This seems like an amazing idea. I feel the website needs better structure and depth.
Thanks - it's definitely at the MVP stage. Any particular features you'd like to see?
Show HN: SkillPress – Learn JavaScript via spaced repetition and active recall
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Re: Show HN: SkillPress – Learn JavaScript via spaced repetition and active recall
#12IME/IMO, Anki is best at aiding recall for domains where there's a long tail of infrequently used items which benefit from quick recall. As in, it's obviously great for language learning; and I've heard it's good for e.g. health science students.
For programming, most things is programming are either going to fall into either side: "you'll use it frequently enough that recalling it is easy", or "you'll use it so infrequently, and it's better to just look it up than to try to remember it".
Where I have had some success in programming related domains was using flashcards to capture parts of some system that were at the edge of my understanding. I wasn't interacting with the system enough to understand it; but, interacted with it frequently enough that I wanted to get some understanding of it.
But, almost always, I think flashcards need to be very clear/short.
In terms of product-ising the idea of "SRS as applied to learning programming", I guess the main question is "how is your product going to be better than just using flashcards with anki"?
Re: Show HN: SkillPress – Learn JavaScript via spaced repetition and active recall
#13Sorry but this will not help you learn JavaScript. I am sure it will help you remember built-ins and terminology, but using PLs is far more than a human memory game, I know JS pretty thoroughly and cannot recall every Math or Array method, it's just not very important. If you want to get better at any PL, write it, write it, write it. If you don't know what to write, I'd recommend heading over to somewhere like rosse…
I was looking at some human language learning material. One of the exercises in it was to rearrange jumbled words into a meaningful sentence. That got me thinking, what sort of exercises can we borrow from human language learning to learn programming?
A ten line jumbled function that the learner needs to order correctly? A small function with missing lines or wrong conditions that the learner can fix, to get the function working correctly? None of these are substitutes for writing code of course, but these can be fun exercises?
Re: Show HN: SkillPress – Learn JavaScript via spaced repetition and active recall
#14IME/IMO, Anki is best at aiding recall for domains where there's a long tail of infrequently used items which benefit from quick recall. As in, it's obviously great for language learning; and I've heard it's good for e.g. health science students. For programming, most things is programming are either going to fall into either side: "you'll use it frequently enough that recalling it is easy", or "you'll use it so infr…
Yeah, I found that in my case I'll boot up in a new language or technology using an Anki deck, then as things start to stick and I am using the new skills in my daily work I'll stop studying the deck.
I've found a few limitations with this approach that I tried to address with SkillPress:
1. When you stop using Anki for any length of time, when you come back you get an avalanche of cards that are due - which can be demoralizing. I solved this by doing away with the 'due cards' UI in favor of the forgetting curve graph. This way you are encouraged to come back weekly to keep your graph green, but you aren't hit in the head with a mountain of cards when you do.
2. When you are first getting started with a technology, you aren't sure what is worth committing to memory, so you'll either add too much or to little detail. With SkillPress the decks are created by someone who is proficient in JavaScript, so the courses are closer to the 80% of the value from 20% of the knowledge sweet spot.
3. In software development you'll often learn a technology and then stop using for a long time because your job or career has moved away from it. With an Anki deck that you haven't studied in months you'll be presented a large pile of cards that you don't know, often showing the more advanced cards first. I solved this by prioritizing cards on both the initial learning and review phases. You can come back to a course any time and SkillPress will try to get you back up to speed starting with the more basic concepts.
Re: Show HN: SkillPress – Learn JavaScript via spaced repetition and active recall
#15This seems like an amazing idea. I feel the website needs better structure and depth.
Thanks - it's definitely at the MVP stage. Any particular features you'd like to see?
Keyboard only navigation! Right now when you press Enter after (incorrectly) answering a question the next question get's answered with an empty value.
I'd like to see: - Fill in answer - Press Enter - UI shows correct/incorrect - Press Enter again - UI shows the next question - Repeat
Edit: tested in Firefox and Chrome
Re: Show HN: SkillPress – Learn JavaScript via spaced repetition and active recall
#16This is a pretty cool idea!
I noticed when I hit enter to go to the next card it will automatically submit a blank answer. There's no way for me to use this without taking my hands off the keyboard to click 'next'.
Re: Show HN: SkillPress – Learn JavaScript via spaced repetition and active recall
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thanks - it's definitely at the MVP stage. Any particular features you'd like to see?
Keyboard only navigation! Right now when you press Enter after (incorrectly) answering a question the next question get's answered with an empty value. I'd like to see: - Fill in answer - Press Enter - UI shows correct/incorrect - Press Enter again - UI shows the next question - Repeat Edit: tested in Firefox and Chrome
Thanks for the heads up - that's what I get for doing most of my testing on mobile.
It should work now if you refresh.
Re: Show HN: SkillPress – Learn JavaScript via spaced repetition and active recall
#18This is a pretty cool idea! I noticed when I hit enter to go to the next card it will automatically submit a blank answer. There's no way for me to use this without taking my hands off the keyboard to click 'next'.
Should work now if you refresh.
Re: Show HN: SkillPress – Learn JavaScript via spaced repetition and active recall
#19Re: Show HN: SkillPress – Learn JavaScript via spaced repetition and active recall
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
For clarity, are advanced problems something like “write the output of this anonymous function” or does it teach this concept before asking the question? Is this supposed to be adjunct to a more holistic course?
The course leans pretty heavily toward active recall - there are a lot of high quality tutorials out there, so I wanted this one to focus more on maximizing retention instead of serving as a gentle introduction.
That could make some sense. To be clear I don’t think it’s a bad idea, just seems like this is for a very specific type of person.