Quizlet and Padlet:
“Let”ting Technology Live in the Classroom
Carol Aten Frow
Language Arts Teacher
Belle Vernon Area Middle School
Quizlet
What is Quizlet?
According to the Quizlet website, the program is explained:
“Quizlet is a free website providing learning tools for students,
including flashcards, study, and game modes. It was created by
high school sophomore Andrew Sutherland in 2005 and now
contains over 40 million study sets. All of the material is usergenerated.”
• Teachers can search premade learning sets by subject or create
their own. They can set up classes and monitor student progress
through assigned learning sets.
• Students can log into their teacher’s assigned learning sets,
search for sets on a prescribed subject, or they can create their
own study aids!
What Can You Do on Quizlet?
According to the quizlet website, six study and game modes are
available for every learning set.
• Flashcards—Review your material, shuffle/randomize, or listen
with audio.
• Learn—Track your correct/incorrect answers and retest the ones
you've missed.
• Speller—Type what you hear in this audio-powered study mode.
• Test—Randomly generate tests based on your flashcard set.
• Scatter—Race against the clock to drag and match
terms/definitions.
• Space Race—Type in the answer as terms/definitions scroll across
the screen.
My Quizlet Home Page
Quizlet’s Learning Features
My students use the flashcard section the most as review. They access
it for vocabulary review and grammar practice. Another favorite is the
test application where quizlet generates a practice exam. Students
can also use the learn section and add the audio feature. This aspect
is very helpful to students who might need modifications. Quizlet is
great because students can access it from home for additional
practice also!
Quizlet’s Review Games
My students love playing the games to learn. On the left is Scatter.
Students are timed to match as many items as possible. On the
right is Space Race. Students see something race across the
screen, and they must quickly and accurately type the answer. My
students have contests to see who gets the best time during review
games!
A Good Review Session
Let’s Race!
How Could You Use Quizlet?
Vocabulary Review
Foreign Language Translations
Grammar Review
Figurative Language Examples
Causes and their Effects
Math Problems and Answers
Artists and their Works
Chapter Reviews in any Discipline
Quiz Bowl Events in any Discipline
Midterm or Quarterly Reviews in any Discipline
….any many more!!!
How Do I Get Started on Quizlet?
• 1. Using your browser, go to www.quizlet.com
• 2. Sign up. You will need to enter your birthday, username, password,
and agree to the terms. Then, click sign up.
• 3. Choose to create a class. Give it a name.
• 4. Now you can create class materials. Choose to “Create a Set.” You
can enter in items in two columns. Perhaps it is a vocabulary word and a
definition. Maybe it is a math problem and an answer. Perhaps it is an
event in history and the person responsible for it. Maybe it is a piece of
figurative language and the type that it is. The possibilities are endless for
every subject matter. Once all the items have been entered, click to
save it. Then, add it to the class. Then, class members can access it.
• 5. Once students have signed up, the teacher must accept them into the
class. Click on the class name and choose to accept each student.
Then, they will be able to log on and use the materials you have posted.
How Do Students Set up Accounts –
Part One?
• 1. Using the browser, go to www.quizlet.com
• 2. Choose to “Sign up.”
• 3. Enter in your birthday.
• 4. Type in your username. (For my students, I suggest that they
simply use first name and last name with no spaces between
them. If that name is taken, simply add a 2 after the first name.)
• 5. Type in your email address. (My students all have google
logins.)
How Do Students Set up Accounts –
Part Two?
• 6. Type in a password. (My students all have a prescribed
password based on their cafeteria number.)
• 7. Retype the password.
• 8. Choose “Sign up.”
• 9. Now, you must join the class. In the search space, type in the
teacher’s name or the name of the class. Once it comes up,
choose to “Join Class.”
• 10. Once the teacher allows you to join, you can access review
materials. Click on a set that you want to review or that has
been assigned to you. The teacher will see your results!
Padlet
What is Padlet?
According to Padlet’s website, it is described:
“Padlet is an Internet application that allows people to express their
thoughts on a common topic easily. It works like an online sheet of
paper where people can put any content (e.g. images, videos,
documents, text) anywhere on the page, together with anyone, from
any device.
Think of it like a multimedia friendly, free-form, real-time wiki.”
• For teachers, Padlet offers a space for students to share ideas,
indicate where they are confused, identify information, collaborate,
and even more. It can even contain anonymous posts to alleviate
student fear of being incorrect or not understanding the material.
• For students, Padlet can be a note-taking device, an organizer, a
group review space, a reading response journal, or whatever else is
needed!
What Can You Do on Padlet?
• Padlet has many uses. I have used it in the following ways:
– As students read silently, they post words they don’t know or questions that they
have. Because they post anonymously, they have no fears of feeling
unknowledgeable by what they post or ask. When I see numerous posts on the
same word, that tells me to review that word. Their questions help guide the
discussion.
– As a prewriting tool, I often post a topic. Students post things they think about it
or ideas that pop into their minds. This leads me to move the posts with their
guidance into an organizational tool to plan their writing.
– As a review of something read, students post specific points of importance to
lead a discussion of the material to be tested.
– In a close reading activity, students post examples of a particular concept
such as words to indicate tone, characteristics of something, examples of irony,
etc. Once the postings are there, they can be manipulated on the wall to help
students make a deeper meaning of the text.
However, the possibilities are endless!
My Padlet Home Page
From the main page, teachers can access all of their Padlet pages,
check on the activity of each page, adjust the settings of each page,
and manage their files and links.
Padlet’s Learning Features
Padlet allows teachers to
check for individual
understanding. The photos
show students posting words
that represent the way
pirates speak in a sea
shanty. This pre-writing
activity gave students
familiarity to a language
foreign to them in
preparation for writing their
own sea shanties.
Another Learning Tool
Padlet offers students a great organizational tool whether to prepare for
a piece of writing, review material taught, generate ideas, or apply a
close reading technique. The possibilities are endless! This screen shot
shows student generated posts focusing on pages from “The Lottery.”
Students cited text evidence to locate teacher designated items.
Learning in Another Way
Padlet is a great tool for sparking
discussion. It allows students to work
individually or in groups to post their
thoughts and ideas. Then, an entire
class can use those posts to generate
a discussion. Using the same story,
“The Lottery,” my students used text
evidence to find characteristics of a
character. I organized them as they
posted to make a time line of the
character. This allowed the students
to discuss the character’s actions
and motivations in the story ultimately
leading them to form text based
conclusions about that character.
Another Quick Tool
Padlet allows teachers to quickly check for understanding. I
wanted to see what my students remembered of subordinate
clauses, so they were given just a few minutes to quickly post a
sentence so that I could see who would need help. Students can
add their names to their post, or posts can be anonymous.
Citing Text Evidence
An Engaged Classroom!
How Do I Get Started on Padlet –
Part One?
• 1. Go to https://padlet.com/ and choose “Sign up.”
• 2. Enter an email address and password. Then, on the next screen create
a username. Choose “Save and Continue.”
• 3. To make a new Padlet wall, choose “Create New Padlet.”
• 4. A blank wall appears. All of the icons on the right allow you to
personalize the wall.
• 5. Choose the last one down to “Modify This Wall.”
• 6. A title can be entered and a portrait chosen to accompany the title. If
none of the images are just right, once can also be uploaded. A
description of the page can also be added.
• 7. The wall can also have a wallpaper. Many can be selected, or you can
upload your own.
How Do I Get Started on Padlet –
Part Two?
• 8. Under the layout tab, the designer can choose how the posts will
appear on the wall.
• 9. On the privacy tab, the designer can choose who will see the wall.
Then on the address tab, the designer can create their unique Padlet
address for their wall. I always use my name and the subject of the wall.
(Ex. https: www.padlet.com/carol_atenfrow/lottery)
• 10. The designer can be notified when people post, and they can even
copy their walls if necessary.
• 11. Share the address with your students. I post the address in class.
Students access the site and make postings on the topic. Teachers can
edit the postings, arrange them as needed on the screen, and delete
them individually or as a whole. I display the wall on my Promethean
board for the class to view.
How Do Students Set up Accounts?
• 1. Type in the class Padlet address.
• 2. When it is time to post something, double click on the screen.
A text box will appear. The top line will type in red. It can be for
your name or a title. The second line and all others will type in
black. Postings can also link to a URL, upload a file, or take a
photo. Once a post is made, it can be edited or deleted.
For More Information
Contact Me
at
Carol.AtenFrow@bellevernonarea.net