Today in Ed Tech,

Arnelle, Angie, Catrina, Maddie and myself researched Quizlet. The following is some of our findings!

Flashcard Apps: Quizlet

Link: https://quizlet.com

What is Quizlet?

Quizlet is a free website which provides learning tools for students of all ages. It includes a flashcards section, learn section, write, spell and test section. It makes learning fun! It is a digital take on the simple Q cards, which allows for students to think and share to learn. 

Below is a link to a Youtube video, which explains what Quizlet is. 

Did you know?

• That 90% of students receive higher grades when using a quizlet to study.
• It is an American Company.
• It was invented in California.
• It has seven study modes.
• You can share your Quizlet’s with your friends. 
• You can include Quizlet diagrams. 

Study Modes and Games: 

• Quizlet lets users create sets of terms and their definitions. These sets can then be used with several study modes

1. Flashcards: this is the most commonly used mode and it simulates paper flash cards. Users are shown a card for terms and they can flip it over by clicking it to see the definition
2. Gravity: In this mode definitions move vertically down the screen like asteroids. Users must type the correct term before it reaches the bottom of the screen. Gravity is one of the ‘Play’ study modes
3. Write: in this mode users are shown a term or definition and must type the term of definition that goes with it. Users are graded automatically
4. Long term learning: In this mode users are given a study set that has been recommended to them based on whether they answer study set questions correctly. Terms are repeated if answered incorrectly. A dashboard shows learning progress. This mode focuses on spaced repetition to stimulate long term retention and mastery rather than short term memorization
5. Speller: in this mode the term is read aloud and students must type the term correctly. Correct responses are rewarded with a video of a monster truck using a flip
6. Match: In this mode users are shown a grid of terms in random order. They must drag terms on top of their definitions

How is Quizlet Used in the Classroom? (Pros and Cons)

Here is a good link for some pros and cons of using quizlet in the classroom: https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/quizlet-pros-cons

Because quizlet is a public website, anyone can go on and create a set of study notes. However, this freedom can lead to the spread of misinformation. Educators can combat this by creating study sets for their students and encouraging them to work with their peers to create concise notes. Another problem with quizlet, is that if one word is out of place, the website will mark the answer as incorrect. 

Quizlet Live is an in-class tool similar to Kahoot for quizzes using devices. The students are shown a question on the board and must choose the correct response on their device (phone, laptop, or tablet). It is important to weigh the pros and cons of Quizlet, to decide whether or not it will work in your class. 

Pros

• Free 
• Allows students to share and create their own quizzes using various forms (MS, short answer etc, matching) 

Cons

• Could be used to encourage cheating, as students can copy/paste material and find answers to online quizzes. 
• Could provide false info because anyone can make a quizlet 

History: 

Quizlet was first created by Andrew Sutherland while he was studying for his French class to help him memorize words. The coding for this program took him over 420 days to create, and was then posted to the public in October of 2005. Over the years Quizlet has been revamped and restructured to grow with modern day technology. Quizlet was then developed into an app available for iphones and androids so that students could view their flashcards anytime, anywhere. 

Privacy Policy: 

Information from Quizlet is stored in servers in the United States, which as we know, have different privacy laws than Canada. Quizlet keeps the information as long as the account is active. The information Quizlet can gather include: login information, google and Facebook accounts, language, and local time zones. 

GROUP: Catrina Moyes, Angie Cauthers, Maddie Osgarby, Brittany Johnson & Arnelle Basi.

Today we had the opportunity to visit Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII). This school is designed by Jeff Hopkins on an inquiry based learning approach to education. This idea extends beyond just meeting the curriculum, as it supports learners needs and pushes them to learn more as they are choosing an inquiry project based on their interests. Each learner develops a project at their own pace and learns subjects within their research. Therefore, there is a lot of interdisciplinary and cross curricular learning.  This design and way of learning is very powerful, in my opinion, as it allows children to access the mastery aspect of learning and empowers them to be the expert in their projects, all while learning skills such as collaboration and planning.

In an elementary setting, this idea can also be powerful as it allows students to be self motivated. However, for younger students I think there is a need for more guidance in this type of learning environment, as they may not know how to go about a project that is free range. I do believe this can be done, but it may look different in the elementary classroom. In the high school setting and even middle years, I think this idea of independence and ability to work in more of a learning journey rather than outcome based (graded) work, is beneficial for the learners. As such, I also value the idea that students all work collaboratively and are not working solely with their grades and singular subjects. As this collaborative model of crossing grades represents what life looks like and the ability for the students to have a choice and voice in their learning and daily schedules. These are life skills that can be transferable and useful. Therefore these students aren’t just getting the core competencies they are working outside the doors of the school, collaboratively, independently all while mastering and exploring various questions and learning from others.

Something that stood out for me was the opportunities that come from this school experience, children are coming out with great results and experiences. One person published a book that she wrote for her inquiry at PSII, others are attending university classes and finally one learner created a portfolio website. These are all valuable experiences that are beyond just the curriculum and with the field trips and opportunities this school provides, it benefits the learner and supports them by adding to their tool box.  As a result, I wish all students in the future can experience these diverse learning experiences.

Here is the PSII Inquiry Process Flow Chart

Hi again,

Today we learned about various online resources and how these can be useful to help students succeed both in the classroom and at home. With the use of internet and the rise of online educational resources in schools, online educational resources play a huge part.  An OER is known as open educational resources; these help students be able to learn effective searching strategies as they provide people with direct access to information. Some may say that OER’s have their purpose and are effective resources, while others may believe that they took away some aspects of creativity and critical thinking; while others may believe that they help push these ideas as it provides access to learning and worldwide views and situations. Even though we are moving towards everyone having a computer and internet including school, we still need to consider opportunity and how some may not have access to these resources; therefore schools can help provide these experiences to provide an equal access. With the use of internet people today are informed about situations happening all over the world as they have access to the internet.The following article addresses the pros and cons of free open educational resources https://opensource.com/article/18/2/open-educational-resources-drive-teaching-renaissance. 

As children, I know I can say I used Wikipedia which is a website that anyone can modify. However moving through elementary, we start to learn that the effectiveness and reliability of various resources and how some may not always share realistic information. As such, if this is taught in the early years of a child’s development, this can lead to a very important lesson as students start to evaluate and learn while approaching things with a critical lens (being not everything is valid on the internet). Resources like Khan Academy, for example can help students learn at their own pace as well as learn from another teacher who may have a different teaching strategy. As such, allowing children to learn from various sources can serve as an asset if it is properly framed about all aspects of the internet, so children can explore and think rather than just find one thing.

This idea of online resources is also key when it comes to the idea of inquiry based education as children are able to search a subject of their choosing through various interphases. However students should also experience using physical books and physical resources as it allows them to learn different searching and critical thinking strategies. Here is a link to a website that addressed the use of OER’s  towards inquiry and personalized education https://practices.learningaccelerator.org/problem-of-practice/how-can-i-leverage-open-educational-resources-when-planning-lessons-and-assessments-to-meet-my-students-needs-in-my-personalized-learning-classroom

In relation to the use of online resources, there is also the need to teach about copyright. As stated in the video RIP -A Remix Manifesto, is that even though it is online and commonly known such as the Happy Birthday song, you need to be aware of who made this and give them credits. This made me think about all the covers and creativity behind people and artists who want to make remixes which can be considered copyright. Someone may accidentally copyright something as everything comes from something, therefore this is an important conversation.

Here is a video that sums up the idea of why open educational resources matters

Figure 10.2.1 © Giulia Forsyth, 2012

10.2 Open educational resources (OER)

Just an update on learning and lesson planning in relation to inquiry!

Today in Technology we had the opportunity to learn how to set up Trello! Trello is interesting because it creates a list of boards with links to your research and learning journey. As someone who is beginning their inquiry project (stay tuned for more on this subject!), this software can benefit my learning because it allows me to sort and group various sources in one place while creating a checklist of my progress.  In relation to both lesson planning and a learning plan, there are significant distinctions. A learning plan can be more personalized and inquiry based, whereas a lesson plan is more to do with the whole classroom and tends to be more structured and teacher driven. Both of which, have strengths and weaknesses in various settings. An inquiry based approach allows students to feel empowered as they have the opportunity to explore and learn at their own pace and within their own interests. In the video Most Likely to Succeed, students were involved in an inquiry based approach to learning by presenting their discoveries through an exhibit based model. However, some challenges that may arise in younger classrooms (K and 1) is that, yes, we can provide students with choice,  but, it may be difficult to fully meet the curriculum by following each individuals learning plans as children may still need to learn how to regulate and work consistently through a specific plan. As such, I think it is important to find a balance and support children with choices and allowing them to experience both styles of learning (learning plans: inquiry based model and lesson plans: curriculum focused). Therefore, cross connecting these two approaches can be beneficial in the classroom.

Changing how I teach, seeing great results! Thanks for inspiration @KatieMTLC @gcouros @kara_welty @burgessdave @BradyVenables #tlap #immooc pic.twitter.com/xf29rF4vFL

— Melissa LaShure (@mmlashure) October 12, 2016