1. Background
1.1 Digital technologies in education
The increasing accessibility of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has led to the widespread adoption of technology-enhanced teaching methods in educational contexts. It is widely acknowledged that the incorporation of digital technologies, such as electronic devices like tablets, systems including software packages, and Web 2.0 technologies as well as online resources, into education promotes effective pedagogical practices. This integration enable teachers to tailor classroom activities to upgrade students’ learning experience and address their needs. According to Haleem et al. (2022), the use of technologies in classrooms benefits learning in various aspects including enhancing student engagement, making the studying process entertaining, obtaining real-time feedback from teachers, and enabling collaborative and interactive activities. At the university level, educators typically employ a diverse range of tools to facilitate effective teaching and learning experiences, inlcuding learning management systems (LMS) such as Moodle, interactive tools like Mentimeter and Kahoot, communication and collaboration tools such as Google Workplace and Padlet, and assessment tools like Quizlet.
1.2 Concerns regarding homework feedback and interactive activities
Research has shown that the benefits of completing homework are amplified to students when teachers review and correct it (Walberg, 1991). The findings have been echoed by Murillo and Martínez-Garrido (2013), who reported that homework assignments may be detrimental if no feedback is provided to help students improve their homework. However, it can be challenging for teachers to provide feedback on assignments on a consistent basis. While teachers often find large class sizes and the workload related to giving feedback overwhelming (Winstone & Carless, 2019), students frequently express dissatisfaction with the feedback they receive, considering it is either too general or inadequate and often delivered later than desired. Therefore, teachers must optimize their feedback-providing process.
Both group and individual presentations are prevalent in contemporary educational settings to develop skills such as public speaking, teamwork, and critical thinking. However, traditional presentation formats often lack interactive elements, resulting in reduced student engagement and passive learning experiences. Mulligan and Garofalo (2011) highlight that students often feel anxious and disengaged during presentations, especially when there is no opportunity for interaction with their peers or instructors. This lack of interaction fails to stimulate active learning or critical engagement since the presenter merely speaks and the audience passively listens. Therefore, Barkley and Major (2010) mention that it is essential to incorporate interactive elements that promote active participation and maintain engagement from all students involved in the presentations.
1.3 The introduction of padlet
Padlet (https://www.padlet.com), a versatile digital tool, addresses the aforementioned challenges by providing timely and constructive feedback and fostering interactive and collaborative classroom activities. Padlet is a free online platform that functions as a multimedia wall, allowing users to post text, images, videos, and links in real time, facilitating whole-class participation (Fuchs, 2014). This tool supports various content types and provides instant collaboration capabilities, making it an ideal medium for enhancing student engagement. For example, teachers can create boards on which students can upload their homework, and both teachers and peers can leave comments and suggestions on Padlet. Furthermore, Padlet facilitates interactive discussion among students through features such as comments and voting systems, fostering a collaborative learning environment and enabling peer assessment.
2. Using Padlet to check students’ homework
2.1 Benefits
One benefit of using Padlet to check students’ homework is the improved efficiency for both teachers and students. Teachers can streamline the checking process by standardizing the homework structure and titles. For example, when assigning summary homework, teachers can specify the word count range, the number of paragraphs, the purposes of each paragraph, and the required naming conventions. This approach saves teachers time by minimizing the need to comment on students’ formatting issues. Besides, with Padlet, teachers can quickly review all students' work in one centralized location, eliminating the need and time to collect and sort physical assignments or sift through numerous emails with attachments. The platform's visual interface makes it easy to scan multiple submissions at once, simplifying the grading process. For students, online homework submission is convenient as they can upload a file upon completion by simply clicking the same Padlet link each time. There are no concerns such as forgetting to bring a homework workbook or having to carry a heavy laptop.
Another benefit is that Padlet can increase student homework engagement. This is partly due to Padlet’s support for multimedia submissions, including text, images, audio, and video. This flexibility interests and enables students to showcase their understanding of concepts in various formats, catering to different learning styles, particularly beneficial for visual or auditory learners. In addition, Padlet supports real-time feedback, allowing students to receive immediate comments on their homework once teachers have finished checking it. This immediacy helps students understand their strengths, identify their mistakes faster, and comprehend the lessons learned. Peer pressure is also a driving factor, as students can see and compare with their classmates' work and teacher comments in real time on the same interface, creating a sense of competition to excel in their homework.
The third benefit is that Padlet works as a visual achievement record for individual students throughout the semester. It allows for ongoing tracking of students’ learning progress, encouraging them to engage actively with the feedback they receive (Greenstein, 2012). Thus, students can perceive the progress that they have made and have a sense of achievement as the semester approaches its end. During the last lesson, teachers can recognize students’ achievements by awarding certificates based on their performance such as the number and quality of completed homework. This will effectively cultivate students' self-efficacy and encourage their perseverance in homework completion in the long term.
Image 1: Example Padlet for Group 66
2.2 Procedure
the following scenario outlines the steps involved in utilizing Padlet to monitor the homework of a group of 20 students. Before the beginning of a new semester, it is essential for teachers to following the first 3 steps and demonstrate how to submit homework to students by a post in the first class.
- Log into the organization Padlet account or create a personal account via this link: https://padlet.com
- On the dashboard, make a Padlet by choosing “Create with AI”, which takes approximately 20 seconds. Write a prompt: “Create a Padlet with 20 sections that are named under the following 20 students’ names and number the names: Andy, Mary, Linda, Yixuan, Lili, Jingchen, Yutong, Ke Hu, Sifei, Jing, Ziqi, Jiayi, Yinuo, Bing, Bohan, Zihan, Bizhun, Kuma, Zed, and Amelia.”
- On the created Padlet, open Padlet settings on the right toolbar.
- Rename the title and customize the appearance including wallpaper, color scheme, font, and font size to your preference.
- Under layout, select "Wall", a suitable format to check individual students' homework consistently, and enable "Group posts by section".
- Under engagement, enable “Comments” and choose “Star” or “Score” as reactions, which is how teachers provide homework feedback.
- Open the share panel on the right toolbar.
- Select “Writer” under “Visitor permissions” to allow students to post on the Padlet.
- Choose “Secret” under “Link privacy”, allowing only students with the shared Padlet link or QR code to access without logging in.
- Copy the link to the clipboard and paste it as a URL resource in your LMO teacher space, where you can share the link throughout the semester.
- Guide students to the URL resource on LMO.
- Demonstrate how to create a post by introducing the subject, main text, and some common attachment types.
- Guide students to add a post under their names, ensuring that each student's homework is submitted under the same designated section throughout the semester.
3. Using Padlet to conduct interactive activities
Apart from being used for checking homework, Padlet is also an effective tool for facilitating interactive classroom activities. One of the reasons for this is that Padlet could support peer collaboration. This platform enables students to cooperate with their peers in real time, offering a unique opportunity to work together, share ideas, and learn from each other within a single digital space. Such collaboration is crucial for developing teamwork skills and fostering a sense of community among students (Beltrán-Martín, 2019).
Another benefit of using Padlet for interactive classroom activities is its support for a wide range of content types, including text, images, videos, links, and file attachments, thereby providing a rich multimedia experience. This feature is particularly beneficial in catering to different learning styles and preferences. For instance, visual learners benefit from images and videos, while textual information may be more suitable for other functions. By accommodating various content types, Padlet ensures that all students can engage with the material in ways that best suit their learning needs. It also supports for real-time updates (Chan, 2022). Any changes made on a Padlet board are instantly visible to all contributors, facilitating seamless collaboration. As an online tool, Padlet can be accessed from any device with internet connectivity, making it an ideal solution for remote learning and remote team collaboration.
Furthermore, interactive activities on Padlet can be designed to be both enjoyable and creative, significantly increasing student engagement and motivation. By incorporating elements of gamification and creativity, Padlet helps maintain high levels of student interest and involvement in classroom activities. As a result, the practical applications of Padlet in group and individual presentations will be discussed, demonstrating its potential to transform educational practices.
3.1 Group presentation
Group presentations are a common type of speaking coursework, and Padlet can be effectively used to design such presentations. Here is a step-by-step process for using Padlet for group presentations:
Step 1: Teachers can set predefined requirements for the presentation, such as the topic, structure, and key points to cover, as previously mentioned.
Step 2: Each student is responsible for creating one slide. For example, if the topic is inclusive education, the Padlet page can be structured with sections for the introduction, definition, disadvantages, advantages, and conclusion.
[Video 5: An example of a group presentation]
Step 3: Students can easily rearrange the slides by dragging and dropping them, allowing for flexibility and creativity in how the content is presented.
Step 5: If there is not enough time for in-class presentations, students can upload their work on Padlet, and teachers can provide feedback after the class. This ensures that every student receives constructive feedback without time constraints.
In addition, teachers can utilize the aforementioned Padlet's AI function to create presentation slides efficiently, saving time and ensuring a high-quality output. For instance, based on teachers' instruction, AI can help generate slides on the pros and cons of inclusive education, accompanied by relevant images and text.
[Video 7: An example of slideshow of a teacher PPT]
3.2 Individual presentation
Padlet is also useful for individual presentations, particularly as a semester-end activity. A detailed practice will be illustrated:
Step 1: Students can upload memorable moments from the class in various formats such as pictures, texts, and files. This flexibility allows students to express their experiences creatively.
Image 2: Memorable moments shared by students
Step 2: Students are asked to prepare a 1–2-minute presentation based on the content they have uploaded. This practice helps them summarize and reflect on their learning experiences.
Step 3: After clicking the "Open Slideshow" button, each student presents their moments in front of the class, enhancing their public speech and presentation skills.
Step 4: Following the presentations, students can engage with the content by giving "likes" or "comments" to the posts that they resonate with, similar to the functions in WeChat Moments or Instagram. This interactive element fosters a sense of community and shared experiences among the students.
Step 5: The student with the most likes will be rewarded a certificate or a prize, providing an incentive for active participation and enhancing the overall engagement of the class.
4. Conclusion
In conclusion, Padlet is an efficient tool for providing homework feedback and facilitating interactive activities in the classroom. It allows teachers to give real-time, constructive feedback on student assignments and engage students in collaborative and interactive exercises.
Nevertheless, there are some best practices to consider for optimal use. First, teachers should avoid using Padlet for formal or informal assessments, as it can make it easier for students to copy each other's work. Second, teachers should prepare interactive activity pages in advance to guarantee a smooth experience during class. Finally, when students upload video or audio files, it is recommended to provide links instead of the actual files to prevent long loading time on the page.
References:
Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2010). Learning Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. John Wiley & Sons.
Beltrán-Martín, I. (2019). 5th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’19) [PP. 201-211]. Valencia: Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/HEAd19.2019.9188
Chan, J. (2022). Using Padlet as a Learning Space for Simulating Real-Life Business Communication. The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language, 26(3), 1-12.
Fuchs, B. (2014). The writing is on the wall: using Padlet for whole-class engagement. LOEX Quarterly, 40(4), 7-9.
Greenstein, L. M. (2012). Assessing 21st Century Skills: A Guide to Evaluating Mastery and Authentic Learning. Corwin Press.
Haleem, A., et al. (2022). Understanding the role of digital technologies in education: A review. Sustainable Operations and Computers, 3, 275-285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susoc.2022.05.004
Murillo, F. J., & Martínez-Garrido, C. (2013). Homework influence on academic performance: A study of Iberoamerican students of primary education. Revista de Psicodidáctica, 18, 157–171.
Walberg, H. J. (1991). Does homework help? The School Community Journal, 1, 13–15.
Winstone, N., & Carless, D. (2019). Designing Effective Feedback Processes in Higher Education: A Learning-Focused Approach. London: Routledge.
