Over the years, I've been incorporating websites that support important skills into my curriculum. Some of these skills are 1.) developing good study habits, 2.) learning through "immediate, nonjudgemental feedback" about one's work, 3.) facilitating writing as a multi-step process, and 4.) experiencing the value of editing and collaborating. These websites are free for students. On a practical level, students need to set up accounts with usernames and passwords -- usernames are often email usernames, and passwords should be similar enough to keep track of them. Here are four that I've been using:
Quizlet is a great, free website for electronic flashcards -- you can find ones already created or create your own from scratch. Using them in flashcard form for studying, print them out on paper, or play games such as "Scatter" and "Space Race" online to learn the words. When you create your own flashcards, you first type in the word and then add the definition. But as you type in the word, the program offers you a variety of definitions automatically. If one of the definitions works for the usage of the word you have in mind, you can click on and select one of these, which loads it instantly, or you can look up the word, and type it in manually. This automatic definition feature makes the set-up process for a series of flashcards a breeze.
After a student reaches a basic familiarity with the words through reviewing the flashcards, they often gravitate to the games mentioned above -- "Scatter" and "Space Race" -- which bring in a fun and competitive aspect to learning the words. (It's mostly competitive in terms of simply beating your own previously best score.)
Students say that they continue to use Quizlet years after they have been introduced to the website. Repetition enhances memory -- supposedly, we need to encounter new words almost 20 times before they move into long-term memory. Flashcards are a time-honored method for learning vocabulary, and these additional word games are also here to stay.
Quia is another great website for studying and learning. Teachers can use this website for a 30-day free trial; then it is $49 a year; this can be paid for or reimbursed by the school. Students completing quizzes or tests on quia.com can see the objective portions of their assessment results instantly. Getting quick feedback in "real time" is very helpful for learning. Teachers can dedicate their grading time more effectively by reading and responding to student writing, rather than grading matching or multiple choice tests. Student writings and instructor comments stay on quia for the year, at least, where they can be seen by the teacher, parent, and student. This can be useful for assessing growth individually and during conferences.
Mywebspirations is yet another a great website for brainstorming about writing topics. This is the web version of the software package called Inspiration. After a brainstorming session, the product can be turned into a webpage, or with a click, the word web of ideas that you have set up can be thrown into an outline form. This outline can be manipulated or rearranged, added to, or sent into a Google Document or Microsoft Word Document. You can share or co-author a document made in mywebspirations by using the Share menu and adding an email of the person or people you want to share it with. Parents can be kept informed by including them with "viewing" privileges. Here's an example of a brainstorming/prewriting activity about a short story by James Joyce called "The Dead."
Google Documents, aka "Google Docs," is also free, handy, and versatile. Consider this scenario: at school, the teacher allows students to write essays in either Word or Google Docs. The student begins an essay in a Google Doc, saves it, then opens up the same essay at home, without sending it home as an attachment. Revisions and additions are made at home, and saved, then retrieved at school. There won't be multiple versions of the document floating around, littering your computer's file folders. Documents are saved in "the cloud," which in this case means on Google's server. By using the "sharing feature" (described below), students (peers) and teachers can add comments and make editing suggestions using different colors.
To use Google Docs, you need to create a "Google Account," with or without Gmail. (You just need an email address to set up a Google Account.) Using a Google Doc allows up to 10 people to edit it simultaneously -- I've never tried to have that many edit a document at the same time, but it certainly works with small groups. You can share or collaborate on a Google document by using the Share menu and adding an email of the person or people you want to "invite" to read or collaborate with. That person will get a link in his or her email inbox, click on it, and the document will open. Parents can be kept informed by including them with "viewing" privileges. A Google Presentation, which can be started in Google Docs, is similar to Powerpoint, although it doesn't have some of Powerpoint's bells and whistles, such as fancy transitions. Like Google Docs, Google Presentations have the same easy-to-access-and-collaborate features, though.
I'm sure there are other helpful websites for studying.
There is a letter you can use (or modify as you wish) in the attachment area to inform parents and help students keep track of their websites, usernames, and passwords. -- John Chamberlain