Alternative approaches
23/08/05 17:05 Filed in: Japanese
Many thanks to Heather for the pointer to Genius, a learning database
that uses your performance to determine the
frequency of testing of each word, and allows
you to determine the speed at which new words
are added. Genius is free, and there's a
ready-made hiragana file here for starters.
While both Genius and VOLATS allow you to build your own database content in line with your own learning, Genius has the advantage of allowing the exchange of lists via tab-delineated files. I would like to be able to download lists into VOLATS, say for the next chapter of a text-book or another source. No doubt that would be doable in VOLATS, if I developed a standard format for the intermediary file - and if anyone else ever used VOLATS, of course. Not much point otherwise.
One downside of Genius is that the software itself determines whether your answer is correct. I like to enter phrases as well as single words, and often there are alternative answers which are equally valid. Also, you can only run a Genius test on a computer. With VOLATS, I print a daily test that I can take anywhere and use how I like; the test routine makes an assumption that I have got each answer right, and updates each item accordingly. You can over-ride that, for example by bringing a 'monthly' word back to 'weekly' if it's a bit shaky, or right back to the beginning again if you've completely forgotten it.
Another thing I like about VOLATS is that you can custom-design it as you go along, so it has far greater use than a simple flash-card system. It becomes your dictionary, for example.
Anyway, while browsing around Genius and its related links, I came across something called Supermemo. This is a Windows application that allows you to import chunks of text, such as articles from the internet, and to set question/answer pairs using key words or facts within the article. As with Genius and VOLATS, a key element is the interval between tests for each item. You build your own knowledge library and input new material at your own pace. This looks very smart indeed, and I particularly like the idea of the internet as a source of structured learning. We're too used to 'browsing' and 'surfing', and information seems to pass across our screens without sticking. But my home computer is an Apple, so Supermemo is not for me.
While both Genius and VOLATS allow you to build your own database content in line with your own learning, Genius has the advantage of allowing the exchange of lists via tab-delineated files. I would like to be able to download lists into VOLATS, say for the next chapter of a text-book or another source. No doubt that would be doable in VOLATS, if I developed a standard format for the intermediary file - and if anyone else ever used VOLATS, of course. Not much point otherwise.
One downside of Genius is that the software itself determines whether your answer is correct. I like to enter phrases as well as single words, and often there are alternative answers which are equally valid. Also, you can only run a Genius test on a computer. With VOLATS, I print a daily test that I can take anywhere and use how I like; the test routine makes an assumption that I have got each answer right, and updates each item accordingly. You can over-ride that, for example by bringing a 'monthly' word back to 'weekly' if it's a bit shaky, or right back to the beginning again if you've completely forgotten it.
Another thing I like about VOLATS is that you can custom-design it as you go along, so it has far greater use than a simple flash-card system. It becomes your dictionary, for example.
Anyway, while browsing around Genius and its related links, I came across something called Supermemo. This is a Windows application that allows you to import chunks of text, such as articles from the internet, and to set question/answer pairs using key words or facts within the article. As with Genius and VOLATS, a key element is the interval between tests for each item. You build your own knowledge library and input new material at your own pace. This looks very smart indeed, and I particularly like the idea of the internet as a source of structured learning. We're too used to 'browsing' and 'surfing', and information seems to pass across our screens without sticking. But my home computer is an Apple, so Supermemo is not for me.
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