Brain Storming Using Padlet

Brainstorming in a Socially-Distanced Classroom using Padlet

Brainstorm is a process encouraging students to generate ideas in a creative manner.
It gives students a chance to tap into previous knowledge and form connections with the current topic.

Key Skills

Managing information and thinking
Managing myself
Communicating
Being literate
Being creative

Required Resources

In the Classroom

Padlet account. (Trial version is sufficient & students do not necessarily need an account)
Teacher PC / Laptop
Projector
Students: Mobile phones, tablets or chrome book.

Online Teaching & Learning

Padlet account. (Trial version is sufficient)
Teacher PC / Laptop
GoogleMeet
Students: Mobile phones, tablets or chrome book.

The Technology: Padlet

Padlet is a digital canvas to create beautiful projects that are easy to share and collaborate on. It works like a piece of paper. We give you an empty page - a padlet - and you can put whatever you like on it. Drag in a video, record an interview, snap a selfie, write your own text posts or upload some documents, and voilà! A padlet is born.

NOTE:

Padlet is a premium service, however new users are allowed to have three padlets at a time.
Once a Padlet canvas has been completed, the teacher can download the Padlet as a PDF document and share with the class on Google Classroom.

Padlet Website

How to use Padlet: Instructional Videos.

How to use Padlet: The Basics for teachers

How to Use Padlet for Students: The Basics

Teaching Remotely with Padlet

Classroom Approaches / Strategies

• Carefully frame the question that needs to be brainstormed so that maximum ideas may be generated.

• Set a realistic time limit, around 10/15 minutes.

• Emphasise that there are no right or wrong answers to encourage students to contribute.

• Students either work individually or in virtual groups / pairs.

• The teacher coordinates and manages the brainstorming session without adding their evaluation to comments presented by the students.

Junior Cycle for Teachers Resource

Points to Note / Alternative Approaches.

Students working together in groups can generate lots of ideas.
Ensure all students get an equal opportunity to share.
Brainstorming could be used as a stimulus for creative or functional writing, vocabulary development on a topic in languages or for relevance of a scientific discovery in our lives etc.

Alternative Approaches.

• An alternative online approach could be to use mind-mapping technologies such as SImpleMind or Coggle. Each student produces their own Coggle / SimpleMind. They can either share through Google Classroom or present & talk about their mindmap using the "Present" function on GoogleMeet.

• Another alternative might be to use a shared GoogleDoc preformatted with a placemat between four students.