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What's a good memorization software?
superboyac:
OK guys, this thread got revived at a good time for me to update on FullRecall. FullRecal is the best of these programs, by far. I'm speaking generaly here; for 90% of users, FullRecall should be the best. If there are very particular features you are looking for, then maybe not.
I just used FullRecall to help me master this midterm for a graduate math class that involves memorizing lots of definitions and theorems. This program is lightweight, effective, and easy to use, but is still as powerful as it should be. Supermemo is just too much and the interface is insane, there's no need to deal with that for most people...I would go so far as saying it would be a waste of time, especially with FullRecall out there.
The hardest part with FullRecall was synchronizing databases. I used it at work, at home, and on my laptop. So how was I supposed to keep my database (which keeps track of what you've learned) updated all the time? Well, FullRecall has a net export/import feature which allows you to keep your database updated and stored on FullRecall's server. This worked great, except at work, where access was blocked. So, at work, I used ftp to sync it with home. however, this was inconvenient. Anyway, David (the author) told me that in a few weeks there will be a web version of FullRecall that will use the server database and that will solve all these mobility problems. Great program, really top notch.
VTrain was garbage, I might add also.
Dormouse:
And I really like the fact that FullRecall is for Windows and Linux and PPC and is portable.
One question though. Is the advantage of scheduling and shuffling using these progs really better than having sequential Qs & As in Powerpoint where you can get much more control over layout impact etc?
superboyac:
One question though. Is the advantage of scheduling and shuffling using these progs really better than having sequential Qs & As in Powerpoint where you can get much more control over layout impact etc?
-Dormouse (April 25, 2008, 05:19 PM)
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Yes, there is a significant advantage. It's much more efficient and productive. If you do it the way you described, you yourself have to keep track of what you know and what you don't know. That's a lot of work, and it's unnecessary. You should instead spend your time memorizing what you don't know.
When you make a list yourself, sometimes you remember something by it's position in the list, or by what came before that item in the list. So you can't be sure if you really memorized it or if you had help? OK, so you randomize it like you would a real flash card deck. But then, you might keep coming across items you already know...that's not efficient. OK...so you remove the ones you know as you come across it and put it in a different pile. But now you're doing a whole lot of work. Wouldn't it be better for the software to keep track of everything for you?
One word of advice, and this is just personal. Make it easy on yourself. If you don't have to spend so much time on your layout, don't. The goal here is to commit to memory, not to have a pretty and accurate presentation.
For my math class, I used FullRecall in a not so normal way. You see, it would be a lot of work writing out all the definitions, theorems, and homework problems inside of the program. It would take forever. So, instead of completely filling in the Q&A, I just put in prompts. For example, instead of writing the entire question, I would just write (8-1) which means chapter 8 question 1. So when it came up, I'd open the book and do the problem from there.
Again, all you want to program to do is to keep track of what you know and what you don't. By the end of the process, you will have mastered everything. It's amazing.
tamasd:
Supermemo is just too much and the interface is insane, there's no need to deal with that for most people...
-superboyac (April 25, 2008, 04:30 PM)
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That's true. It's also fair to say that for most people the Beginner or Basic level is quite enough, one can switch through menu File > Level. And these levels have way more acceptable interface than the Advanced level.
Anyway, David (the author) told me that in a few weeks there will be a web version of FullRecall that will use the server database and that will solve all these mobility problems.
-superboyac (April 25, 2008, 04:30 PM)
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So that's what he was working on silently for the last few weeks. I kind of hoped it will be the web version, and not anything else. As it's quite uncommon for David to keep silent for 2 months - he keeps updating the program very frequently, that's one of great things about Fullrecall.
For those interested in Supermemo, there is a large and quite interesting article from April 21st about Piotr Wozniak the author of the Supermemo method and software, at Wired site: http://stag.wired.com/medtech/health/magazine/16-05/ff_wozniak?currentPage=1
superboyac:
You know, I shouldn't be so hard on SuperMemo. I just think the author would be well served to completely revamp the interface of the software. Now, I don't like to focus on things like interface, especially when a program offers a lot of power and customizeability like SuperMemo, but you have to draw the line somewhere. Supermemo's interface is closer to Windows 3.1 than to Windows XP, and that is just 10 years too old for me.
I still say FullRecall is the more practical and easier solution now. If you use FullRecall and you are not able to do something, then I would turn to SuperMemo, but not before. Furthermore, if FullRecall keeps adding features at it's current rate, I think it will soon overtake SuperMemo's userbase. Hopefully, it will force Supermemo to update its interface.
Tamasd, that's a nice article, it gave me a lot of respect for Supermemo's author. It's great when someone comes up with a software that can revolutionize simple, yet important tasks in our everyday lives.
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