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Anki as Learning Superpower: Computer Science Edition

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Re: Anki as Learning Superpower: Computer Science Edition

#131

Post by nefitty »

rasen58 wrote: post #129
coldtea wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Staring at fact flashcards for hours on end just felt like a waste of time. Why would you need to "stare at fact flashcards for hours on end"? The whole idea is the opposite, to minimize learning time, and only stare at a flashcard periodically at the time when it makes more sense.

This happens quite a lot when using Anki where you have to start doing it for hours. If you stop doing for weeks, and then try to come back, there are so many cards piled up that it would take so long to go through that you just don't feel like doing it anymore. How would you solve this?

Categorize your cards, and when you come back focus on the categories you want to work on. I think Anki allows tagging. I use Memrise and it allows you to split courses into different “chapters”, which all share the same course database. In fact, it allows you to pull in data from all existing public Memrise databases.

Re: Anki as Learning Superpower: Computer Science Edition

#132

Post by nefitty »

semicolonandson wrote: post #3

I went rather deep into ankification of computer science - 5500 cards deep. I've written up my experiences as a series of articles here for anyone interested https://www.jackkinsella.ie/articles/janki-method

I’ve used it for API’s and syntax. For example, I have an entire GraphQL course turned into flashcards. I used screencaps of code so that it wouldn’t lose formatting.

Re: Anki as Learning Superpower: Computer Science Edition

#134

Post by biophysboy »

I've been learning Japanese since the pandemic hit, and Anki has been an indispensible tool. One thing that is great about it is people have already created great decks of the most common vocabulary, complete with audio and images. I would imagine people have done this for comp sci as well.

Re: Anki as Learning Superpower: Computer Science Edition

#135

Post by patresh »

marta_morena_28 wrote: post #93
patresh wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with your comment. As a sidenote concerning your last point, Gabriel Wyner's book "Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It" explains in detail how to build an SRS system to learn a language and it strongly advises against using translation tasks in your SRS. Instead of thinking in the target language, your mind will create strong associations with the words in your original language…

Yeah that works for the first 1000 words perhaps. Then you run out of images to show. Many of the more complicated words simply can't be disambiguated by images. Learning words by translation is totally fine. The point is not to use this as your ONLY learning method. You use it to SEED words. Once you know like 5000 words, you will be able to read books and also look up words in same-language dictionaries. But still…

Learning words by translation is fine but what the book argues is that it's very inefficient, because you seed them with respect to your original language so you build a habit of going back and forth between the languages when trying to come up with a word instead of staying immersed.

The advantage of images is first of all that visual cues are very powerful for memory, the more senses you associate with a memory the stronger it will be (I wonder if anyone has ever tried to incorporate smells into SRS?). Furthermore, it is not always easy to find a decent image but the mere search for this image will make your brain work with that word in mind and create associations.

Granted, it is not easy to find images for words such as "philosophy" but with a bit of creativity it is possible and if not, it's always possible to explain the target word in the target language to stay immersed.

Re: Anki as Learning Superpower: Computer Science Edition

#136

Post by semicolonandson »

yeutterg wrote: post #28
semicolonandson wrote: post #3

I went rather deep into ankification of computer science - 5500 cards deep. I've written up my experiences as a series of articles here for anyone interested https://www.jackkinsella.ie/articles/janki-method

Hey Jack, I've always found your Anki guides to be some of the best. I'm curious, are you still using it all these years later?

As someone who is now over a decade into their programming career, today I find more value in doing analytical breakdowns of my various success and mistakes. What were my oversights on a project? How could I have communicated better? What made one particular library a success, etc.?

Therefore, after years of Anki, I've stopped adding new cards and doing repetition; instead I now focus on keeping a code diary. I've published the first couple of hundred entries here so you can see what this entails:

https://www.semicolonandsons.com/code_diary

I see the relationship between my days of ankifying tidbits of knowledge and my current diarying as one of tactics vs. strategy. The Anki-stage was necessary to drill the basics. But now, a decade later, the focus is on the bigger picture — and trying to capture this bigger picture onto a double-sided flashcard is about as fruitful as trying to contain an ocean in a bathtub.

Re: Anki as Learning Superpower: Computer Science Edition

#137

Post by JoeDaDude »

For those that would rather use an analog method, you can make a Leitner Box of flash cards, which, if you follow the schedule, works in a similar way as Anki. I find that writing the cards out by hand is the first step in memorizing them. See how to use one in this interactive comic:

https://ncase.me/remember/

Re: Anki as Learning Superpower: Computer Science Edition

#138

Post by ngokevin »

Jtsummers wrote: post #78
crumbshot wrote: post #74

I tried using Anki but found it far too boring to sustain my interest. Staring at fact flashcards for hours on end just felt like a waste of time. In my experience it was much more useful and engaging to learn by doing things (creating, writing, experimenting) that the facts were related to - then the most necessary facts would become deeply embedded in my memory, with others at just the right level of vagueness nece…

Well, Anki isn’t meant to be used on its own. You are supposed to be doing those other things and Anki assists. Like if you were using it in a college chemistry course you’d have numerous facts in Anki, but still doing labs and other homework and things to exercise the knowledge. Anki itself is meant to help you remember better, but other things are needed to fully exercise that knowledge in appropriate contexts. I u…

Hey! I'm building an app for couples to learn languages from each other. I started building it because I've been learning Chinese with my wife, but mostly alone with Anki, so I wanted to make it more multiplayer.

The app has an Anki-like backend, and augments the flashcards with guidance, feedback, and challenges with your wife. https://learncoupling.com

Re: Anki as Learning Superpower: Computer Science Edition

#139

Post by ngokevin »

colordrops wrote: post #107
crumbshot wrote: post #74

I tried using Anki but found it far too boring to sustain my interest. Staring at fact flashcards for hours on end just felt like a waste of time. In my experience it was much more useful and engaging to learn by doing things (creating, writing, experimenting) that the facts were related to - then the most necessary facts would become deeply embedded in my memory, with others at just the right level of vagueness nece…

Someone should just create an open source clone of Duo Lingo that can utilize user created content . It's basically anki with much more engaging visuals, game-ficication, and social aspects, and it works really well to keep users engaged both per session and long term.

I'm doing a more social language learning app, starting with helping couples learn languages from each other. So it's like multiplayer Duolingo + Anki. Won't be open source, but I plan on an API with import / exports from Anki https://learncoupling.com

Re: Anki as Learning Superpower: Computer Science Edition

#140

Post by hamolton »

Ozzie_osman wrote: post #73

What programs do people use for Anki? I've tried the usual suspects, and found them a little too tedious. What I'd love is: - seamless syncing of cards between my devices. - more thought into the engagement loop (ie getting me to not be lazy and actually do the work). - an easily searchable database with credible curated decks.

Ankidroid syncs with Ankiweb just like Anki desktop does, and I like it because I can swipe right/left to say if I remember a card or not. The decks are on https://ankiweb.net/shared/decks/ although I wouldn't call that curated; the most used curated list is probably the sidebar of /r/medicalschoolanki. I am unaware of CS/higher math decks, though. Perhaps this is a decent list? https://github.com/MilesCranmer/anki_science
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