This post has asked us to discuss a new strategy that we have started using in the classroom, and the impact it is having with our students. I have chosen to talk about one of the simplest and easiest resources that has honestly amazed me at allowing my students to collaborate and share information. If you aren’t using Padlet in your classroom – You Should Be!!

Padlet is a resource that simply stated, allows students to post material to a digital bulletin board. I had used these application in the class for things such as warm ups and exit tickets – but this year I have taken it to a whole new level and it has been a beautiful thing to watch. Now don’t get me wrong – we had a few glitches along the way. Our students switched from laptops to iPads this year, and I didn’t foresee all of the tiny differences that would cause my students and I to have to regroup on how we used ‘old’ applications. After doing a few basic tasks with Padlet in class, and learning how our iPads posted (and sometimes erased) our material – we were off to bigger and better things. Students love to share and look at other students work. We are naturally somewhat nosey as humans, so we like to take a look around when our peers are sharing what they are working on. I saw this as an opportunity for students to “SHARE” with a purpose. I no longer solely use Padlet as a type of formative assessment, but I use it as a way for my students to share information for research.

We have two main purposes for research in my particular class. We research for studies on careers and colleges, and we research for our design challenges. Students are now finding those resources, citing where they are finding their quality information, weeding out sources that don’t seem creditable, and working with each other in the class to complete tasks and find solutions. These are all things that I have had students struggle with in the past – but by working these mundane tasks into a simple and easy to use application that is digital – they all of a sudden are willing to work at it. Students are now willing to look for multiple sources so that they can have multiple posts on their Padlet wall. I think they are excited to be able to contribute and are learning the value of ‘doing your part’. I never expected to use Padlet for research and collaboration between students, it was never really shown to me as a tool for that task. However, after using it for Kenan Fellows PD and seeing some of the presenters organize material and resources using the tool, it has completely changed how I can use it in my classroom – and the change has been great! Students are now using Padlets that are set up for their classes, and making their own to share information within groups. They are finding sources, information, and images and citing them with ease. They are finding ideas, sharing them, and brainstorming on what they like or ideas to improve what they have found. It has truly been a great way to get them started on projects, doing some research, and collaborating with each other without having to be huddle around a single table in the classroom.

How do I envision my Kenan Fellowship experience impacting my students?

There are so many ways that my summer experience has broadened my ideas on how to develop my new STEM curriculum. One of the main components that I see myself branching into more, are stronger math connections. Many of my mentors that I have worked with have spoken about how students are lacking some basic math skills that impede their learning process at the college level. Skills such as using tools for measurement in the correct manner, being able to work with fractions and converting them into decimals, and even basic concepts such as using a formula and plugging in the correct information. I know students are being taught this information in schools – so what is it that is causing them to not retain it? How can I help students to not only learn the concepts, but remember them and keep it stored for easy access later in life?

One way I will attempt to address this issue is by developing more real world application in my curriculum. I want my students to not only be able to work problems on paper and find solutions – but use those skills as adults would use them later in life and out in the field with a career. My goal now is to take a look at the curriculum I’m being asked to work with, and develop units that can allow students to get ‘down and dirty’ with these math concepts. Have students learn these math processes not by me simply showing them the process and having them follow along, but exposing them to the real world problems that require these skills to find a solution. I need to develop instances for my students that  allow them to struggle with the content and skill sets, not only to try them – but to try and fail, and then re-try again. I need them to learn what doesn’t work and how using a skill incorrectly alters their results and end products. I hope that by designing material that shows them the need for the correct use of the skills, they will retain the information at a higher rate allowing them to use it later in life when it is necessary. Working with LCC has truly shown me that real world application is the way to go when teaching true STEM in my classroom.