Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Quizlet Makes Studying Fun. (period added for emphasis)




Those of you who have read my blog in the past already know I am a big fan of Quizlet. Nevertheless, I am dedicating this entry to showing you some of the neat ways you can use it in your "classroom". Over the years, I have discovered that many students do not know what it means to "study" or they do not want to study. One of the reasons I like Quizlet is that it makes studying more interactive, personal, and FUN.

The video above quickly shows you some of the benefits of using Quizlet. The fact that students can play "games" as a way to study vocabulary makes learning more fun. Also, because my school is promoting that teachers use Edmodo this year, you can easily embed Quizlet flashcards into an Edmodo posting, thus integrating these FREE technology assets. Students can study flashcards and play review games directly on Edmodo.

One of the reasons I have become a Quizlet dork is the fact that students can study using a variety of devices. Currently, Quizlet has a free iPhone app--it works well, though you don't have access to creating flashcards directly through the app. For you Android users, unfortunately Quizlet does not yet have a dedicated app, HOWEVER, many free apps exist where you can use Quizlet. Check out the image below for these apps...


Here are a set of videos to help you learn how to get started with Quizlet...most of these videos are under 45 seconds:

1. 1-Minute video showing you the basics of Quizlet
2. Create an account
3. Set up a class
    - Invite students to your class
4. Create a set of flashcards
    - Use the auto-define feature (I use this all the time!)
5. Add images to flashcards
6. Share flashcards (this is how I embed flashcards on Edmodo)
7. Use test mode

There are many more video resources to help you learn about Quizlet. You can find them all here.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Great Ipad Resource for Teachers


Recently, I was chosen to be one of a handful of teachers who will be rolling out our school's use of iPads. Each teacher who participates will receive a cart of 30 iPads to use with their students. I have been playing with my assigned iPad to learn how I will use it in the classroom. It has been hard to fully plan how I will use the iPads with my students since I have no idea when I will receive my class set...perhaps next month? 

Over the past few weeks, I have been researching how other teachers are using iPads in the classroom. I have come across many resources, but I would like to share two of the better ones.

1. iPad As: This simply created website breaks down the apps for the iPad based upon the goals of a teacher. I like the format of this website and the nifty descriptions of each app (including in some cases tips and pros/cons).

2. AP iPad Presentation: This website is similar to the former, though it is geared more towards AP teachers. Nevertheless, ANY teacher will be able to find and discover great apps for their students. 

If you have any iPad apps you consider "must haves" for a teacher, please share!