I love Padlet – it is not a secret. A little known fact is that I use my own images for Padlet backgrounds. Why? When you love something, you have a clear and obvious passion for it, right? And that passion translated to your audience.
I am often asked what enables me to connect so strongly with my students. The answer is passion for both the material and the students as people! When I am standing in front of a group of young people sharing information I love, they can’t help but to love it too! My energy is intoxicating.
I believe I went a little off script, my apologies.
I’m not saying that Padlet stock photos are bad – they always seem a little bland and cliché. Instead, giving the background a lively punch can do a couple things.
1 – it creates a conversation starter. Example – Penn Paper in Scranton, PA. Have you heard of it? No, maybe you have heard of Dunder Mifflin? Oh, good! Well, it is based on a real place. Yes, it’s real!
2 – a good image draws in any crowd. Trick – the best form of crowd control (and that is exactly what teaching is) is distraction. If students are occupied and busy, they are listening and learning. Therefore, starting a lesson with a very large and interesting photo will gain 99% of the classes attention. Tell me you wouldn’t be intrigued by the image of a fishing boat stuck in the sand.
3 – a primer. A lot of times, I try to match the image with the topic at hand. Let’s face it, our students don’t always understand the basis of the text. Take Robert Frost’s Mending Wall. Outside of the Northeast, students have no idea what a rock wall separating properties is. Instead of just pulling up the image of a rock wall on Google, why not include it in a bell ringer?
Be sure to grab these images for your Padlets, Daily Reminders, Bulletin boards, Google Slides, computer wallpapers… Simply click the image, right click it in the slideshow and save as! Follow me on Instagram for more!
Tori Allred 