Quizlet

Quizlet
Slogan Study Everywhere!
Type of site
 Private
Registration Optional
Available in English, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian
Launched October, 2005
Revenue Freemium (ads/subscriptions)
Alexa rank
 991 worldwide, 245 in the U.S.[1]

Quizlet is an online learning tool created by high school sophomore Andrew Sutherland in Albany, California. It was originally conceived in October 2005 and released to the public in January 2007.[2] As of January 2014, Quizlet has over 60 million user-generated flashcard sets and more than 20 million registered users.[3][4]

History

Quizlet began as an idea conceptualized by 15-year-old Andrew Sutherland when he was assigned by his French teacher to memorize 111 animal names[5][6][7] After realizing the daunting task of mechanical memorization, Sutherland sat down to write code for a program to aid him in memorization.[8] These first lines of code were scrapped and then rewritten meticulously and carefully over the course of 420 days by Sutherland. In October 2005, Quizlet was released to the public.[9] Until 2011, Quizlet shared staff and financial resources with the Collectors Weekly web site.[10] In 2011, Quizlet added the ability to listen to content using text-to-speech.[11] In August 2012, Quizlet released an app for iPhone.[10]

Study modes & Games

As a memorization tool, Quizlet lets registered users create "sets" of terms customized for their own needs.[12] These sets of terms can then be studied under several study modes.[13][14]

Flash Cards

This mode is similar to paper flash cards. In it, users are shown a "card" for each term. Users can click to flip over the card and see the definition for that term.[15]

Learn

In this study mode, users are shown a term or definition and must type the term or definition that goes with what is shown. After entering their answer, users see if their answer was correct or not, and can choose to override the automatic grading and count their answer as right if needed.

Speller

In this mode, the term is read out loud and users must type in the term with the correct spelling.[15]

Scatter

In this study mode, users are presented with a grid with terms scattered around it. Users drag terms on top of their associated definitions to remove them from the grid, and try to clear the grid in the fastest time possible.[15]

Space Race

In this study mode, definitions scroll across the screen. Users must type the term that goes with the definition before it reaches the other side of the screen. Users begin with two lives each, and as they correctly type in words, they 'level up' and gain a life. Lives are lost when a user does not manage to correctly name the definition of the word. If a user types something which is wrong, they lose ten points. They gain 100 for every correct word. As the game processes, the rate of words begins to increase, going from two words onto the screen to about 7, making it very difficult for the user.[15]

API

Quizlet provides an application programming interface that allows others to access Quizlet data. Available functions include uploading and downloading flashcards, modifying users' flashcards, and finding definitions created by Quizlet users.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Site Information from Alexa Alexa Internet. Accessed Dec 18, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Quizlet". The Innovation Economy, presented by Intel, in partnership with the Aspen Institute, PBS Newshour. Retrieved 2013-01-29.
  3. ↑ Quizlet About Page.
  4. ↑ McClatchy News Service (October 4, 2010). "Short circuits: New 'Kid' on the block". StarTribune.com. Retrieved 2013-01-29.
  5. ↑ The Quizlet Story.
  6. ↑ Tynan, Dan. PC World. (March 9, 2008) "Meet the Whiz Kids: 10 Overachievers Under 21".
  7. ↑ The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet.
  8. ↑ "QUIZLET: Join millions and Build Your Own Flashcards, Game Yourself to Smart". SF New Tech. November 2010. Retrieved 2013-01-29.
  9. ↑ MIT Spectrum. Summer 2009. "Quiz Yourself".
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Quizlet's Growth Puts It on the Top of the Edtech Stack". EdSurge. November 2012. Retrieved 2015-02-08.
  11. ↑ "Quizlet Now Offers "Speller" Mode in 18 Languages". Free Technology for Teachers. July 2011. Retrieved 2015-02-01.
  12. ↑ Wendy Boswell. Life Hacker. (January 28, 2007) "Practice your vocabulary with Quizlet".
  13. ↑ Barbara Feldman. The Boston Globe (November 26, 2010) .
  14. ↑ "What are the different ways I can study my flash cards?". Quizlet FAQ.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 "Engagement for Memory: Try Quizlet". Jeanne Farrington. October 2014. Retrieved 2015-02-01.
  16. ↑ "Quizlet Flashcards API". Retrieved 2015-02-09.

External links