Here you will find an extensive collection of web-based class activities. These articles provide collections of links to interactive online tools organized around instructional themes and activities. Specific ideas for use in adult education are provided, along with examples and step-by-step instructions.

Padlet TA: Your AI-Powered Teaching Assistant for Effortless Classroom Preparation

by Alisa Takeuchi, OTAN Subject Matter Expert

Overview

Padlet TA is an innovative, web-based AI assistant created by the makers of Padlet, designed to reduce teacher prep time and allow educators to concentrate on student interaction and instruction. In its current free beta form accessible at ta.padlet.com, users can explore a range of Widgets and AI tools that instantly generate materials such as lesson plans, quizzes, worksheets, rubrics, AI enhancements, and more - all driven by advanced AI models.

Introduction

Upon visiting the Padlet TA dashboard, educators can either quickly use a Widget - such as AI-generated images, smart group assignments, QR codes, name pickers, or short links - or dive into more comprehensive AI tools designed for creating formal classroom materials. With minimal prompting, these tools deliver polished, editable content ready to share, copy, or export. For example, the Lesson Plan Generator asks for grade (type Adults), topic, learning objectives, and desired duration; moments later, it returns a structured lesson complete with warm-up exercises, core activities, assessments, and time breakdowns.

This tool was recently introduced by Padlet Labs and quickly embraced by the teaching community for its seamless, no-login-required experience and broad utility. In their launch post, Padlet Labs invited educators to "Meet Padlet TA, our AI teaching assistant that helps create lessons, activities, and classroom tools. It's free to use, no login required" (reddit.com).

Why It’s Valuable in Digital Learning Scenarios

Padlet TA supports digital learning best practices by improving instructional efficiency and enabling personalization. Its output can be adapted for in-person, online, or blended or hybrid classrooms, whether students are at school or home, joining synchronously or asynchronously. The tool also aligns with the Triple E Framework by:

• Engaging students through dynamic, teacher-created content.
• Enhancing instruction by saving time and allowing educators to focus on direct student support.
• Extending learning with materials that can be customized for different modalities and levels.

It is especially useful for instructors who teach multiple levels or subjects and need differentiated resources quickly.

A Classroom Scenario: ESL Safety Vocabulary

Imagine teaching an adult ESL class focused on workplace safety. In just a few steps - selecting the Lesson Plan AI tool, entering “intermediate ESL, workplace safety, 45 minutes,” and uploading an image of safety symbols - Padlet TA crafts a full lesson. The resulting plan includes a warm-up activity, vocabulary-building exercises, a matching worksheet generated using the Worksheet AI tool, and an assessment. All are editable and exportable for immediate classroom use, in person or online.

Teacher Experience

Educators who try Padlet TA consistently remark on its simplicity and power. The user interface is intuitive: select a Widget or AI tool, input a few details, hit generate, and receive polished teacher-ready content in seconds. Optional account creation allows prompt history storage and customization based on grade level, subject area, and curriculum standards. According to Padlet, if you take the time to create an account, Padlet TA will provide better recommendations on what you should create based on the activity you generate when signed in. Teachers report significant time savings, especially when preparing materials for multiple class levels or subjects.

Here is one example of the versatility of Padlet TA. The Multiple Choice Quiz AI tool allows the final product - a grade level assessment on a certain topic - to be exported to several apps, including Google Forms where the quiz is already formatted with the answers and point value.

You can also generate a PDF or Word doc which can be printed for in-person use - for those who struggle with digital work - and uploaded to an LMS like Canvas or Google Classroom for students to access synchronously or asynchronously.

Student Experience

While Padlet TA is designed principally for educators, the tools it generates - presentations, quizzes, worksheets - are clean, accessible, and easily distributed to students, whether they are in-person or online. AI-generated visuals, QR codes, and name-pickers bring an added layer of engagement and professional polish. In the following examples, you can see the QR code widget as well as two image sets generated using the AI image widget. These are all easy to include in a teacher’s instruction.

Advanced Use Cases

Beyond lesson plans and worksheets, Padlet TA offers features like AI-generated images for visual support, Smart groups for grouping students by skill or randomness, Text leveler to adapt reading materials to different proficiency levels, and quick tools for classroom management (QR code generation, name pickers, and short links). Here is an example from the Smart groups widget.

In a time where educators are being asked to do more with less, Padlet TA emerges as a powerful support system. By making the creation of high-quality instructional materials and offering adaptable tools for blended learning, it empowers teachers to focus on what truly matters: connecting with students and meaningful learning experiences. Whether you're an experienced educator looking to streamline your workflow or a new teacher seeking support, Padlet TA offers a practical, accessible, and time-saving solution. Its thoughtful design, educational focus, and ease of use make it a valuable addition to any teacher’s digital toolkit.

Additional Resources

• What is Padlet TA?: An overview of its purpose, features, and usage (padlet.help)