The mobile app is independent and designed for independent learning without game modes. Includes test prep options such as the GRE and SAT/ACT, vocabulary studies in ESL, math and biology. You can use up to 50 words in the trial version and thousands of words in the paid version.
When an educator adds a learner, Wordcraft will send an email to the teacher containing all student usernames and passwords. Students do not need to set up their own accounts or provide personal information, which helps with privacy concerns.
Teachers can import their class lists to assign individual exercises or create games for the whole class. Use it as a Do Now activity to start your class, or plan an entire lesson on a specific morpheme, have learners go through it in training mode, and then engage them in a game of that morpheme. Assign Wordcraft as homework and give learners goals to achieve, such as increasing the number of stars earned or word count. The teacher dashboard tracks the number of words learned and playing time for each student, and learners can see their progress with details for each word learned.
Teaching morphemes is a common part of language learning and is well supported by the research literature. Wordcraft makes learners pay more attention to reading passages and clues, making this process more compelling. Once the learner is engaged, they will speed up their mastery. To help with this, educators should use class tracking pages to keep track of student progress and use the data to design retraining, review, and future lesson plans. One caveat: using the website on a touchscreen (i.e. pulling up on a tablet’s browser) seems to work best. Using a mouse may slow down some learners.
Wordcraft has two different versions (website and mobile app), which can be confusing for learners when they go home to practice. Since most educators use her website version, it is clear to learners and parents that they do not accidentally download and pay for the app version if they do not use the app version in the classroom. Giving instructions is important.
Website: http://www.playwordcraft.com/
User’s overall consensus about the app
student involvement
Students can enjoy a multiplayer spin on vocabulary learning. The website and app make it easy and fun for learners to track their progress and challenge themselves.
Curriculum and instruction
This website reinforces morphemes, which are essential for vocabulary building. Short sentences help improve reading comprehension.
customer support
Support is currently available via email only. There are no links to help files within the site or app. The mobile app has no audio and is inaccessible to learners with visual or reading disabilities.
