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Need advice on flashcard/SRS software | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| derefed Newbie United States ultimatejourney.net/ Joined 6137 days ago 16 posts - 16 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Swedish, French | Message 1 of 21 12 May 2008 at 6:05pm | IP Logged | ||
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I'm in the market for some new flashcard/SRS software, but am running into some problems picking out the best for what I want. You see, up until this point, I had been using a quick and dirty web application that I coded in less than a week. It basically allowed you to make categories, make cards for those categories, review the cards and test yourself on those cards. Testing simply displayed each card randomly in turn. If you flipped the card and missed it, you would check off a box indicating that you made a mistake. The next time around, you could choose whether to study the missed cards or not.
I detail my program here because I'm looking for flashcard software that implements a similar system. I want to be able to group my cards into categories, as the context from which they came is important to me. I also what to be able to study them whenever I want. This does, however, conflict with SRS software, which chooses for you when you should review. Lately I've been trying out Mnemosyne, but I've been using the "Learn ahead of schedule" feature. Unfortunately, Mnemosyne does not randomize the cards, and I'm afraid that this will cause me to remember the words because of the order in which they appear. I've also tried Anki, but it appears that it doesn't have a category system (there's tags, but I can't find a way to restrict a study to certain tags). So I ask, how helpful has SRS been in the long run, for those of you who have used it? I hear that the difference between flashcard software and SRS software is that the former is for short-term remembering, and the latter, for long-term. Should I just give up studying when I want to and go with what the program says, or could I also do just as well without SRS? What systems seem to work the best? I think perhaps a categorized SRS would work best for me, but I don't want to have to wait until the next day to see the words again. An hour or better would be best for intervals. What would your suggestions be along those lines? Apologies if I've rambled a bit... I'm really not entirely sure how to ask what I'm asking. I just know that I need a vocab-learning solution! Edited by derefed on 12 May 2008 at 6:08pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
 jeff_lindqvist Diglot Moderator SwedenRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6719 days ago 4250 posts - 5710 votes  Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Irish, French Personal Language Map | Message 2 of 21 12 May 2008 at 6:36pm | IP Logged | ||
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I use Anki but haven't yet had a close look at the tag-function. However, it seems as if you can adjust the settings under "Edit deck properties" and there enter the tag you want to prioritize. (Right now I can't make it work, though)
I think that Memory Lifter could show flashcards according to category. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| unzum Diglot Senior Member United Kingdom soyouwanttolearnalan Joined 6724 days ago 371 posts - 478 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: Mandarin | Message 3 of 21 12 May 2008 at 6:40pm | IP Logged | ||
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I'd recommend jMemorize then. It's a free SRS that let's you organize stuff into categories.
I'd recommend it over Anki because Anki doesn't let you put things into categories and it also has a slightly confusing method where you 'rate' how well you remembered the card. jMem just has a simple 'no' or 'yes'. It's pretty simple & basic but I've found it really useful and use it with great results for studying for uni tests. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| derefed Newbie United States ultimatejourney.net/ Joined 6137 days ago 16 posts - 16 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Swedish, French | Message 4 of 21 12 May 2008 at 6:46pm | IP Logged | ||
Is it really SRS since it doesn't let you grade your memory of the card with a number? Also, you mention it being good for tests. I'm looking for long-term remembering. Would you still recommend it in that case? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Alec Newbie United Kingdom Joined 6209 days ago 36 posts - 41 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Italian, Japanese | Message 5 of 21 12 May 2008 at 11:50pm | IP Logged | ||
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I've been using Supermemo for 4 years which is great. It's a bit overwhelming for some with all the options and statistics, but seeing as your coded your own program it shouldn't be a problem. It's the original and the forefather of Anki and Mnemosyne and all that. Anki and Mnemosyne are more user-friendly and starting to get more popular, but if you want all the options, go with Supermemo.
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| unzum Diglot Senior Member United Kingdom soyouwanttolearnalan Joined 6724 days ago 371 posts - 478 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: Mandarin | Message 6 of 21 13 May 2008 at 9:12am | IP Logged | ||
It uses Leitner's system so I'd say it is a proper SRS, it just doesn't as much attention as other SRS like Anki. It doesn't have memory grading buttons but I think this is better. The program sorts out itself which pile it puts the cards in. I use it for tests at uni but I also use it for everything else, learning vocabulary with Japanese for Everyone, FSI Cantonese, kanji etc, and it works pretty well. As for long-term remembering, in my case at least, I really need to see the word in context, or try using it myself in conversation. I think to get the best out of any flashcard/SRS program you need to combine it with other materials (authentic, textbooks etc) to really get it into your long-term memory. This is something mentioned in Success with Foreign Languages. jMemorize uses the Leitner system, which staggers the review sessions and is used in many SRS systems so I would recommend it. I find it really useful. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| derefed Newbie United States ultimatejourney.net/ Joined 6137 days ago 16 posts - 16 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Swedish, French | Message 7 of 21 13 May 2008 at 4:31pm | IP Logged | ||
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I've started using jMemorize, and it appears to do everything I want it to! I really like how much you can customize your tests and how long it is until learned cards expire. I also like that you don't have to make reverse duplicates of every card (for instance, a "die Abwehr"/"defense" card and a "defense"/"die Abwehr" card) like you do in Mnemosyne and Anki, and that you can tell it when and when not to flip cards in tests. The category tree provides good organization as well.
Thanks very much for the suggestion! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| unzum Diglot Senior Member United Kingdom soyouwanttolearnalan Joined 6724 days ago 371 posts - 478 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: Mandarin | Message 8 of 21 13 May 2008 at 6:00pm | IP Logged | ||
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No problem! Glad you like it. :)
1 person has voted this message useful |
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