The Pursuit of Technology Integration Happiness

Padlet announced yesterday through their blog that users now have the ability to export and print their walls.  Users can export their walls as a PDF, Excel document, CSV file, or as an image.  It is great to see a company listen to their users.  This feature was created due to receiving emails from users requesting its addition.  To export users just click the Share/Export button and then choose from the available options.  This is a great feature for teachers who need "paper" documentation of assignments and lessons that they have created on Padlet.

If you have read this blog recently then you know that I am a big fan of Wallwisher/Padlet and with their recent change in name and domain, new features are being added at a pretty good pace.  A new feature recently added is called Streams.  It allows users to use a new layout that give the page and the posts more structure.  All posts in a stream are arranged one below the other in chronological order.  Students could use this new layout to write blog posts, prepare presentations, have group discussions, write collaborative stories, explain steps in an experiment or math problem.  Each individual post can also be shared through various social media sites as well; this way when a student completes their section, they can share it and the next student will know it is their turn.

To access the streams layout, see the image below.

Wallwisher has been making some changes recently and I have written about them here and here.  Now, the most recent change is its name.  Padlet, it is the portmanteau of paper + wood + tablet...the rock kind, as a tribute to our ancestral beginnings of writing.  If you have been an avid user of Wallwisher, then you will have nothing to worry about with the name change.  It will not affect previous walls that you have created and there will be a period where you will be redirected to the new URL in the future.  To read more about this change, check out the Wallwisher Blog.

To see suggestions for using Wallwisher in the classroom, see my previous post about this tool.  

So just the other day I wrote a post about the upgrade and new look of Wallwisher.  Apparently I should have waited a few days because today, Wallwisher announced some awesome new features.  The first new features is a new formatting toolbar.  Users will now have the ability to make paragraphs, bold, italics, bullet, quote, etc.  See the new toolbar below.

However, that is not the most important improvement.  Wallwisher now offers LaTeX, which is a mathematical function for creating math text formatting.  This could be extremely useful for math teachers wanting to integrate Wallwisher into their classroom.  See sample below.

Other features include posts not restricting their size to a certain width, so typing can happen till you decide to go to the next line and then you can resize your text area.  The quotes also indent and italicize for users as well.  HTML can also be pasted and got some upgrades as well.

Worth checking out if you have not already.

When I started this blog, Wallwisher was the very first post that I wrote about.  A little over 3 years later the first site I ever wrote about has a new look, some improved features, but still a great tool for teachers to use in the classroom.  Immediately, the first difference I noticed were "templates" for ideas on how to use wallwisher.  If users don't want to use the template, then users can build and create their own wall.

You can add your own photo as a small portrait, or use the one provided.  Each wall gets a title and description which is viewable when users visit the site.  There are several more options for wallpapers as well.  Like before you can choose the privacy levels and provide a custom URL.  A new feature is make your wall a custom domain.  Creating an account allows you to save your walls as well.

The actual process of typing onto the wall has changed a little bit as well.  No limit on amount of text anymore and with keyboard shortcuts, users can add rich text formatting as well.  It is easier to upload a file by dragging and dropping or by browsing.  Users can also link to a video, picture, or website.  You can also take a picture with a webcam as well. Sharing features also remain the same with the ability to share on social media, subscribe, embed, and now mobilize the wall using a custom QR Code. 

Still the same services, just better looking.  A positive move to a product many teachers have been utilizing since I first wrote about Wallwisher, Paper for the Web.

 
Wallwisher.com is an excellent way to communicate with your students about hot topics or even to learn about your classroom.  Wallwisher.com is great for those students who would otherwise not be open to talking in class.  Take your kids to the computer lab one day and have a class discussion on the website.  All the talking should be done online.
So how does it work?

1. First you need to create an account.  Really simple.  Email address, password, and a nickname.
   
2. Click on "Build a Wall"
   
3. Choose your background color
   
4. Choose your Title and Subtitle
   
5. Choose the URL for your wall
   
6. I suggest that you check approve messages to be safe.
   
7. Share the URL with your students and monitor the discussion.

So how could you use Wallwisher in the classroom?

1. Brainstorm ideas for a project
   
2. Create a themed wall and embed videos for students to watch and comment on.
   
3. Create a Story and have students put their own twist
   
4. Have a discussion about hot topics and gets students thoughts
   
5. Submit questions for a guest speaker
   
6. A Current Events Wall
   
7. Have students research a topic and post a link to an article that supports their views on that topic
   
8. Have students organize topics into groups that you pre-posted and have them print the screen to show you their completed assignment
   
9. Students could each submit a Word Problem and give other students a chance to solve them.  Just put in a # in the name of the problem and then the students name and the # they are answering in the response
   
10. Find out background knowledge by posting a topic and have students answer what they already know.
    
11. Assess your own class - have them tell you what they liked and disliked in your class
    
12. Create an area for kids to ask questions about assignments

What ideas do you have?  Please post your ideas for using Wallwisher on my Wall that I created.
Click on the image below