The Awesomest EYE Study System Ever Devised?
Audio flashcards let you rock boards and impress your professors
Interested in improving your “eye knowledge” as quickly as possible? Have you tried flashcards?
Flashcards are great, as you can focus on important questions without having to read chapters full of nonsense. The problem with flashcards, however, is the difficulty in making them … and that they require you to physically read, handle, and sort little pieces of paper.
For hard-core students with lots to learn … flashcards sound great … but are usually too time-consuming to create.
But have you ever tried audio flashcards?
During my ophthalmology training I bought an inexpensive voice recorder and began dictating flashcards in a question-answer format. I found these audio files highly useful, as I could load them onto my iPod and listen to them on the go.
After a few months of studying, I had a collection of several thousand mp3 files. iTunes allowed me to edit the ID3 tags and organize my collection into albums (retina, glaucoma, etc..) and listen to them randomly (shuffle mode) while I drove to work.
Benefits of audio flashcards:
1. You can listen to them on your iphone or smartphone in your car, jogging, or walking your dog!
2. Smart playlists allow you to rate your audio cards using the 5-star system (at least on the iphone) and organize them without a computer.
3. ID3 keyword tags makes searching through the questions within iTunes instantaneous!
Using an iPod as a study aid may seem odd at first. However, the ability to randomly shuffle these audio files and create playlists for individual topics makes learning this material a breeze.
Are audioflash cards for you?
This method for studying has been great for me (and for those eye residents who have tried it) but it’s not for everyone. Some people are natural book learners, and just don’t learn well through audio.
Obviously, this system won’t work without a smartphone or good mp3 player. Some of the extra features (like smart playlists and reading the lyrics embedded within the ID3 tags of the mp3 files) might not be available on non-iTunes devices. If you don’t have a player, you can always listen to them using the iTunes media player (a free download from apple) … though obviously, this is not as convenient.
How much is it?
I’ve rerecorded my flashcards and making them available for purchase in mass from this website. For the small price of $19.95 you’ll get:
1. 300 mp3 flashcards geared toward new students of the eye. Each of these flashcards averages 30 seconds, making 3.5 hours of audio. I recorded this using a decent microphone, so the sound quality is good.
2. Training videos by Dr. Root on how to use the flashcards with tips for making your own audio flashcards.
3. PDF version of the flashcards … for those of you who like to have a printed version to study from
4. Picture versions of the flashcards … great for swiping through on your phone.
5. Powerpoint versions of the flashcards … perfect for group review
These dictations took me a long time to record, organize, and especially transcribe. I think you’ll find them worth your time. There is a limited audience for these cards, and I suspect that some students may end up sharing the files with their colleagues.
Hopefully, enough of you guys will purchase the files to defray some of the costs for this otherwise “amazingly free” website! Also, I update and add questions from time to time … you’ll need to buy if you want the most up-to-date collection.
Thank you so much!
Tim Root