March 2025Technology

Padlet Sandbox: Another Alternative for Google Jamboard

By Wenjing Huang, Chinese Teacher, George School

Wenjing Huang

DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.69732/IWPS2453

Introduction

In language classes, we often use Padlet to create digital boards for brainstorming, group discussions, and quick icebreakers, but now it can do even more. Sandbox is a new feature of Padlet (since July 2024) and it has expanded the range of what a Padlet is. 

Sandboxes are digital whiteboard spaces, most similar to the discontinued Google tool, Jamboard. Padlet Sandboxes offer over 20 different tools to use, from text and simple shapes to music and video embedding.

Name of the tool Padlet Sandbox
URL https://www.padlet.com
Primary purpose of the tool A collaborative digital whiteboard with tools for drawing, writing, and adding media.
Cost (info current as of January 2025) For paid Padlet accounts (as below), there is no need to pay anything extra to create sandboxes.

For free Padlet accounts, your quota can be used towards creating sandboxes.

Free Padlet Plan: 3 padlets and 20 MB file uploads, 2 min video recordings, 5 min audio recordings

Gold Padlet Plan: $9.99/month or $69.99/year, 20 padlets, 100 MB file uploads, 5 min video recordings, 10 min audio recordings

Platinum Padlet Plan:$14.99/month or $99.99/year, unlimited padlets, 500 MB file uploads, 15 min video recordings, 30 min audio recordings

Team Padlet Plan:$19.99/month or $149.99/year, unlimited padlets, 1 GB file uploads, 30 min video recordings, 60 min audio recordings

Classroom Padlet Plan: $199/year for 2 teachers, unlimited padlets, 1 GB file uploads, 200 free student accounts, 30 min video recordings, 60 min audio recordings

School Padlet Plan: Starting at $1000/year for 10 teachers, unlimited padlets, 1 GB file uploads,  unlimited student accounts, 30 min video recordings, 60 min audio recordings

Ease of use Simple and easy to use

Overview

1. Creating a Sandbox

On the Padlet homepage, click “Make”, then click “Blank Sandbox”, and you will see a whiteboard or canvas. The content in a Sandbox is organized into separate pages, referred to as cards. 

On the left side of your Sandbox, you can add, delete, duplicate, move cards, and add a card above or below, as well as change the background of each card. The available backgrounds are categorized as follows:

  • Whiteboards: blank, ruled, grid, dot grid, frosted glass
  • Calendars: weekdays, weekly, monthly
  • Organizers: Venn diagram, Timeline, 2 columns, 3 columns, 4 columns, 5 columns, 4 corners, Fishbone diagram, Sequence chart, Brainstorming web, Tree chart
  • Math: 100 chart, Number line, Graph, Times table, Bar graph, Pie chart, Line graph, 10 frames, Number bonds set, Number bonds
  • Maps: World map, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, Antarctica
  • Storytelling: Storyboards, 8 panel comic, 6 panel comic, 3 panel comic
  • Custom: Upload, Camera, Drawing, Link, Search
Picture 1 – A Blank Sandbox
Picture 1 – A Blank Sandbox

On the right side of your Sandbox, you can draw, add text, notes, rectangles, connectors, as well as use 17 other tools. For example: 

  • Audio and video recorder: you can record up to 5 minutes, pause and resume recording any number of times, and replay the audio/video before you save. 
  • Screen recorder: install the Chrome extension of “Padlet Mini” first, then you can record the whole screen, an application window, or another browser tab for up to 2 minutes. You can also record with or without audio.

And there are some new features such as creating a Poll, linking to Google Drive, typing a prompt to generate an image using AI (the tool is called “I can’t draw”), and typing text to generate an audio recording (using the “Talk for me” tool, which automatically detects the text’s language).

Picture 2 – Tools to Add on a Sandbox - Padlet, Upload, link, camera, video recorder, audio recorder, screen recorder, poll, google drive, i can't draw, talk for me, image search, GIF, YouTube, spotify, web search, location
Picture 2 – Tools to Add on a Sandbox

2. Card Limits

Your Padlet plan type determines the number of cards that can be created in your Sandbox. For example, when using a free account, you can add up to 20 cards in one Sandbox. And if you subscribe to the Padlet Gold plan, you can add up to 50 cards per Sandbox. For all other paid plans (Platinum, Team, Classroom, and School), you can add up to 100 cards per Sandbox.

3. Importing From Jamboard

Previously, there was an option labeled “Import from Jamboard”. Now that Jamboard is no longer available, if you can still open your previous Jamboards, you can import them as images into Padlet. However, it is uncertain how long you will be able to view your Jamboards in PDF format.

4. Sharing a Sandbox

You can share a Sandbox the same way that you share any Padlet. Click the“Share” button and it offers collaborations with different types of visitor permissions:

  • No access: only collaborators can access this Sandbox.
  • Reader: Visitors can view this Sandbox.
  • Writer: Visitors can add new objects to cards. This is the default and recommended if you would like to share with your students.
  • Editor: Visitors can add new objects to cards and edit existing ones. This is recommended if you would like to share with a collaborator. 

For your Sandbox’s link privacy, the options are:

  • Secret: This is the default, which means this Sandbox will be hidden from the public. Only people with the link can access it.
  • Secret – Password: Only people with the link and password can access this Sandbox.
  • Secret Log In: Only logged in visitors with the link can access this Sandbox.
  • Public: Anyone can access this Sandbox. It will show up on your profile page and in Google search results.

5. Draw and Play Mode

At the top left of a Sandbox, there are two modes: Draw and Play. Use the Draw mode to create or edit cards within your Sandbox, as it displays all of the Sandbox tools you need. Play mode, on the other hand, is ideal for creating lessons, storybooks, and presentations, as it removes all distractions. In Play mode, you do not need to worry about accidentally moving or deleting anything. When you use Play mode (similar to presentation mode), students can still engage with the interactive tools in the Sandbox.

6. Other Features

Sandbox can do everything Jamboard could do, plus some other features.

  • Students cannot delete each other’s posts.
  • You can add many types of attachments (as seen in above Picture 2).
  • You can freeze individual elements or the whole board (right click the element and there is an option of “freeze”).
  • You can make a copy of a Sandbox for each student with “Auto-remake link” (click top right “Share”, then under “Links”, choose “Auto-remake link”, and enable it, see Picture 4).
  • You can allow a group of users to collaborate in a single card without being able to see the other cards with “Breakout links” (click top right “Share”, then under “Links”, choose “Breakout links”).
Picture 3 – Auto-remake Link - Breakout links, auto-remake link, play, get QR code, embed in your blog or website, share via another app, export as images, export as PDF, print
Picture 3 – Auto-remake Link

In addition, you can limit the tools available on your Sandbox. If you want your students to focus on specific tools, click the top right “Settings” button. Then, under “Content”, choose “Allowed tools”, and deselect the tools you do not want to include. After saving your selection, you, as a teacher, will still see all the tools, while students will only have access to the ones you selected. 

This feature is currently in beta on Padlet as of December 2024. To use it, go to your settings under “Basic Info” and enable beta features to access the newest features.

Picture 4 – Allowed Tools - pointer, draw, text, note, shape, connector, padlet, upload, link, camera, video recorder, audio recorder, screen recorder, poll, google drive, i can't draw, talk for me, image search, GIF, YouTube, spotify, web search, location
Picture 4 – Allowed Tools

Practical Uses for the Language Classroom

Here are some ideas for ways you can use the Padlet Sandbox in the language classroom.

1. Reading Annotations

In addition to the standard Jamboard-type activities that you can continue to create, Sandbox can serve as a digital tool for reading annotation, supporting both individual and collaborative student work. For example, it can be used for a Reading Salad activity, where students work in groups and take turns completing different reading tasks as outlined below, each representing an ingredient of the “salad”. Using Sandbox, students can annotate, discuss, and categorize their findings. Once a task is completed, students add the corresponding ingredient to the digital salad, visually building the activity as they progress.

Ingredients Reading Tasks
Lettuce Read aloud the given reading text.
Tomatoes Look up and explain the unknown vocabulary for the group.
Onions Ask an “on-the-surface” question for the rest of the group members to answer.
Carrots Explain how you relate to this reading text.
Cheese Identify the cultural differences from this reading text with respect to American culture.
Blueberries Summarize this reading text in one sentence.
Mushrooms Ask a question based on the reading text for discussion or curiosity.

 

This activity can be adapted for novice, intermediate, and advanced-level language classes, with opportunities for instant feedback from teachers and peers to enhance learning outcomes.

Picture 5 – An Example of Reading Salad Activity in Sandbox - A. Read the text B. unknown vocab C. ask a on-the-surface question D. personal connection E. cultural difference F. summarize G. as a question for discussion; Read the text on next page, and turn takes to complete these tasks. Once you are done, add the corresponding ingredient to the salad.
Picture 5 – An Example of Reading Salad Activity in Sandbox

2. Gamified Tasks

With Sandbox’s multiple cards and Play mode, another way to use it is for gamified tasks. For example, a common language class activity that works for all levels can now be transformed into Jeopardy: Sandbox Edition. Here is how it works:

  1. Create 20 questions across 20 cards in Sandbox. 
  2. Design the first card as the game board, displaying 4 categories. 
  3. Organize the questions under these 4 categories, with 5 questions per category. 
  4. Label each question with a corresponding dollar amount (e.g., $200, $400, etc.). 
  5. Link each dollar amount on the game board to its corresponding question card using the “Link to Card” feature. 
  6. Add a “Click to Return Home” text on each question card, which will allow players to easily return to the main game board (first card) by clicking it.
  7. Optional Step: For each question card, you can add a “Click to See Answer” text that links to a new card with the corresponding answer. This creates 20 additional cards, each containing the answer to the respective question.

Students can play Jeopardy: Sandbox Edition in pairs or in groups, and discuss answers together, and teachers can tailor the game to suit various levels and topics by adjusting the difficulty of the questions and categories.

Picture 6 – An Example of Jeopardy in Sandbox - 4 categories and 4 questions each for $200, 400, 600 800, and a jeopardy icon
Picture 6 – An Example of Jeopardy in Sandbox

Conclusion

If you’re a former Jamboard user, transitioning to Padlet Sandbox is seamless. Its wide array of tools, including an AI image generator, offers a robust and user-friendly experience. As educational technology continues to advance, Padlet Sandbox emerges as a compelling digital whiteboard platform for collaborative learning. We encourage you to delve into its potential and share your experiences of integrating it into your language classes.

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