Ace Flashcards for iPhone/Touch Review

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As an educator and parent of a kindergarten student, flashcards are always a part of my life.  Many of my students make them for each test for a variety of subjects.  Coincidentally, the students who put the time in to make the cards seem to always make above average grades.  My son is learning to read and has a couple of sight words added each week.  We have two sets of flashcards at home and constantly quiz him on his words.  In Texas, students must pass a standardized test called the TAKS test which includes social studies in the 10th and 11th grades.  By the time of each test in the spring, my classes will have collected around 70 flash cards of famous people, dates, amendments, etc…  I actually check the cards throughout the year and take a grade on their progress.  Thanks to Agile Partners, I can now give the option to my students to create these cards using their iPhone or iPod Touch using Ace Flashcards.

Ace Flashcards allows users to quickly and easily set up decks of flashcards for any subject or study situation.  No more boxes of hundreds of index cards that can be lost or scattered all over the floor.  Create as many decks of cards as needed and always have them right in your pocket.

FEATURES
– Two simple gestures: swipe left or swipe right to flip cards and move between cards
– A single tap on a card displays intuitive icons for editing, deleting and more
– Flag individual cards (e.g., cards you’ve memorized) to put them in a separate stack
– Switch easily between reviewing flagged cards, unflagged cards and all cards
– Share your flashcards with friends via email
– Quizlet.com integration – search and download over 2.5 million flashcard decks
– Built-in English dictionary: no Wi-Fi/Internet connection needed
– Automatically looks up definitions of words you enter and creates flashcards for you
– Easily edit the automatic definitions or enter your own
– In-app tools for customer support and providing feedback
– Fun “shake-to-shuffle” feature

The home screen of the app contains a list of decks so all of the flashcards can be easily accessed.  To add a new deck, tap the plus sign in the upper right corner and start typing.  First, type the front of the card then flip the card by swiping and write the back.  For definitions, a built-in dictionary will be able to fill out the back of the card for you without needing WiFi.  This feature will save a lot of time and allow for large decks to be built quickly.  The only graphics of the app are the blue and red lines of an index card.  Since most students create flashcards with index cards, this will bring a familiarity with the process.

Not only are cards and decks easy to create but also easy to edit.  To edit a card, simply tap anywhere on the screen.  Editing options will appear at the bottom of the card.  The trashcan will delete the card and the pencil will enable text editing on the card.  To flag a card, tap the flag icon on the right.  This can be useful for cards that have already been learned or ones who are difficult and need to be revisited.  Tapping the rectangle card icon brings up two choices.  Show only the flagged cards or the non flagged cards.  This will help maximize study time and focus your attention on areas of need.  To edit a card deck, tap the round icon to the right of the deck name.  You will be allowed to delete the deck by tapping the trashcan.  Clicking the envelope icon allows the deck to be emailed to other users of the app.  The email will contain a file that will be added to their phone by tapping and holding the file.  To edit the deck, tap the pencil icon and a list of cards will be shown with the ability to add or delete cards.

Ace Flashcards includes a unique feature that I found to be quite useful.  The app teams up with the website quizlet.com to open up a huge library of flashcard decks created by users around the world.  The decks can be searched by subject, term or creator.  I was able to discover many decks for various history subjects.  Some of them were useful and others were not.  It does take some searching, but could save you a lot of time.  In fact, I wish I had this application when I took the GRE since I found a large number of decks to assist in studying for it.  Several of my students have already downloaded Ace Flashcards and have added SAT and ACT study decks to their phones.

Today, I shared this app with my students and talked about how handy it can be to carry your notes with you anywhere you go.  Several of the iPhone users already downloaded and users on other platforms found similar apps.  I do not always share apps with entire classes, but I found Ace Flashcards to be truly advantageous for any student at any educational level to assist in their studies.  I am almost sad my graduate school is finished so I cannot use it.  Well, maybe not really that sad!  Check out Ace Flashcards here in the app store for $.99.  The cost of one package of index cards!

What I like: Not only the idea of building study decks, but also the extra features that make the app easy to use and the ability to share.

What could be improved: I would like to see the ability to add a card while viewing a deck.  Having to exit the deck and edit adds a few extra steps.

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About the Author

Travis Ehrlich
Travis is a high school teacher and coach in a small South Texas town. His love for gadgets began at a very early age, and he has been a cross between a jock and a geek for most of his life. He has two boys and a wonderful wife who lets him be a gadget freak. He is a Mac convert and has drank the whole pitcher of Kool-Aid! He is also an avid guitar player and loves the outdoors, especially hunting with both a bow and rifle.