| home | 1998-04-28 |
Many students use paper flashcards to review and reinforce vocabulary. The idea underlying Chinese Flash Vocabulary Cards is to use software and multimedia to improve on paper flashcards.
The two-sided nature of paper is a serious limitation for students of Asian languages, where true grasp of a vocabulary items means linking at least 3 things: graphic form (the characters), pronunciation, and meaning, and possibly more (e.g. part of speech). Software flashcards are configurable, determining the front and the back of the card depending on what's being studied.
Paper flashcards are only useful for studying the written form of a language. These software flashcards include prerecorded digital audio --- to test listening comprehension --- and recording and playback --- so that a PC can be used as a home language lab.
Using software to organize a large set of vocabulary items makes study time more efficient. After 4 years of Chinese, a student will have studied about 10 thousand words and phrases, --- an unmanageable number for paper flashcards. Chinese Flash Vocabulary Cards generates exercises, tailored to each student, and keeps records of performance, which are then used to further refine the sets of cards and exercises presented to the student.
Basic System requirements: Microsoft Windows 95 or NT 4.0, Pentium 90mhz, 12 MB RAM;
32 MB free disk space;
VGA or higher resolution monitor and video card;
3.5" high-density floppy disk drive;
Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.
Multimedia requirements:
CDROM drive, 16-bit sound card, and either headphones or speakers for listening.
A microphone for recording.
| home | Copyright 2002 John Alan McDonald |