Spelling City

Vocabulary Spelling City is a application that is great for teachers, students and parents. This is a new application that can be incorporated with lessons, homework, extra credit, or something as simple as extra practice for the students while they are not in the classroom. Vocabulary Spelling City is a fun way to learn spelling and vocabulary words by playing engaging games using any word list. The most popular activities are Spelling TestMe, HangMouse, and our vocabulary and phonics games, available to Premium Members. The most popular word lists are Sound Alikes, Compound Words, Hunger Games and SAT Words. The free app includes ten of our most popular learning activities and ten of our most popular word lists.

Spelling TestMe is a spelling test that reads each word aloud, uses it in a sentence, and repeats the word. Students can work at their own pace and receive instant feedback upon submitting the completed test.HangMouse is a VocabularySpellingCity favorite that lets children decode each word in a friendly version of traditional Hangman. Kids love trying to figure out the word before the cat catches the mouse.Missing Letter is a fun game for kids of all ages. Even the youngest learners can practice letter recognition by trying to find the missing letter that completes each spelling or vocabulary word.Alphabetize is an activity that can be used to practice putting words in alphabetical order, a vital early literacy skill. Students love to play ABC order activities and games. There are so many more options for the students to engage in this this application and starting it in class with the teacher will make them get into a habit, and then it will be like second nature to them to want to learn.

Something that I noticed about this application is that it is for all ages and that I feel should have been separated into two different applications one for the younger students using it and then another for the high school students/parents that may be using it for learning the SAT words and possibly just trying to expand their vocabulary with a few words per day. Another aspect of the application that I noticed myself was all the glitches that were visible when clicking to play some of the games. I noticed there were many updates for the application that was said to fix it, but it was clear they were still visible when playing the games. While looking at the reviews for Spelling City many of the comments seem to have a negative side on how for younger students it was frustrating using the application because it is geared towards older participants.

I found a way that I would incorporate into my classroom by having the students get the application on a device that is available in their home and have them do at least 10 minutes a night going over words. This will also get the parents more involved with eh student and their learning. This is very similar to those parents who read to their kids every night now they can add 10 minutes on a technology devices getting some spelling words in, to widen their vocabulary. The students would then get credit towards their participations and possibly be homework hours if they screen shot that will show the levels and how they had progressed in the game.

This Spelling City Application may seem to have many bad reviews and then some to love the application. Depending on who you are and what you are looking to get ot of this application is going to determine if you give it a good review or a bad review,expect the reviews that in tail the creator needs to fix all the glitches and games that do not work for many of its customers.

References

"Teacher References." Teaching Resources. Vocabulary Spelling City, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

"A Learning Journey." : Schoolhouse Review: Vocabulary Spelling City. N.p., 15 Aug. 2012. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

Quizlet

An application that I found helpful is Quizlet that is beneficial for students and teachers. This is an application that can also be accessed on mobile devices and also online through your user name and your password. This is an application that makes studying easier and can help all the students do well on the upcoming tests and classes for the future. Quizlet is a way that you can make study cards that have all the information that you will need to study for the test that is upcoming. It is also a good way for the students to learn all the information by looking at it and then typing it, then they can use the study cards for 10 minutes a day which can help with knowing the information. Also the teacher can share theirs if they chose, or have the students make their own and possibly make it a grade as a great way in almost forcing your students to make a study tool.

Features to the Application can help students get excited for learning and getting good grades.  Even though this may look and sound like just writing note cards, the upcoming generations are all about technology and incorporating it into the education system, and this is the same way to have the great study technique of memorizing with flash cards.

One thing that is really great about Quizlet is you can share it with a friend and you both can edit and then have a way of studying. This allows the student’s to work with someone else whom is also creating note card and adding to the information that need to be learned. Once you have made the note cards there are so many options that can be done after that. Such as take multiple quizzes from all the information you put into the system, print out cards, play a matching game, the studying tools and techniques after putting all the information in is endless.

This video is a great way to get started if this is a new application that you are not familiar with that can help you get started. 

For the use in my classroom I would be thinking for a middle school type of classroom where Quizlet would be mandatory and a way for the students to get all the information for the upcoming tests/quizzes or in general to study on a daily basis. For my students they would have assignments that could include take a quiz on quizlet for chapter six vocabulary, or make flashcards on quizlet and either print them or show them on your mobile device and the first five min of each class we would review with our note cards. 

This application is one that may seem simple and not useful, but that is incorrect. Thinking outside the box as a teacher in different uses for this app is amazing. This could be an amazing tool for the students who are going to use it to learn and actually know the information instead of studying the night before a test while cramming. This is all for the students and if I were the teacher I would want my students to be studying for at least five minutes a day learning for a future test. 

References
Enge, Kendra. "Quizlet Tutorial." YouTube. YouTube, 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.

"Quizlet Misson." Sign Up. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.

Quizlet." About Quizlet. Quizlet Team, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.