Learn words from a foreign language?
Effectively review notions of a subject you want to learn?
Try the spaced repetition method… It consists of better distributing our learning time through targeted revisions. In concrete terms, it is a question of revising more frequently the concepts that you have the most difficulty in acquiring, and less frequently those that are already more or less acquired.
The Anki app offers a free, feature-rich version of flashcards on smartphones and/or desktops, with multi-device synchronization and the ability to create your own cards — either one by one or by importing a file.
Use case: This is a tool to add to your palette of tools and learning methods. Effective for revising small, simple concepts, in addition to other classic learning methods. Very useful for example to learn and revise your own lists of words of a foreign language, memorize ideograms etc. For example, you can revise a few maps on your smartphone on the bus or the metro…
Pros: Anki is an open source project, free for individual use. The features are numerous. You can also get the many decks of cards shared by other users for free.
Disadvantages: the user interface is a bit rustic, you have to take a little time to get to grips with the application; watching a tutorial can help. And Anki is not a miracle app either… Maps can become tedious to manage. And the best way to learn… It is to vary the methods.
Point of vigilance: the application on computer is called Anki, and on smartphones: ankidroid (for android) or ankimobile (for iphone). Not to be confused with Ankiapp and Ankipro, versions diverted for commercial use, with less rich or paid features.
Example of Anki card
learning German words from English
Up, the notion to study
“on no account”
Below the answer
“auf keinen Fall”
(you can hear the pronunciation)
Below the buttons
to assess difficulty
In conclusion, Anki can be a tool — among others — for learning. To try eventually!