I like the idea of posting a word of the day and having students use the word in a sentence. This gives every student the opportunity to participate in the exercise instead of just calling on a few students. I especially like that teachers can give students immediate feedback on their sentences, as the teacher in this example did. This would be useful to use with multiple meaning words. Students would be able to see that some words have more than one meaning. A requirement for this activity would be enough computers with internet access for every student to use at the same time. In my school, this would probably require the use of the mobile lab because it would take too much time to walk to the computer lab just for this one activity. We could use the computer lab if this was an introduction to another assignment.
As for using the site, it is pretty easy. You can create a wall without signing up for Padlet. I created an account so I could easily go back and edit my wall. After clicking on build a wall, you can change the background and add different notes. To start notes, you just have to double click on the wall. That will give you the option of linking pictures, videos, and URLs. You can also add your own files that are not found on the web. There is even an option to add a picture taken from a webcam.
There are many different options on who can view and what the viewers can do. The wall can be public, it can be accessed by people that have the link, it can be password protected, or it can be private. The private option isn't completely private because it allows you to add people by email. After you choose the visibility options, you can decide what the viewers are capable of doing. They can view the wall, write new posts, or can moderate any posts.
I think the site is easy enough to use with elementary students. I will play around with it some more and let you know what I come up with as for a specific use.
This could be a cool web 2.0 tool to use for online discussions. I'm already brainstorming how I could have the entire class collaborate on a discussion question by posting. It would be a more interesting way to see their responses. :) Thanks!
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