Top Three (Free) iPad Flashcard Apps for Students
by Emmanuel Quartey
photo credit: d3b…* via photopin cc
It’s already midterm season, which means that if you’re taking a class that requires a lot of memorization, you’re going to need to come up with a way to commit all those terms to memory. Flashcards are a tried and true method of getting the job done, but writing out dozens of physical flashcards can be a chore. Enter SCIENCE. Here’re the three most popular free flashcard apps in the Apple appstore.
3) Flashcards+
A solid flashcard app for iPod and iPad, although the interface can be difficult to navigate. You can create custom flashcards or import them from Quizlet.
The most distinctive thing about Flashcards+ is its text-to-speech feature, which can read the text of a flashcard out loud to you. Note that you’ll need to make a one-time payment to get each voice pack.
I had usability issues with Flashcards+. Without a tutorial, I spent a lot of time figuring out how to do basic tasks. Additionally, the flashcard takes up way too much of the screen on the iPad - I wish I had a way to specify which size I wanted. Finally, the “Study Help” functionality wouldn’t work on my iPad for both custom and Quizlet decks.
The general user interface for Flashcards[+] is clean and intuitive. The user interface for the cards themselves, unfortunately, is a bit cluttered. Flashcards[+] is tightly integrated with Quizlet, which allows you to import cards as well as make custom ones.
Like with Flashcards+, I had trouble learning the ropes of Flashcards[+]. You’re apparently able to import card decks via iTunes, but nowhere does it say the proper format in which the files should be. One more little thing - I personally found the transition navigation between cards distracting.
The free version is limited to 3 decks with 75 flashcards each. Unlimited decks and card requires an update which costs $1.99.
1) Flashcardlet
Flashcardlet has a simple interface that is easy to use. When you ;aunch the app for the first time, it begins with a brief tutorial that actually spells out how to use it, so you don’t feel as if you’re flying blind. This is an important point that that the other two apps overlook - writing out flashcards by hand might be tiring, but it’s easy to wrap my mind around. If the digital version isn’t as intuitive, the experience feels far more clumsy than the straightforward method of pen and paper. Flashcardlet gets it right.
Flashmarket was also the only app which clearly mentioned that making cards via Quizlet allowed me include pictures. It’s a simple thing, but it helped make me feel in control of the process.
The free version of Flashcardlet comes with ads which might distract from the content. It costs a one-time payment of $2.99 to get rid of the ads. My only other complaint is that it takes too many taps to get to the actual card deck.
IMPORTANT: if you study especially well with flashcards, you should absolutely check out Quizlet.
It’s worth checking out the site because it allows you to easily import entire custom decks and even find decks based on a whole range of topics that have already been compiled by other people.
Do you have a favorite flashcard app? Let us know!
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More posts by Emmanuel.
