teachers to see how others have used it. Half the battle is getting a great idea:)
      Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. yup--I went the ThingLink route too. It's a great resource and so easy to use.
    I'm going to have to check out padlet a little bit more.

    Thanks for sharing
    Matt
    Digital: Divide & Conquer

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    1. I saw your ThingLink post - I loved it! Such a creative use of Thinglink. I really like Padlet, but particularly because you can come back to it (everything you do saves to it).
      Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Very cool! I've never tried to use either of these resources, I'm excited to give them a go!
    Erin
    Short and Sassy Teacher

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    1. I'm glad you are inspired! I think you will find both of these platforms very easy to use.
      Thanks for stopping by!

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