MemoCard learn with flashcards

Flashcards have long been a well-used tool for those learning and revising in many subjects.  Anything that can be framed as a question and answer, such as word definitions, or in similar pairs, such as words in different languages, fit easily into this method.  Transferring this to an app, as Memocard does, brings with it extra benefits while keeping the existing ones.   With an app, there is nothing extra to carry, a slip of the hand does not litter a bus floor with carefully made cards, teachers can easily disseminate sets to students, and new sets can be created quickly and easily without any extra resources.

Anybody who wants to use Memocard must make an account.  The app, available on iOS and Android devices, is a convenient extension of the website to which this account grants access.  

While you can make use of the many different flashcard sets publicly available within the user account you will have created,  the app's developers make it clear that the first step of learning using its method is creating the cards.  This makes sense.  As you frame a question and answer you are actively linking the two together.  The same goes when you come up with two words, one in your native language and one in the language you are learning.  From this foundation, you will be revising what you once knew, if only for a moment, by revisiting the flashcards.  

The creation of custom sets is very easy.   A deck is defined and then individual cards are created using a text editor in the browser.  This has many options so you can format your cards as you choose.  Once you have saved your cards, they are quickly accessible in the app without any further input.  The synchronisation happened quickly during review so students could put a set together on a school computer and begin their practice on a bus journey home.

Schools and teachers are also well-served by the learning groups facility in the app service.  There are three levels of user in a learning group.  The administrator adds and removes members.  The editor can create card sets.  Members can only access the sets from the learning group although they can create personal sets.  This is a clear and simple process to administer and is a time-saving and useful way for teachers to distribute their flashcard-based learning material.

Anybody who wishes to contribute to the learning of others in a similar position can make their decks public.  The default option is private, though, so this is entirely an opt-in decision if you choose to do so.

App developers often try to create some form of lock-in for content created on their platforms so it is great to see that Memocard allows your decks to be exported in a variety of formats.  These include an easily readable pdf format or an easy-to-edit csv or Excel format.  You can also import card sets created in a spreadsheet.  These options will save teachers work as they can use lists they have created in a variety of ways without having to rework them.

You don't have to do this, though, there are many flashcard sets available for you to browse and add to your collection.  These cover a range of subjects and languages - fortunately, there are filters by which you can search the collections.  Adding a collection is through a single click and you can also use the flashcards directly from the website.

You may have used flashcard apps before, either as a teacher or as a learner.  Many are quite simple and are just digital representations of two-sided cards.  Memocard could be used the same way but this would be to take quite a shallow dive into the method of learning which it advocates.  

Among other things, its website provides a great deal of explanation and support.  It describes the learning model underpinning its methods.  It relates the best way to create and structure flashcard sets so that learning is most fully supported.

Once you have a flashcard set you can use it for revision in one of the available learning modes.  These adjust the frequency and order of the cards to suit the learning method you have chosen for that session.   Decks of cards are structured into compartments that also form a part of some of these modes.   Again, the website fully explains the methods and their educational underpinnings.  

As you browse your user account on the website, you will notice that it is ad-supported.  These are not particularly intrusive as they are standard banner ads rather than the more obnoxious full-screen ones that can fully derail a user's experience.

The app is quite usable on tablet devices and phones, although the layout and typeface sizes mean that it looks better on phone-sized displays.  This is probably the way that most people will use the flashcards so this is not unreasonable.

There are a few flashcard-style apps in existence and Memocard is an example of this type of app done right.  It provides an easy to use experience, useful and detailed guidance on both the method and its employment by the app, and it is flexible enough to allow students to adapt it to their own needs. Sign up for an account and download the free app to begin to see how it can work for you, whether you are a teacher or a student.

You can download MemoCard learn with flashcards on your iOS or Android devices from the app stores. Download the MemoCard learn with flashcards app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.