10 Tools for Technology Integration - SCC Workshop 2016
Learn what free, freemium, and premium tech tools may work for your library!
About Padlet
Padlet is a FREEMIUM social collaboration and brainstorming tool. Padlet refers to itself as being like a live wiki, but it can also be a polling tool, with the added benefit of allowing the user to organize responses in ways that can encourage new perspectives on the topic.
What is included for free:
- Share, export, or embed to collect responses
- Limited background options and "portraits"
- Range of visibility options (private, password protected, hidden link, and totally public)
- Moderation of posts
- Receive daily email notifications letting you know you have new responses
- Users can attach files, images, and can create hyperlinks in posts
Premium accounts provide more storage space, analytics, premium backgrounds, user management and access options, and more privacy.
Practical Uses
Why would you want to use Padlet?
- Use it as an icebreaker
- Poll the audience
- Find themes in responses
- Brainstorm ideas
What are some practical applications?
| Patron Programming | Poll your patrons about the kind of programming that interests them. |
| Library Classes | Use it before class to find out what participants already know about the topic. Use a second padlet to find out what they hope to learn. |
| After Class | Use Padlet to get participant feedback. If you did a great job, turn the Padlet into a poster with testimony about how great your classes are! |
| Icebreaker | At the beginning of a class or event, ask participants to record where they live, where they went for summer vacation, or something others are unlikely to know about them. |
| Reading | Find out what patrons are reading, or what they want to read. |
Examples
Alternative Tools
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FREE; no account required; post notes and attachments to a board for sharing and collaboration |
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FREE; no account required; post index cards to a white board, and organize by category; nice collaboration tool for classroom activities |
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FREEMIUM; free account allows for unlimited collaborative boards, but only for up to 5 users; premium accounts offer full set of features and unlimited users, but charges are per user |