Tutorials

Hello, everyone! In today's post I'm going to guide you to learn how to use Quizlet and Padlet, two great tools that cannot be absent in your lessons.

Have fun while you are studying!

Quizlet is a free website with learning tools for students, including flashcards, study and game modes. You start by creating your own study sets with terms and definitions or copy and paste from another source, or use Quizlet's built-in auto-define feature to speed up the creating process. Students can track their progress with 6 powerful study and game modes. Students can even track their correct/incorrect answers and retest the ones they've missed.

Using Quizlet is simple and easy for everyone! There are a few steps to follow:

1) Go to quizlet.com and log in to your account. If you don't already have an account, make sure to make one or you won't be able to save your cards once you make them. To sign up click on the right button in the top.

2) Once you get to the Quizlet homepage, click on "Create" button in the top left corner of the page.

3) Type in a title and subject that correspond to the set you are about to create. If you want other people to use your set create a title with key words that will be helpful when they are searching for the topic. Feel free to add what you like to the description box.

Adjust the "visible to" and "editors" tabs. Decide who you would like to be able to use and edit your flashcards. You have to be a member of a group for set to be visible to that certain group.

Fill in the appropriate information. There are two sides to every flash card, the term and the definition. If you want to add an image to one side of your flashcards it is very easy to do. Once you click the "add image" button you can either upload an image you already found or search for an image on Flickr through Quizlet. 

4) Once you have finished your set, click on "Create" button at the top of the page, and your Quizlet is ready! 

You can send it by e-mail copy the link, or share it on Google classroom.

What do teachers say about this tool?

"I really enjoy this tool. Students love to practice on their own, and are always asking me to create vocabulary sets so they can practice and review. They DEPEND on this tool. Some students take the initiative to make their own sets. And they absolutely LOVE to play this game in class to review before tests and quizzes." Alex P., classroom teacher in Capital High School Olympia, United States.

"I'm a big fan of quizlet because it's a basic study tool that helps with memorization, but it can do more than that. I use it as a tool to support and enhance communication and collaboration (when we use the live game feature), and it really does increase engagement. I like that I can monitor progress and know which areas to revisit. Most students prefer digital flashcards to traditional ones because they don't lose them or waste paper." Alexandra G., teaching assistant in Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, United States.

Virtual walls are a must! 

Padlet is a virtual wall, where people can express and share their opinions, thoughts, ideas, photos and images. It’s a simple tool, free and easy to use. Posts can be written via mobiles, tablets, or the computer.

How to start

Create an account. Go to www.padlet.com 

You can choose to log in via Facebook or Google. 

You will have access to screen with all the padlets you created and you can also track changes on the padlets you own.

To start, click on CREATE NEW PADLET button (the pink one on the left). 

You can choose between different types of layouts: decide how posts will appear on your wall. You can choose between freeform (posts can be put aywhere and can be re-sized freely), stream (posts are placed one below the other) or grid (posts are placed in a grid-like format). 

Start creating the padlet. You’ll see a Wall when the Padlet opens. On the right side, click the "modify" button. Give your wall a title, add a description (or a question that you want people/ students to react to), and choose or download an image for the background. 

Click on VISIBILITY and choose a privacy setting of your wall. It can be private, you can obtain a link, you can choose a password or it can be totally public. 

Share the link and start writing/ posting. 

Once you finish posting, there are many sharing options (Facebook, twitter, google, etc). The walls can be uploaded to Dropbox, converted to PDF or sent by email. Padlet also auto generates a QR code for you to share with your class. Students can visualise the wall on their mobiles. 

What do teachers think about Padlet?

"Padlet in itself serves its purpose well, and can be an effective and visually engaging tool for student discussion and content submission. The free response nature requires that students have a good understanding of the quality and purpose behind the posts they are about to make, which can help create a very interactive technology experience." Paul R.,classroom teacher Sterling Middle School.

"I really like using Padlet in different situations. This tool allows students to reflect on their own work and collaborate with other students. The limitation that I found is that you can't create that many Padlets with the free account. Several teachers said they can only create 3 Padlets, other teachers said they can create up to 8. If you reach your limit you must permanently delete a Padlet (includes the work done by all of your students for that one Padlet) to make space for a new Padlet."
Michael L., classroom teacher.

References

Quizlet teacher review. (n.d.). Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/quizlet-teacher-review/5031496 .

Teacher reviews for Padlet. (n.d.). Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://www.commonsense.org/website/padlet/teacher-reviews.