Welcome to Padlet for Schools for teachers!

Welcome teachers! -- To your new Padlet for Schools account!

Think of Padlet for Schools as a closed ecosystem. Your school controls who can be a member and what permissions each member has. Logging into your account grants you access to a private space where padlets can be created and shared.

Now that we have that out of the way, lets get started!

What is Padlet?

Lets start with the basics! Padlet is a software that allows you to create, use and share virtual creations that include lesson plans, discussion boards and fun classroom activities. We also have interactive whiteboards where you can create games, story books and so much more!

There are two different types of padlets: Boards and Sandboxes!

If you want to see what a beautiful board looks like, check it out here!

To see what an interactive Sandbox entails, click here!

Accessing your Padlet for Schools account

To access your Padlet for Schools account, go to padlet.com and click Log in.

Your administrator will choose the login option that you’ll use. The options include logging in with an email and password or using single sign-on (SSO) through Google, Microsoft, Apple or ClassLink.

Once you're logged in, you will want to ensure you are viewing your Padlet for Schools account (and not your personal account). To do this, click on your account name/avatar in the upper-right corner of your dashboard. The account with the check mark next to it indicates the account you're currently in.

The check mark in the example above shows that I am currently in my school account.

Transfer your padlets

If you used the same email address for your personal account and your Padlet for Schools account, you can easily move your padlets from your dashboard.

To transfer a padlet from a personal account, click on your Made by me folder on the left-hand side of your dashboard. Click the vertical three-dot ellipsis (...) button on the padlet's thumbnail and select Transfer padlet. Choose your Padlet for Schools account from the list and the padlet will automatically transfer.

Create a padlet

There are many different ways you can create a padlet. The possibilities are essentially endless! Begin by crafting your creations from these options:

• Boards
• Sandbox
• Create with AI (AI recipes)
• Use a Template (Recipes)

Boards

Any padlet you create is a visual space that allows you to share and organize thoughts. Think of a board as a virtual bulletin board for posting content in a creative and easy way!

Sandbox

A Sandbox is the more freeform version of a padlet! Sandboxes are collaborative digital canvases with tools for drawing, learning and interactive games!

Create with AI

AI recipes use the power of generative AI to create an entire padlet based on your description. Use our AI recipes to create discussion boards, lesson plans, class activities and more - almost instantly!

To get started, log into your account, click on the + Make button at the top of the page followed by AI recipes. Choose your recipe and start cooking!

Read more about our AI recipes here!

Templates

Not really sure where to start or need ideas? Search our Template gallery! Look through hundreds of pre-made templates you can use to get your creative juices flowing. Search based on a specific category of interest or even search by grade level!

For more tips and tricks to navigating through the Template gallery, you may find this article useful: Gallery Templates

Customize your padlet settings

Customize your padlet with a title, wallpaper and different content and moderation settings within the Settings menu on your padlet. Simply click the Settings cog icon (⚙️) and start the customization process!

Choose a format

One of the first decisions you will make when you create a board is to decide on a format. A board's format dictates how its posts will be arranged. Some of our formats (like Wall, Columns and Grid) allow you to see many of your posts at once on one large canvas. Others (like Timeline and Stream) allow you to order posts sequentially. We have a few other format types hiding in there, too! Check them out!

Additional customization options

Customize the available attachment options and post fields shown in the post composer! Read more about Post fields here!

Enable Content moderation to protect your padlet from inappropriate posts. In the Content section of your Settings panel, you can click on the drop-down menu next to 'Moderation' to choose how much control you would like to have. Read more about Content moderation here!

Share settings

Whenever you create a padlet for use in a school environment, you need to establish its privacy settings.

Link privacy

Here are all possible privacy options:

• School only - We recommend this option for our school accounts to ensure the most privacy. A padlet with this setting will only be accessible to logged in members of your Padlet for Schools account. This is perfect for restricting access to anyone outside of your school and preventing anonymous posting.

• Secret – Visitors are not restricted to members of your Padlet for Schools account. Anyone with the link can access the padlet.

• Secret - Password – Visitors are required to enter a password to access this padlet. Visitors are not restricted to members of your Padlet for Schools account. Anyone with the link and the password can access the padlet. This option is great for padlets with potentially sensitive information.
• Secret - Log in - Only visitors that are logged into their Padlet account can access the padlet. This prevents posts being created anonymously.
• Public - Anyone can access this padlet. It will show up on the creator's profile page and in Google search results.

Visitor permissions

You can also decide what permissions visitors have within your padlet. You control whether a visitor can leave comments on your padlet, make their own posts, or have editing access. You can also choose to keep your padlet completely private!

• No access - Only users added as collaborators can access the padlet.

• Reader - Assign visitors this permission if your padlet is designed to present stagnant information. If you set 'Visitor permissions' to Reader, users will be able to see everything on the padlet but can’t change the material or add to it.
• Commenter - This is a great option if you just want to collect feedback on posts. Users with this permission will be allowed to make Comments or react to posts as long as those features are enabled.
• Writer - This permission is ideal for padlets that you want your students to collaborate on and contribute to with their own posts.
• Moderator/Administrator - Set your 'Visitor permissions' to this setting to allow visitors to create, edit and approve others' posts. This is not recommended for Padlet for Schools accounts. If you'd like to use these permissions for one specific person, we encourage you to add them as a collaborator and assign the permissions that way.

Special links for restricted viewing

Restrict students from viewing part (or all) of your padlet, while still allowing them to make posts!

Use Breakout rooms to allow a group of users to collaborate in a single section of the padlet without being able to see the other sections. This is a great way to encourage group work on your padlet without seeing other students' contributions.

Use submission forms to invite them to post on a board - without the ability to see the contents of the board beforehand.

Professional development

You can participate in our professional development course by going to padlet.link/pd. This course is designed to further your understanding of Padlet and all of the features we offer.

You can also watch our Padlet Sessions training courses by going to padlet.link/sessions. Sign up for upcoming sessions or view some from the archives.