Supporting Vocabulary Learning with Technology

Agenda (web-friendly version)

Objective:  

“I can select and use an appropriate web tool to give learners the opportunity to effectively learn vocabulary.”

Supporting Research

Overview:  

Vocabulary is the foundation of comprehension.  Like a ring of keys, the more keys we have, the more access we have to all the knowledge locked into every phrase and sentence.  To achieve our objective, we will explore a few tools that may be used to support and enhance vocabulary learning at any level.  The following tools were selected on the characteristics of ease-of-use, flexibility, and compatibility with Google Classroom.  These tools are presented to you that you may gain the student experience.

1. Peardeck - Vocabulary (Flashcard Factory) Start with a basic flashcard meaning, then build and expand meaning as teams through drawing and contextual example writing, then go through “Quality Control” phase as a class before your team’s meaning is “Shipped out”!
2. Quizlet Quizlet takes the construct of an ordinary flashcard and turns vocabulary building into an audio/visual super-upgrade, again creating both an independent and socially competitive platform to build rapid recall in order that students may be enabled to more accurately discuss words in other contexts.  Quizlet is so widely used, that there are very often word sets available for use or adaptation!
3. Google Drawings A blank digital canvas with simple tools for creativity, interactivity, shareability.  It also provides an easy way to digitize products made on paper by using the “insert image with camera” option, it allows opportunity for vocabulary activities in context and even graphic-novel style applications. Can be made into a template and assigned in Google Classroom (example phonics sort, example vocabulary word)
4. Vocabulary.com - While this site provides some great freemium opportunities for student to engage with words independently and collaboratively, one of the more unique features is the ability to copy/paste a text into their starting box, from which it will develop a list of suggested vocabulary for their learning activities.
5. SANDBOX TIME:  Select at least one of the discussed tools to explore in order to develop an activity that may be used within the next two weeks.  Consider your level of access to student devices, your grade-level, any of your upcoming lessons where vocabulary could be learned and supported with these tools.  

Questions to ponder

1. In the grade level(s) you serve, how impactful might these tools be to vocabulary learning?
2. Which tool most appeals to the work you and your students do?  Why?
3. What might give an educator hesitation about using one of these tools in the next couple of weeks?

1. PEARDECK FLASHCARD FACTORY SETUP

2.  Students Join Peardeck Session

3. Students see this screen next:

4. Teams generate as students join (teacher screen)

5.  After “Let’s Play” button is pushed, students are tasked with

drawing and writing examples for each given word.

6. (play phase continued) students writing example sentences in context

7.  Quality Control: Where the class makes arguments for shipping off the work or not.

8.  QC continued: As each item is checked for quality, the team who made

the card sees this screen, giving them an opportunity to improve the drawing and example.  

The remaining students still see this image on their screen, yet without the ability to edit.

9.  QC continued:  (teacher screen during QC phase)

10.  You can either be finished OR export to Quizlet!

11.  Export to Quizlet, acquire a link, set an optional password (same join code), and/or share directly to your Google Classroom for easy access!

12.  After publishing, students receive an immediate link to the Quizlet set and the password (if used)

In Quizlet, students solidify vocabulary through

• Flashcard: traditional flashcard learning
• Learn: adaptive cycle (you don’t stop until you’re consistently accurate)
• Write: typing the words that match the definitions/example/images
• Spell: learn to spell the words correctly as they hear them,
• Test: for self-assessment with selected response and fill in the blank
• Match: compete for accuracy and speed against others’ attempts to make it onto the leaderboard
• Gravity: build rapid recall by typing the matching terms as Asteroids come  crashing to the surface of the planet with increasing speed!
• LIVE: and once again have an opportunity to break into teams to compete against other teams in the class (or another class)

What we’ve viewed so far is ALL FREE.  

There are some upgraded features on Quizlet for $36/year (and they offer group discounts).