As you can probably tell by the name, AnkiDroid is compatible with the free learning application and website Anki. It also synchronizes with Anki, so you can split your learning between the PC and your Android device, and it has a cool homescreen widget and a reminder system.

The Basic Concept

If you’ve never used a flash card application for learning something, the concept might bear a short introduction. Flash card learning is good for memorizing factoids and small pieces of information, such as the letters of a language or key terms. It works using question and answer pairs. You’re asked a question, try to think of the answer, and then press a button to see the answer. You then need to tell the app how hard or easy coming up with the right answer was.

According to this, the application knows when to next ask you this question. If you know something well, it won’t ask you about it often. This produces a very focused and personalized learning process, where you’re constantly drilled only on your weak points.

The App

Just like Anki, AnkiDroid’s system is based on “decks” of flash cards. The screen you see above is where you can see the status of your local decks, and sync them with the Anki server (requiring a free account). As you can see by the thin white progress bar, my NATO Phonetic Alphabet is going better than my Russian (I’ve been using AnkiDroid for about two months now).

In case you’re not so much into phonetic alphabets or reading Russian, there are many other decks you can choose from.

These are just card decks regular folks like you and me created for Anki and decided to share with the world. Some of them are better than others, and there’s no ranking system, so picking a high-quality pack is a matter of trial and error. There’s often more than one deck about any given subject. Let’s take history, for example:

I could keep scrolling – this is a wide field, and as you can expect, there are lots of decks. Some of the decks are very focused, aimed at one specific test (SOLS Unit 2 above, for example), while others are more general. Also, some packs are just enormous – check out that Hebrew Vocabulary pack (two screenshots up) with 11,670 facts.

If none of the decks available offer the facts you need, you can always create your own deck. You can do this using Anki’s PC application, or right on your device. Once you have a deck you want to learn, it’s time to start!

The Study Process

The deck review screen looks like this:

Before you start studying (or “Reviewing”, in Anki parlance), you can see your progress on the pack so far (ever since you started learning it), as well as how many cards you need to review today. Let’s Start Reviewing:

This is a very simple deck, so the question consists of just a single letter (meaning, “what’s the word for U in the NATO phonetic alphabet?”). Once you’re done thinking, tap Show Answer:

You can rank your answer in four different grades. “Again” usually means you just didn’t know the answer, and the others are self-explanatory. As you can see, if I say this was a hard question for me, I will be shown the question again much sooner than if I say it was Easy. In both cases the interval is really long, because I’ve been working on this deck for a while and I actually know this stuff already (and AnkiDroid correctly picked up on this).

Let’s take a look at the Russian pack I’ve been studying, where I haven’t been doing as well:

In this card, “Hard” would make AnkiDroid show me the card again within 21 days, not 1.1 months. AnkiDroid has all sorts of other nerdy goodies, such as a statistics browser showing your total review time and other data about your progress. These are all secondary to the core of the app, which we’ve just seen. It does have one other key feature:

The Widget & Reminder System

AnkiDroid comes with a large (4×1) widget which shows lots of information about your progress. Apart from the cryptic “0 15 0″, the whole thing is quite clear. Tapping it, as you would expect, launches AnkiDroid.

The reminder system is configurable – for me, it kicks in once there are 25 cards pending review. So you don’t have to constantly check on the widget. If you leave AnkiDroid for a while, notifications will just start appearing in the Notification Bar whenever you need to review your cards. They’re slightly annoying (most notifications are, to me) but are very effective. If you really don’t like them, you can always just switch them off.

Final Thoughts

As I said, I’ve been using this application for a while now, and it just works. It is one of the best applications on my device, and is a fantastic way to learn a new language or any set of data. Just for a sense of proportion, the Anki client for iPad (by another developer) retails for a whopping $25, while AnkiDroid is completely free.

If there’s anything you want to learn, grab AnkiDroid now. And if you make any decks, don’t forget to share!

When it comes to memory, the “˜R’ for “recollection” is always aided by another “˜R’, and that’s “revision” (or repetition). It is not only an important study skill, but a skill of life as well that calls for us to harp on the same strings to maintain the health of our mind.

With technology has come some great study tools. Simon’s post on 3 Great Online Tools to Improve Study Skills & Get Better Grades, gives an idea of the promise when computers and the web come to assist learning.

Flash cards, mind maps and cheat sheets are very much real-world tools. It’s just that their virtual avatars have extended the possibilities of use and reuse.

Take flash cards for example. Flash cards are simple set of cards which have a question on one side and the answer on the reverse. Read the question, try to recall the answer and flip the card over to check. It’s a simple and cheap but a very effective memory aid.

Headmagnet is another in the queue of free online flash card applications. But it hopes to jump to the head of the line with its unique selling proposition”¦it predicts when you are most likely to forget. By the way, the word “˜Selling’ is just to honor the acronym”¦the online web app is completely free.

Headmagnet’s About page mentions that its backend tech is based on the ACT-R cognitive architecture developed at Carnegie Mellon University.

For me and you, it simply means that Headmagnet analyses our flash card reading scores and gauges the rate of our forgetfulness. Using that data, Headmagnet helps us study more effectively by predicting and proposing when to review the study material.

So here’s me logging into Headmagnet to take them up on their word.

Headmagnet welcomes me with a few sample lists setup. That’s just to get me acquainted with how the system works. Notice the In Head section on the right. That’s the scoreboard to keep our eyes on. The main action areas are mentioned in a series on the top ““ My Lists, My Head, Friends, Profile, and Settings.

My Lists

These are groupings of items I am in the process of studying. A few default list types (templates) are already included like one for vocabulary or the one for names and faces. Adjoining the lists are the ways one can use to go through them.

For instance, for my vocabulary refresher, I can take a word and recall its definition or vice versa. I can also tweak the study modes to suit my learning style.

I guess I will click the bright orange button and create my own list. Below is a little sample list of words I am trying to learn. As I add each new word to the list, it gets added to the Items on the right. Using the dropdown, I can view the Items either by way of questions or its answers.

But for a word buff like me the best feature is the Add New Field. For instance, I added an Image field that will complement my learning of new words by bringing up associated word images (I took the images from my HDD and the web).

After making a choice of the privacy settings (kept it open for Friends), I start my vocabulary training by clicking on Study Now. Clicking on Add to My Head, next to it will put it among the favorite lists which I want to study over a long term.

The screen goes grey for a moment and this is what I see ““

I can also create my own study modes with a slew of customization options.

Then a few personalization settings for the study session”¦

Then the questions for which I have to think up the answers and accordingly self check myself with the response. A timer on top ticks away for the duration of the test.

The test cycles back to the incorrect response and quits only when I have them all right.

My Head

This is the section where, Headmagnet helps us to predict when we will forget the learnt items. My Head displays all lists which you want to learn over a period of time and also displays the current level of strength for each list through a colored bar.

As memory levels start to decay, the color goes from green to orange and then red. The system also prompts us to review the items. Right now, for my lists I don’t have anything to review.

With a large number of lists, it’s better to prioritize by clicking on the stars.

Sharing Lists

I shared my first list with my friends and build up a community of shared lists. The other two options are Private and Public. The other way to take Headmagnet to a wider audience is by linking it to Facebook.

Flashing Our Memory

From log-in to the first list, takes about 5 minutes. It’s easier to operate if you watch the basic video on the homepage and then do the tour to understand all the features.

Free online flash cards are simple devices by themselves. Headmagnet makes the learning simpler by giving a variety of ways to structure the Item lists and the lessons. From straight Q&A to multiple choice tests and slide shows”¦one can be one’s own tutor.

The scaled grading system and the predictive review helps us to keep tabs on how we are doing with the lessons.

As free online flash card applications go, Headmagnet is one of the more flexible ones around. Take a few lessons and let us know your score for it.

We at MakeUseOf have pointed out 3 Sites to Make Flash Cards for Your Kids. This how-to article focuses on another site called iFlipr.com, which has a very simple and direct setup, but its features are not quite as obvious as you might expect, especially for young users.

Using iFlipr.com

After signing up and logging in, you have options for searching or browsing existing flashcard decks or make your own flash cards online. The several dozens of featured and popular decks include topics like Spanish, French, and Greek languages; the U.S. States/Capitals; 2 letter scrapple words; Human Anatomy Images; and MCAT Organic Chemistry. To discover less popular cards, you need to conduct a search term or keywords provided by other users.

To use and study a set of cards is a little complicated for young or first time users. Once you locate a deck, you click the word Practice. Next, it’s is a good idea to click Settings and do the following.

1. Click Reset Mastery Levels to start a new study of the cards. This is reset all your previous answers you’ve made to a deck of cards.
2. Select the Study Mode: Flashcards, for the traditional front question and the answer on the back; or Multiple Choice, in which the system randomly provides answers listed below question. Depending on how the cards were created, the study mode you select may be a little confusing.
3. Select the Card Order: Front to Back, which presents the cards in the order they were created. The default “Leitner” order is based on a flashcard system that basically groups cards based on your previous use and success with knowing or not knowing the correct answer. So after you’ve practiced with a deck of cards a few times, then try the Leitner system for a different arrangement.
4. Select the deck order: front to last or last to first.
5. Click Keep Practicing to start from the beginning or Done to exit the deck.

Practicing and studying with a deck is pretty simple. In the traditional back and front study mode, you see the question and say to yourself what should be the answer on the back of the card. When you hit the green arrow button, it will take you to the answer. From there, you click the red cross if you got it wrong or the green tick if you got it right.

In the multiple choice study mode, the top selection is the question and the options below are the possible answers. Click on one, and if you get a smiley face, it’s of course correct; a sad face indicates a wrong choice.

Creating a Deck

If you can’t find a deck created for your needs, you can use the simple what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) deck editor. It”˜s fairly simple. After clicking on the Create button, do the following in the editor:

1. Select the front box on the right of the editor.
2. Write your question in the top left box.
3. Go back and select the “back” box on the far right.
4. Optional: If you want, you can add a small image.
5. Write the answer to the question in the box below.
6. Click Save to create the next card.

Be sure to give your deck a name, description and some keywords so that it can be searched and used by others. The deck will be saved to your account and you can choose to share it or make it private for your own personal use.

The developers of iFlipr.com have also created a $4.99 iPhone app that can be used independently or with the web application.

So do you or your kids use flashcards for studying? What options have you found useful?

Flash cards have been used to learn foreign languages, improve vocabulary or learn just about anything that can be written in a question and answer form. Using physical flash cards, you have to create cards; manage them and then keep track of which ones you have learnt and which ones are yet to be learnt. Using a computer-based freeware flash card program, you can leave all that to the software and concentrate on the learning. Pauker is one such Java-based flash card software.

Being a Java application you can run it on Windows, Linux and Mac. Pauker can be found here. The Pauker site recommends that you use Pauker via Java webstart. However, you can also download and run the freeware flash card program. Pauker doesn’t require installation and works as it is. Of course you would need Java on your computer.

On the first run, the application looks like above. You would first need to create flash cards to use with the application. Enter a description for the lesson and click Add new cards. You can now create new cards. The dialog that opens lets you enter the contents of the flash card and allows for basic formatting as well.

If typing the content seems tedious, you can also import cards into Pauker. Pauker can import from CSV or Pauker XML files. To import existing cards; click on Open, choose the appropriate format and then browse to the required CSV or XML file. Pauker will import the flash cards contained in the file and create a new lesson for you. You can also download ready-made flash cards from the site if they fit your need.

If you can do without formatting to aid your learning, there is quicker way to create flash cards. Choose Text import from under the file menu and type or paste the text that you want to convert to flash cards. The front and reverse text of the cards should be present on separate lines for the cards to be created correctly.

So much for creating flash cards. Next up is the all-important task of learning and then mastering the cards. Choose one of the lessons you created above and then click Learn new cards. A new window opens which looks the one shown below.

This is how it works: Two timers are displayed at the bottom of the window. One is aimed at Ultra-short term memory, while the other is aimed at short term memory. While the first timer is active, try to go through as many cards as possible. Just a quick read and move to next, don’t worry if you don’t get everything. When the first timer is up, Pauker activates the short term memory timer.

Here, the same cards are flashed but the reverse side is hidden. You have to recall the reverse side and interact with the application. If you remember the reverse side, seeing it again will further strengthen it in your memory. If you don’t remember, you should take a few seconds and try to commit the reverse side to memory.

After the second timer expires, Pauker begins with the real test. If you answer a card correctly now, it is moved to completed state meaning that you have memorized it. For the ones that you answer incorrectly, the above process is repeated untill you have learnt them all. At any time, your progress is represented in the form of bar graphs which displays the number of cards which are not learnt, committed to ultra short term memory, committed to short term memory and number of cards that have been learnt.

Pauker offers learning by typing and learning by remembering modes. You have to type the answer in the former. In the latter however, you have to tell Pauker whether you remembered the reverse side or not. You can customize the time for both the timers and learning strategies which govern how expired and forgotten cards are presented to you again.

Pauker does majority of heavy lifting when using flash cards. You can also find MiniPauker which is Pauker for mobile devices which support Java applications.

Do you use computer-based flash cards for committing things to memory? What are your favorite freeware flash card programs?

We all have facts, account numbers, phone numbers, birthdays and even work-related material that we need to to memorize fast and remember easily without wanting to commit ourselves to a mental institution. I have tried many different methods and the flash card is usually the best. We have covered other flash card applications in the past but this is different ““ it runs on a schedule and starts up with Windows. Did I mention that it is awesome? Well it is!

Let’s check it out. I downloaded the 779KB file in a few seconds and ran it. It installed quickly with a few clicks of the next button. And then I was greeted with this screen:

The setup seems pretty straight forward. It is a very easy interface as you can see above. There is a place for questions, answers, score and schedule. I am going to start by adding a new question. I am going to do this by hitting the New button. Yes it is that simple!

We see that we are able to fill in the Question field with our question, The answer field we will fill in our answer and there is a drop down menu for category that will only have one option to start with. You can see how I filled it out below:

At first I could not figure out how to change the category. I guess it was too easy for me because it turns out you can change the category by simply typing in the field. This is a great way to separate your items such as work and personal or by subject like technology, languages, math etc”¦

Once you have a bunch of questions and categories they will be displayed like this:

Next let’s take a look through the applications settings before we start our first quiz”¦

As I said before, you can set it to start with Windows. Here is the place to do it. You can also set the Escape key to minimize the application and double click to edit questions. You can have the application beep at the scheduled time or tweak the notification window.

Now let’s get to quizzing! I hit the Start button and I was off”¦ It scheduled my next question for 5 minutes from now. An icon popped up, I clicked on it and chose quiz”¦ Then my question popped up.

I entered the answer correctly and then:

It scheduled the next question for 5 minutes from then. Nice!

I am going to master this program and with it ““ memorize everything I need to memorize. This is going to be a HUGE help to me in my day to day job and my life.

Do you have a  favorite application to help you memorize random information? We would love to hear about it in the comments!

Memoriser