Thursday, February 11, 2010
BP5_2010022_Web2.0 T2 Quizlet.com
As I have continued my research into Web 2.0 tools, I've started mining the information in the various blogs I am following. In doing so, I have stumbled across an interesting little program I can utilize in my music classes, but that would also be appropriate for absolutely any subject that has a set vocabulary that needs to be mastered -- in other words any subject!
The application is Quizlet.com. I found this application through one of the music education blogs I am currently following. J. Pisano's blog Animusic.com/education has listed a number of interesting technologies for music educators, however most of them are items I already employ in my classroom. The real interest I have for Quizlet.com is that it is applicable to any subject, not just music. Every area of learning has a specialized vocabulary that must be mastered to move beyond the fundamental stage. Quizlet.com offers a simple yet entertaining way to accomplish this mastery. Most of us who received our education prior to the digital revolution probably remember using flash cards to master vocabulary and basic mathematics facts. I certainly remember learning my multiplication tables through flash cards. As many teachers have discovered, many parents today are not able or willing to invest the time to assist their children in the mastery of fundamental facts. Parents frequently respond, "That's your job" when asked to assist their children in acquiring basic skills, and yet the sheer volume of information young children must master makes daily drill practice during class time impractical. Enter Quizlet.com. Teachers are able to set up various games and drills to begin with familiarization of basic terms and continue through to mastery. Many subjects and sets have already been saved, such as the music theory example pictured above. Creating new entries and adding them to the aggregate knowledge base is both quick and easy. Once the information set has been loaded, but students can be assigned the vocabulary unit for homework. Frequently, students finish classwork ahead of the other students. When this occurs, the students could then go on the classroom computers to work with the terminology for the current subject matter. The unwillingness or inability of a parent to interact with the child in learning the vocabulary would no longer be an issue.
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In helping my nephew learn multiplication facts my first resort was using paper based flash cards but I think this is more his speed. He will be super excited about using the computer, but flash cards on the computer will top just about any other study tool for him.
ReplyDeleteNow that I think about it, I still have some 6th graders in my homeroom that struggle with multiplication. They can benefit from this as well. I think the uses for this tool are endless. What a great find!
Sharon, thanks for sharing. I've been looking for some online quiz and practice resources and your suggestion that Quizlet can be applied to a variety of other subjects besides music is encouraging. I think that no matter the subject, there is always a "language" to be learned. It seems that almost everyday we're faced with new terminology and new ideas to convey. I'm going to do some more research personally and see how applicable this might be. Much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI finally got an opportunity to explore you blog. Thank you for all the great information. I especially liked the Quizlet tool. I think this is a great tool for students to keep up with vocabulary. I never assign students the task of defining words from the book, but rather hope to have students understand new vocabulary through our discussions. Our district exam is almost all vocabulary. Although we give out a study guide, Quizlet gives me an opportunity to start a set of vocabulary and build upon it as the semester continues. Thanks again for sharing such a valuable tool.
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