On Monday, we used padlet, a free online virtual posting wall, where students and teachers can post comments. When we got to school on Monday, we could see comments our buddy class posted on the wall about how they were planning to make their mark on the world. We looked at their postings, then added our own. It was quick and easy and everyone was interested to see which ideas were the same and which were different. (It was also a good reminder to the class that url addresses have to be typed into the browser exactly right or you won't be able to get to the wall. Everyone had to learn where the underscore is on the iPad keyboard!)
In addition to the student conversation, there are imbedded videos for the students to watch. Our next padlet exercise will be to post photos with our comments. Here is a great video created by Richard Byrne (of Free Technology for Teachers) explaining how to find public domain photos at pixabay.com and insert them into padlet. Another option is to have students import screenshots of their work from their ipads.
Here is a link to a slideshow of 32 ways to use padlet in the classroom.
This week, we are going to investigate using Today's Meet. Today's Meet is a free service for hosting back-channel discussions. We may use it with our buddy class to have both classes answer discussion questions about our Global Read Aloud book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.
Today's Meet is very easy for both teachers and students to use. The teacher can post a discussion question, then the students type their names and respond. Posts are limited to 140 characters, like Twitter, so answers will have to be concise or will need to be posted in multiple pieces.
Here is a link to a post about 20 interesting ways to use Today's Meet in the classroom.
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