Okay, so in writing this post I feel a little bit like a school nerd but I thought this was a really cool website to use for study aids or teaching.
Basically, clicking on the Quizlet link here will take you to a site where you can choose from any number of flashcard sets or make your own. When I checked it out for the first time the featured flashcard set was State Capitols and since my students wanted to practice those for another class they’re in I decided I would check it out so I could help them. I clicked on one of the games first thinking I knew what I was doing. Boy was I wrong! I definitely didn’t know as much as I thought I did. It took me quite a few tries to finally start getting the capitols right and finally stop getting the “Uhh, you’ve done better…” comment at the end of the game but it was definitely a fun way to review (or learn) something new.
After I finally gave up on the game, I decided to explore a bit more. Quizlet really has flashcard sets for just about any topic you can think of. Of course there are the traditional subjects of Math, Science, History, Civics and so on, but there are also cards for Music, theater, poetry, even some for professionals such as nursing, or business and so on. There’s even sections for many standardized exams such as the TOEFL and GRE!
Quizlet also lets you connect with your Facebook account so you don’t have to create any new user names and passwords to remember, plus you can share sets with friends in your classes or just for fun.
So, what are the Pedagogical implications of Quizlet?
Students: Got a big test coming up in your language class? Check out all the flashcards for one of 33 (or more) different languages, even characters for Kanji, Chinese, or Arabic writing to name a few.
Trying to review for a policy studies course? There just might be a set of flashcards about the politics of the country you’re studying. Or even about wider topics in the field such as interest groups and media.
Want to know more about theater or music to prepare for the MIIS Follies? Check out the corresponding sections here.
Teachers: This could be a great place to send your students of any course to encourage further self study or to present the terms you feel they need in order to pass your class. There is also a way to leave feedback on sets your students created or start a discussion group around a set.
Both: If you can’t find a set of flashcards for your specific terms, make your own. All you need are a title for your set, a brief description and the terms and definitions and then the website magically makes the familiarize, learn, test, and two game sections for your terms. Then, have fun studying! Be careful though, you might spend more time than you expect.