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Ipod flashcards

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Oranda_jin
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Ipod flashcards

Postby Oranda_jin » May 21st, 2006 8:16 am

This is partly a feature request, but also about using flashcard software for your Ipod.

After listening to a lesson I feel like rehearsing at least the new words or common used sentences with flashcards on my Ipod. It would be fantastic to download besides the pdf, a flashcard file to be used with some sort of Ipod flashcard software. Creating your own cards is ofcourse part of the learning process, but time...

Which brings me to the experience request... are there any other JP101 addicts who succesfully create their own Ipod flashcards with for me, XP software.
So before I make a mess of my Ipod, everyone out there, including me :?, will know the pros and cons and problems encountered with japanese characters.

Kerry
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Bump.... Ipod flashcards

Postby Kerry » June 27th, 2006 1:13 pm

Hi,

I'm gonna bump your post here because I too would like to know the answer... Flashcards on my iPod would be great...but I"m afraid it's outside of my technical ability sphere.

Can any of your tech-savy folks comment on this? :?: :roll:


Oranda jin wrote:This is partly a feature request, but also about using flashcard software for your Ipod.

After listening to a lesson I feel like rehearsing at least the new words or common used sentences with flashcards on my Ipod. It would be fantastic to download besides the pdf, a flashcard file to be used with some sort of Ipod flashcard software. Creating your own cards is ofcourse part of the learning process, but time...

Which brings me to the experience request... are there any other JP101 addicts who succesfully create their own Ipod flashcards with for me, XP software.
So before I make a mess of my Ipod, everyone out there, including me :?, will know the pros and cons and problems encountered with japanese characters.

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Belton
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Postby Belton » June 27th, 2006 1:58 pm

My ipod is a bit old to get Flashcards on it. BUT
I have no problem using kanji and kana in playlists and song titles.
Once they are in UTF format (default in OS X) I think the iPod will just display Japanese.

Maybe this might be of help to Mac Users (sorry I don't know Windows)--

I don't use the ipod export capability myself (old ipod) but iFlash can export it's flashcards in an iPod format.
http://www.loopware.com/iflash/
And it's a pretty good flashcard program BTW.

Belton
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Audio Flashcards

Postby Belton » June 28th, 2006 10:26 am

I've been mulling over the whole iPod Flashcard thing.

I have a couple of ideas.

1.Text
iFlash outputs text for the notes feature on the iPod. You could probably do it yourself in a text editor. The text on the iPod won't be very large.
All well and good and nice small files but wouldn't it be good to go further?

2. Audio Flashcards
-- I like to use my iPod on the move and prefer my MBP when more static. So I rarely read anything on my iPod; it's just on play in my bag or its pouch. --

I've made audio vocabulary lists with my own voice but I'm not overly fond of my voice in recordings and my pronunciation isn't the best model.

But why not do it with jPod101 lessons?

Edit out the vocabulary.
Put Sakura-san's sweet and perfect Japanese on one track and Peter-san's New Yawk twang on the other :D. Now by unplugging an earphone I can test myself on English or Japanese meanings of vocabulary or have a drill by leaving both in.
If I save each word pair as a single track I can use shuffle to randomise the words so I don't get familiar with a particular order. Also I doubt I can listen to a list of more than 20 to 30 words at once.

3. Audio Flashcard plus.
To get the text in there.
On a word by word basis add a picture and make it into a podcast or movie. Again I think the play order can be randomised and it makes it easier to make custom lists.
The pictures could be an actual picture of the item. (I'd like to have only Japanese if possible so it's a bit more immersive.) a picture with the kanji and kana as large as possible. Maybe the English.
If I get sophisticated the kana could be animated like a karaoke track to sync with the break it down version of the word.

4. Other thoughts.
For straightforward Flashcards photos might be the way to go. Just make cards of the correct size in Photoshop or Elements and export them to the iPod.

I have come across a commercial vocabulary list that gives the English to one ear while at the same time giving Japanese to both ears. This is meant to be a subliminal technique that speeds up learning apparently. I don't know if it works but it's an interesting idea if you're making your own recordings.

Finally.
I think it's good to make your own learning materials. Just while making them you learn things.
I don't think the jPod team would object to anyone re-editing the programs FOR THIER OWN USE. (I could be wrong)

Which brings me to a proposal .
I think audio flash cards would be a great addition to jPod101. Maybe as part of the Premium content. Possibly as a weekly file instead of a daily one.

I'm going to test out my ideas by this weekend and see how much work is involved.

(proposal)
I am willing to explore the idea of me doing these minor re-edits for jPod101 if they want. I think the daily mp3 file is of good enough quality.
I do think that anything like this should be an "official" file hosted by jPod101 and not a range of files by users spread over sites elsewhere. (and then there's copyright issues as well)

(different proposal)
(or someone might have a Japanese friend willing to do the large amount of recording needed on a regular basis, then they could publish their own vocab podcasts. Anybody Japanese in London wanting to do this can contact me and maybe we could come up with some projects together...)

Jason
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Re: Audio Flashcards

Postby Jason » June 28th, 2006 5:27 pm

Belton wrote: Put Sakura-san's sweet and perfect Japanese on one track and Peter-san's New Yawk twang on the other :D. Now by unplugging an earphone I can test myself on English or Japanese meanings of vocabulary or have a drill by leaving both in.

You mean have one voice panned all the way on the left and the other all the way on the right?
Jason
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Oranda_jin
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Postby Oranda_jin » June 28th, 2006 7:53 pm

Belton thanks for thinking out loud,

there seems to be software for creating flashcards and exporting them to your iPod, like iFlash and iStudy, only problem for me is I'm using XP :cry: so I can't check them out. I tried Win based iPod Flash cards, which uses notes as flashcards, not very suitable because of the small size, I would prefer a larger font size, so your flashcard photo is a nice idea.

See hear & speak simultaneously for learning does the trick for me and even better,
but only for food, a nice taste makes it hard to forget.

Alan
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Postby Alan » June 28th, 2006 9:19 pm

It might also be worth considering writing learning programs (e.g. flashcards) in java for mobile phones. I dare say there's some such applications already out there. I'm tempted to give it a go myself, but am ludicrously short of time.

Belton
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Re: Audio Flashcards

Postby Belton » June 29th, 2006 9:21 am

Jason wrote:You mean have one voice panned all the way on the left and the other all the way on the right?


はい、そうです。
Yeah, that's what I meant.
I was thinking of two track mono rather than stereo. Must be because I started learning this way back in analog days of strips of tape!

On the left brain/right brain thing I wonder which ear would be thought best to deliver the Japanese to? Might not work but it can't hurt.

Jason
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Postby Jason » June 29th, 2006 2:53 pm

I'm no brain expert, but I'm pretty sure that all sound that comes into the brain all ends up in the same place regardless of what ear it comes in. So I don't think it would really matter.
Jason
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Belton
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Postby Belton » June 29th, 2006 3:35 pm

Well, I've been busily editing out words from the lessons.

Mmmm...
Some words I can get fairly clean others not so. (especially when there's a particle) and although not difficult (just a bit repetitive) it dawned on me....

Why don't the jPod team spend the 5 mins or so to get the vocab list as a clean recording after each episode and post individual word files?
By far the simplest approach if people want this sort of feature.

Meanwhile back to my DIY project...


As for the brain thing. (sorry if I'm straying off topic) Apart from being an owner with one in a barely used condition...

I think the way it goes is this -- the right side input gets processed by the left hemisphere and left goes to right.
( I saw an interesting experiment where a man whose hemispheres were separated could name a picture if he saw it with one eye but not if he saw it with the other! Weird. )
As language is processed on the left side, the right ear is better at taking it in.
Maybe.
For all I know this is a load of snake oil. But if I'm separating the sound tracks to left and right anyhow what harm can it do?

I carry omamori in the same spirit I suppose.

Jason
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Postby Jason » June 29th, 2006 5:00 pm

Belton wrote:Why don't the jPod team spend the 5 mins or so to get the vocab list as a clean recording after each episode and post individual word files?
By far the simplest approach if people want this sort of feature.

This would be a great thing to have in the line by line transcripts.

Belton wrote:As for the brain thing...

I have no idea how it actually works either. I tend to favor my left ear. But I'm also left handed, so that may have somehing to do with it. Is there a neurosurgeon in the house? :mrgreen:
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Belton
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Postby Belton » June 30th, 2006 11:46 am

Jason wrote:This would be a great thing to have in the line by line transcripts.


I agree, but as something other than a flash button so it's easily download-able.

Belton
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Postby Belton » July 12th, 2006 4:12 pm

I've been playing around with a new iPod

And while not a flashcard I've used notes to put line by line transcripts with audio on my iPod.

I have a video here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHmvMVdqM2c

and an explanation on my website here
http://www.shiawase.co.uk/2007/06/01/fl ... od/#notes2

--edit--
updated url
Last edited by Belton on July 2nd, 2007 8:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

digitaljo
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Postby digitaljo » July 15th, 2006 10:33 pm

'm wondering, regarding the line by line notes, is it possible to recall the audio file and go directly to a certain point of the file play for a certain duration then stop?

Just in case I'm not clear here is an example:
In Belton-san's video for the line by line Belton-san used Yoshi-san's : やー。
In the podcast it starts from 3:33 to 3:35 on the time.
Is it possible to start from the 3:33 mark then end at the 3:35 mark to play in the notes?

I'm not a big fan of editing. :?

Belton
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Postby Belton » July 16th, 2006 4:59 pm

I know what you mean.

Unfortunatly I don't think it's possible. It SHOULD be but Apple haven't implemented it I don't think. It would be a liitle less work and be more effecient than editing the files to use time codes or bookmarks.

I think there are problems getting bookmarks to work in a normal audio file never mind trying to hook it up to notes.

I glad people are finding the technique interesting though.

As yet the markup in notes is very crude. There are about 6 or 7 things you can do and thats about it.
Maybe in the next upgrade if they bring out a bigger screen?
Ideally if Apple implement more Quicktime support (now they are interested in video on the iPod). If there was wired sprite support you could do amazing non - linear stuff.

(What I'd really like is iPods massive hard drive mated to a Sony Clie with PalmOS so some programs could be run as well as music, Newton reborn!!!! ハハハ。)

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