Easy Digital Collaboration: Padlet

I have been using Padlet.com for a couple of years now.  This year it is especially nice because we just went to a Chromebook for each student.  The benefits are many for me. Accountability. The students see others giving correct form for their work, they will want to give the correct form too. It raises the bar for quality work by being public.  This is great for getting 100% participation. Another big benefit is the fact that ALL students will have a voice. You will hear from EVERYONE. Lastly, I love the fact that students really would rather type than write on paper. This will amaze you. They will fill a whole section on a Padlet post, but probably would not like to write much at all on paper. You can use a Padlet tomorrow in class if you like. Just take these easy steps.

1.  Go to Padlet.com and create an account as soon as you can.  It is free.

2.  Once you are logged in, then create a new Padlet.

3.  Click on the Settings Icon and name the Padlet and put any special instructions.

4.  Now set the Layout.  I like Grid the Best.

5.  Now the last thing I do is change the address and copy it.  This makes it easier for your students to get to your Padlet.  It is not necessary to take this step.  However, if you are just giving the students the URL by having them go to it, then you will want to change the name to something easy.  Now your ready for the students.

In class

1.  Have them sign up for their own Padlet.com account before you have them do anything.  When they have done this, they leave a cookie trail for any post they make. (this creates accountability)  I very rarely have them post things without their name.

2. Now you can give them the URL address that you copied above.  Just pose a question and see the Padlet fill up with student responses.

Check out the example Padlets

EXAMPLE 1:  WHO CAN ENTER THE ROOM?

http://padlet.com/sladkey/teenagers

This Padlet is locked so you may not add to it.  There is one below if you would like to try to type into one.

Created with Padlet

EXAMPLE 2: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO.......

Here is another one that asked to pick a city in the lower 48 states and guess the hours it would take to drive there.  Then to calculate how long it would take averaging 60 miles an hour.  Then to find the time Google said it would take to get there. Lastly answer the question of why the Google time is different than yours.

http://padlet.com/sladkey/literalequations

This Padlet is locked so you may not add to it.  There is one below if you would like to try to type into one.  

ADD TO THE PADLET BELOW.  Put your name, school, and location.  Please put an inspirational teaching quote for us all to benefit from.  It could be from a colleague or a former teacher or simply one you have always liked.  Please give credit to whoever gave the quote.  If you don't know, just put anonymous.  

http://padlet.com/sladkey/padletfun

Created with Padlet

The FIRST THREE DAYS of Class

The First Three Days of Class

1. Parable of the two golfers

                    Click Here

2. Student Partner Interviews

Place students with the new Seating Chart.     Have students interview their new partner

Share out the interviews by introducing your partner to the rest of the class and answering 2 or 3 of the questions.

3. Partner List

This list will be used when are working in cooperative learning groups.  Click here to access it.  

4. GRIT Discussion

GRIT Video:  http://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_the_key_to_success_grit?language=en

Take the GRIT SCALE Quiz:  https://sasupenn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_06f6QSOS2pZW9qR  or http://tinyurl.com/quizgrit    If you want to look at the questions again click here.  Or go to http://tinyurl.com/gritquestions

Read the article:  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/true-grit-measure-teach-success-vicki-davis?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow%20&utm_campaign=RSS

5. Brain Break

6. Estimation 180

How many Almonds in the cup?

Post your guesses at the site http://www.estimation180.com/day-6.html    or http://tinyurl.com/estimationday6

7. Desmos Sign Up

https://www.desmos.com/  

Make a design using desmos.  There is a lot of math involved here.  Use the help button for tutorials.  Here are some examples https://www.desmos.com/art

Spend at least 20 minutes trying to make a design.   Save and name your design. Get the url.  (use the share button) Post the url at

Period 1:  http://padlet.com/dsladkey/period1desmosdesign

Period 2:  http://padlet.com/dsladkey/period2desmosdesign

Period 4:  http://padlet.com/dsladkey/period4desmosdesign

Period 6:  http://padlet.com/dsladkey/period6desmosdesign

8. Google Drive Setup

Create your folders like this in your main drive…..

__School Misc

_Home Misc

_P1 Algebra 15-16

_P2 French 15-16

_P3 Anthropology 15-16

...

Clubs_Sports_Activites

Pictures and Videos

Z_Catch All

Color Them as you wish

_P1 Algebra 15-16

_Assignments and Projects

_Class Notes

_Important Class Stuff        passwords might be in here

Desmos

Geogebra

Pictures and Videos

Screenshots

9. Brain Break

10. “Digital Citizenship” http://www.edudemic.com/first-five-days-of-digital-citizenship-at-your-school/

Get in pairs.  Decide who is person A and who is person B.

Person A starts and asks Person B a question from below.  After the discussion, then person B asks Person A THE NEXT QUESTION and so on.  

• Who is responsible for the device – what does that entail?
• Discuss the idea of passwords and password literacies
• Decorating of devices?
• When can they be on social media and communicating with others?
• Consequences of off-task behavior in class
• Limits on personal work on device
• Charging of devices
• Hapara  http://hapara.com/

Pick a free space in the appropriate document below to give your thoughts on one or more of the above topics.

Period 1  Period 2   Period 4   Period 6

11. All are True Except One

Go to the Google Slides document below and make a Slide that represents you.  Make all the things you say to be true except one.

Period 1     Period 2      Period 4     Period 6

12. Differentiated Instruction

Dollar Bill Activity:  Invite someone to get the $1 from taped to the high part of the wall.  Then ask a person who can’t reach it to try to get it, then ask a taller person to get it.  Discuss the implications for this as we try to work together to learn more math.

Learning Style Quiz

http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-learning-styles-quiz

Meet with your favorite food partner and discuss the following quote.

Quote 1:  ” ‘differentiated instruction’ refers to a systematic approach to planning curriculum and instruction for academically diverse learners.  It is a way of thinking about the classroom with the dual goals of honoring each student’s learning needs and maximizing each student’s learning capacity.”

-Carol Ann Tomlinson and Cindy Strickland

Quote 2:  

13. Brain Break

14. Mindset Quotes  

CLICK HERE for QUOTES

Read to yourself the Mindset Quotes.  3 minutes.  Which one do you identify the most with.  Why?  Now meet with your group of 4 and have each person discuss the quote they most identify with.

15. Importance Order Smartboard Activity

16. SMARTBoard Rules Activity

17. Homework Expectations

http://www.socrative.com/

Use Socrative to get opinions on what homework expectations should be.  We will build the homework framework off of these.

18. Goals Google Form

Click here to get to the Google Form to submit your Goals.

Below is what it looks like.

8 Things I'll Take Away from the GafeSummit 2015

GAFE SUMMIT June 11 and 12, 2015 in Homer Glen IL

Here is the link to all of the sessions

1.  FAILURE IS A PART OF LEARNING.  We need to incorporate this idea into all we do as teachers.  We need to create activities that students don't feel like they have to get it perfect the first time.  We need to be honest and show our own mistakes and failures.
INSPIRED TO TRY:  Give my math students a chance to fail (try and try again) every day by these types of warm ups.    Estimation  Questions  Would you Rather... Thanks  @jamestsanders  presentation
MY FAVORITE:  Scroll down and see a few sites that students love.  http://www.classroominthefuture.com/that-exists/

The Dung Beetle helps us remember that out of the bad comes the good.

2.  GOOGLE FORMS   This is a must in my classroom.  It is easy.  It is fast.  All the responses are nested into a spreadsheet.  Here a  couple of new things I have taken away.  You can put conditional formatting into your response spreadsheet.  For instance:  when you have a survey of how students are doing and you ask them to rank it 0 to 5.  Then you can conditional format any cells color to be lets say RED.  That would alert you to students who have a hard time with the material.  TUTORIAL 
INSPIRED TO TRY:  Exit slips and consistent communication through Google Forms.  Also, I want to look into Move Note.  Thanks @JasonMMarkey

3.  GOOGLE DOC and GOOGLE SLIDE   If you are trying to give a document to someone else so they can use it on their own, in the url at the top of the document just change the /edit to /copy.   Tutorial   I also learned how to make a pictorial table of contents in Google.  Here is an example. Slides Thanks @jheil65

4.  PADLET.COM  Padlet is my all time favorite student interactive site.  This session confirmed that Padlet is the BEST.  Padlet is simply a public posting board that the technology doesn't get in the way.  Go to http://padlet.com and sign up today.  I have my students all have accounts too.  Thanks @HollyClarkEdu

5.  QUESTIONS.  We don't allow students to ask enough questions.  I learned a structure that will help my students to ask questions without fear.  I'm really excited to use this.  In essence, as a group of four have our students ask a lot of questions and just write them down without judgement.  Then we ranked the questions for relevance and importance independently (however, it was digitally collaborated through google docs)  Then have them rank them as a group of four.   It was an excellent process.
INSPIRED TO TRY:  I would like to begin a unit with this structure.  This will help my students to ask questions before we know anything, thus give more freedom in asking any that are coming to mind.  Presentation   Thanks @HollyClarkEdu 

6.  GOOGLE +    I signed up for google plus professionally.  It has a lot of features that are really nice.  I have more to learn.  Thanks for helping me get started @cchausis

7.  GOOGLE HANGOUTS    I learned a lot of hangout etiquette .  Most importantly, I learned how to mute when some else is talking.  I learned that Hangouts are not longer tied to Google +.  You can screen capture something for all to see for the hangout.  You can give a link from your hangout for others to join you.  Use this link to go straight to a hangout.  http://g.co/hangouts  And tons more.  More Info here. Thanks @AmplifiedIT 

8.  CHROMEBOOK SHORTCUTS:  I love shortcuts.  This one was fun.  I'm just learning my way around my new Chromebook so this was perfect timing.  Here are a few of my favorite Short-Cuts.

Screen Capture

Turn the screen 90 degrees.  This one is most helpful for teachers for when students are playing tricks on their friends.  

This opens up all the Short-Cuts.  

I took all of these shortcut images from the presentation from Adad Ocampo which was great!