Module 2 - Study Almost Any Topic with "Quizlet"

The technology app that I chose to investigate for my second post is called "Quizlet".  Quizlet allows the user to search almost any academic topic and then provides the user with a variety of activities to study that topic.  For instance, I typed in "health" and then received a list of health related topics.  When I clicked on one I was taken to the "Terms" list where the concepts of the topic are introduced.  After reviewing the key terms for the topic, the user can play three different games to review the terms.  It offers "Flash Cards", "Learn", and "Scatter.  Flash cards are just what you would think, term on one side and definition on the other.  The "Learn" activity presents the user with a definition and they must type in the term.  The "Scatter" activity provides a list of terms and definitions mixed together and the user must match the definition with the term.  All the activities seem to be really useful study techniques for students to use.

Quizlet is already being used in classrooms.  Teachers are posting their reviews on Quizlet and letting their students use them on their own.  For example, when you click on the "Info" section of each quizlet, it will tell you who supplied it.  Some are very specific like, "Ms. Jones Sophomore Health Final".  I think Quizlet is very practical for classrooms.  Teachers and students alike will enjoy using this app.  I know that I would like to try using it in my classrooms. 

The only improvement that I would make to this app is to have some kind of review or editing process for the quizlets that are posted.  Because some quizlets are submitted by teachers, the formatting does not always match up.  Sometimes the information doesn't translate as well to the activities as it should.

Overall, this was a great app and I would recommend it to teachers and students.  It promotes good study skills and provides a variety of ways to review the same topic.  That way the material is really engrained in the students' minds.

For more information visit: http://quizlet.com/

Module 1 - Tech in Ed - Doulingo

    The technology tool that I chose for our first blog post was the iPhone app "Duolingo". This app is designed to help a student or anyone who is learning a new language. I personally chose this app because I work in a largely Hispanic high school and there is tremendous benefit to me knowing my Spanish. This app would be perfect to supplement any high school language course.  This would be a great way for students to get out of class reviews and to be sure they are proficient in the previously covered area. After just learning about "Differentiated Instruction" in one of my classes, the first thing I noticed, after using Duolingo for only a short time is that it uses a variety of methods to teach the user. It keys on audio, textual, visual, and even voice recognition activities to help increase the users learning.

   The way Duolingo works is each language is divided into units based on difficulty and then each unit is divided into sub-sections that address specific areas of each unit. The user has 4 "Lives" or mistakes that they can make in each lesson, but any more than 4, and the user will not pass the lesson. With a little previous experience in Spanish, I found myself having a nice review in the first lesson with some key words and phrases.

It has several nice features that make learning easy, fun, and productive. Duolingo allows the user to set daily and weekly goals to help tract your progress throughout each language course. Goal setting is an integral part of successful education. Another nice feature is that it is easy to learn new material. If the user simply clicks on a word that they don't know, Duolingo will display a drop down menu from the word with the English equivalences. Duolingo also does a good job of presenting material in both languages to give the user a good mix of English and the new language they are studying.

    I would recommend Duolingo to anyone trying to study and learn a new language. Duolingo gives me the confidence to even try learning a new language that I don't have any experience with. With its fairly simplistic form, even the most novice of learners can begin to expand their language learning with Duolingo.  It is easy to use, it's fun, and you can learn almost anywhere since the app will be on your phone or tablet.


More information can be found at: www.duolingo.com