Quizlet

I and many of my students have used Quizlet for a while, and since many of them like it so much I thought it would warrant a blog post.

Quizlet is a free study system (think digital flashcards) for computers and mobile devices. It’s particularly good for vocabulary, but can be used for other purposes as well. Instructors can create class sets and invite students to join, but it can also be used independently. There is a large library already available.

The browser-based software offers several study modes (speller, learn, and test) as well as two types of games (scatter and space race). The study sets can be shared via FaceBook or Twitter, be embedded (into a blog or a course management system) or exported, which allows for effortless and endless creation of printable quizzes. These quizzes can also be taken for practice purposes and are self-grading. Teachers can get statistics on individual students.

A picture can be attached to each vocabulary or study item, and machine-generated audio is available for the vast majority of vocabulary items (in multiple languages). There is a data import option. The free software offers a mobile interface for smartphones and tablets, and there is a free iOS app available as well.

Possible uses and advantages include creating study sets based on a language textbook (or have students create them…) or for texts that don’t come with such a list, adding a social as well as a competitive component to vocabulary memorization (the games have a high score, and you can see who completed the learn mode), or – for those who like to check on things – checking on how much the tool is used by an individual student.

Even if you don’t use it, my advice would be to suggest Quizlet to students as one possible study tool.