BP5_2010012_Web 2.0 Quizlet

With our current push toward vocabulary at my school, I decided to do a search on Web 2.O tools for teaching word lists. I found Quizlet. http://quizlet.com/

The site has a vast number of already created vocabulary sets and their definitions at various grades and subject areas. You can also create your own set of words and their matching definitions. The software tools for learning the vocabulary come in the following forms.

Familiarize	Learn		Test
Play Scatter		Play Space Race
Voice Scatter		Voice Race

The first three are in standard flashcard form and the introduce the vocabulary and their definitions. The other four are more interactive games and including the voice driven question and answer “voice race.” It is still quite cutting edge software and has come glitches in the voice recognition. The games look really fun, but would require several stations in a classroom setting. Waiting your turn is the not the forte of 25 elementary students. (Forte is an Italian musical term meaning strong or loud.)

Again, I would like to make a connection to the creative aspects of music. I still remember memorizing the periodic table to a set of rhythms that I established. Perhaps this is a superficial way of learning vocabulary, but the memorization definitely stayed with me when it was supported by a rhythm. Perhaps the students could help in creating these rhythms when we are learning the new vocabulary. I don’t want to get completely away from the fact that I am a music teacher.