What inspired or motivated you to use this tool/resource?
I have made extensive use of Padlet since teaching and learning activities have become more and more online-based due to the pandemic. When delivering online sessions to mostly turned-off camera screens on MS Teams and Blackboard Collaborate I quickly observed how disconnected students were from each other. Also, I came to realise, within an online teaching environment, how limited my awareness was of students’ understanding of the session content and of their own learning. That is when I reached out to the supportive and inspiring community of practice to which I belong, that of the learning development in higher education network. It became apparent to me that other teaching and learning facilitators across the globe were experiencing similar issues and experimenting with various digital platforms to enhance their approach to teaching. This is when I came across Padlet.
One reason why I was drawn to Padlet, compared to other similar platforms, is how student comments can be anonymised. From experience, students seldom wish to share their questions and ideas in the company of their peers, especially when asked to reflect on their feedback or learning preferences, which are both highly personal aspects of learning at university. For example, students would prefer to use Padlet instead of posting in the chat section on MS Teams during online sessions, where their names are visible by all participants. This is also true regarding discussion boards in Blackboard. Another reason, which is a recent development, is its new polling option. Although facilitators can currently only add four questions for each poll, it is a welcome addition to a familiar platform, saving facilitators from having to use multiple platforms during the same session. Finally, students are only one click away from opening and engaging with Padlet, since they don’t need to sign in. Facilitators can use a shortened weblink or a QR code, which is always useful if sharing from a PowerPoint slide.
What was your aim in using this tool/resource?
By using Padlet, my aim was to facilitate student learning by involving students at the outset, to increase their confidence in voicing their ideas. Opening an online anonymous dialogue can be a great springboard for in-person discussions, pair work, and group work. For example, whilst students post their anonymous comments in response to a question or a prompt I have previously posted, I show the Padlet on the screen for all to see. I read some comments out loud, depending on the size of the cohort, and build on those comments and identify common themes. These can then be explored further in person. Students want and need feedback on their ideas and skills; therefore, by facilitating peer learning in a low-stakes learning environment, students feel safe and empowered to share, question, and interpret.
What did you use the tool/resource for?
I have used Padlet mainly to gather student ideas on certain aspects of their studies, such as ‘how have you approached your assignments to date?’, ‘what concerns do you have about your academic studies?’, and ‘how will you address these concerns?’, etc. Then by allowing students to comment on each other’s posts, I can facilitate a discussion whereby students can offer answers to their peers’ comments (e.g. what concerns do they have about their academic studies).
Yes, Padlet is intuitive to use, both from the facilitator and student perspective, since it doesn’t require login, and contributing a comment is similar to posting on social media. Also similar to social media is the options to ‘like’ others’ comments and respond to individual comments as well.
How did the tool/resource impact your teaching?
One noticeable impact on my teaching was how easily I could gather students’ ideas on a particular topic; consequently, gathering real-time understanding of student need and knowledge. Student engagement during a session appeared to stay consistently high and their in-person interactions were richer because they were more confident to share their thoughts with others, having previously posted on Padlet.
How well did the tool/resource perform, would you recommend it?
Given its anonymity and simplicity, Padlet can be used as an icebreaker, as a means of involving students in their own learning, as a means of increasing students’ confidence, and as a way of kick-starting an online dialogue which can subsequently continue as an in-person discussion. I would recommend Padlet to facilitators who wish to increase student engagement and peer learning.
Even with its limitations, namely, allowing only four active Padlets at a time and allowing only four questions per poll, reasons for not using Padlet are few and far between. The only reason that comes to mind is how facilitators need to be careful not to overuse it. When there is an opportunity to have in-person discussions between students, Padlet can be useful as a starting point, but then it is important to give students the opportunity to be involved in more verbal interactions.
How well was the tool/resource received by students?
Students reacted well to it due to its simplicity and many have noted how they love it and that they wouldn’t have shared what they posted anonymously on Padlet if asked to do so in person. They also enjoyed posting their comments and ideas within the safety of their own mobile device.
Share a ‘Top Tip’ for a colleague new to the tool/resource
Archive inactive Padlets. To provide some context, I currently have 42 Padlets in my ‘archive’ folder dating back 4 years, and I can unarchive them whenever I need to use them again, which I do regularly. This demonstrates its flexibility, since I haven’t paid a penny for its usage, and by archiving completed Padlets this makes room for new ones. Doing so enables me to work around the limitations of the free version, which is currently set at a maximum of four Padlets. For example, once a Padlet is complete, and the series of support sessions have been delivered, I export the full content and share this document with the module coordinator, or upload it to Blackboard, or post it directly in the chat section on MS Teams. Then the original Padlet is ready to be archived, which means students won’t be able to view or edit the content. By archiving the Padlet, it is removed from the ‘home’ folder which in turn frees space for new creations.
How would I summarise the experience in 3 words?
Student voice, empowered.
Recommended reading:
University of Reading’s ‘Using Padlet for Teaching’ website: https://sites.reading.ac.uk/tel/toolsandtechnologies/using-padlet-for-teaching/
Imperial College London’s ‘A guide to Padlet for online learning’ pdf: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/staff/education-development-unit/public/Padlet-for-online-teaching-and-learning.pdf
The University of Manchester’s ‘Technology Enhanced Learning and Design’ website: https://elearning.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/training/discussion-boards/padlet/
References:
ALDinHE website: https://aldinhe.ac.uk/
Contact for more information:
Dr Leila Griffiths: l.griffiths@bangor.ac.uk