Traditional notecard study method becomes virtual with Quizlet

Posted on: December 2, 2013 | By: Casey Brown | Filed under: Instructional Technologies

Picture 2Notecards may be a time-honored way to study for exams, but using so many notecards can be wasteful and it is easy to lose a few cards when you move around campus. However, Quizlet is a free online application that allows you to create online notecards and learn through classic flashcard flipping and though more creative activities like quizzes and games. Available on iOS and Android devices, Quizlet can make studying social convenient and fun.

The basics of Quizlet

Many of Quizlet’s features mirror the way you would study without technology. Quizlet can mirror traditional flashcards – you see one side and when you’re ready, you can flip it over. Quizlet’s flashcards have the option to star certain cards to study again separately, just like you would set aside the cards you get wrong for later.  The Learn feature gives you the information from one side of the card and prompts you to answer with the other side’s content. There is also a Speller feature, which asks you to write the term you hear, and a Test feature, which is a mini quiz on your card’s information.

Study with others

Studying doesn’t have to be an individual experience. With Quizlet, you can share flashcards you create with your fellow students with a link or via an email invitation. From there, your classmates can study with the notecards you made or add new cards for terms you may have missed. You also have the chance to challenge your classmates in Quizlet games.

Gameify your studies

An example of a game (Scatter) on Quizlet.

An example of a game (Scatter) on Quizlet.

Quizlet offers two different games, Scatter and Space Race, as more competitive ways to learn. Scatter scrambles all the terms over the screen, and prompts you to drag each term to the corresponding definition or phrase. It’s a timed exercise, so speed and accuracy are crucial. Space Race features terms flying across the screen from left to right, and requires you to write its match in the text box before it disappears. Both games offer a different way to study for those who respond well to a challenge.

 

Need a more comprehensive studying tool? ExamTime is a new web app that lets you create and share animated mind maps, flashcards, quizzes and notes. It’s currently in beta, so keep that in mind if you decide to devote several hours to studying with this tool.

Do you have another online tool you use to study? Let us know in the comments below!

Casey Brown

Casey Brown is the Writing Intern for Technology with Elon University's Teaching and Learning Technologies Department.

More Posts

Follow Me:
TwitterYouTube

 

Comments are closed.