Patent Application
20090248960
Flash cards are cards that have words, numbers or pictures printed on their surfaces. Flash cards can be “flashed” or briefly displayed as a part of classroom learning drills or as a part of self-directed learning drills. Flash cards can be useful as effective learning aids for many subjects and can be used to help students from preschool to college aged. Flash cards can generally be purchased at bookstores or where other types of educational materials are sold.
Some flash card creation services are available online. These services include online websites that allow users to create, share, study and print flash cards from their computer terminals, e.g., desktop or laptop computers. One such online service allows a user to view words that are selected from a dictionary on the user's computer terminal and to enter text, or select an answer from a list of several answer variants, in response to the displayed words. This online service can be useful to students and others who seek assistance with the memorization of terms and their definitions, and who are, for example, preparing for an examination.
Conventional flash card products have inherent shortcomings. Using conventional flash card products generally involves the physical handling of the flash cards. Moreover, the permanent storage of such cards, which in some cases can involve a substantial number, can be troublesome. Accordingly, using and maintaining conventional flash card products can be inconvenient.
Conventional online or other computer based flash card creation systems are limited in that they result in the creation (print out) of paper based flash cards that have essentially the same drawbacks as commercially available flash cards discussed above. Moreover, online flash card quizzing services tie the service user to the computer system that is used to access the online service. These conventional services can prove unsatisfactory for many consumers who desire more convenient and user friendly products.
A system that enables the creation and use of virtual flash cards using non-conventional methods would be advantageous. Embodiments of the present invention provide such a system, as well as methods and applications that can be implemented using such a system.
In one embodiment, virtual flash cards can be created and used with portable computer platforms. In one embodiment, after relationships between content (flash data) on respective “sides” of a virtual flash card are established (e.g., for a category “name state capitals” the state name on one “side” of the virtual flash card and the state capital name on the other “side”), the virtual flash cards can be used to quiz users regarding flash data associations. In one embodiment, an optical pen based computer system can be used to “read out,” in the form of an audio recitation, the flash data (e.g., “California”) from one “side” of a virtual flash card and to cue a user to write down or scan the correct associated flash data (e.g., “Sacramento”) from the other “side” of the virtual flash card as an answer. The flash data that is read out by the pen computer may be located on encoded media.
In one embodiment, the pen computer can provide audio feedback that communicates whether or not an answer that is provided by a user is correct. Additionally, the pen computer can track the percentage of correct answers provided by a user and can automatically determine with which topics a user is having trouble. The system can responsively increase the frequency at which flash cards related to problematic topics are presented or “read out.”
In another embodiment, a portable flash card module that may include an audio player capability can be employed in the creation and use of virtual flash cards. In one embodiment, the portable flash card module has sufficient memory for hundreds of songs or more, and thousands of flash cards.
In one embodiment, a user can navigate between the aforementioned audio player, e.g., mp3, modality and a flashcard modality by utilizing a menu that can be accessed through the use of buttons, such as an “enter” button located on the handheld module and a display screen (with screen rocker). When the flash card modality is entered into, music can continue to be played back or can be caused to be terminated. In one embodiment, once the flash card modality is entered into, deflecting the display screen can control flash card functionality that includes but is not limited to the presenting of a next card or a previous card and the flagging of a particular card.
In one embodiment, relationships between flash data associated with virtual flash cards that are created by a user at online sources can be transferred from online sources to the portable flash card module where the virtual flash cards can be displayed on the display screen. Moreover, instead of, or in addition to being created online, the virtual flash cards can be provided by a vendor. In one embodiment, the system can be customized as flash cards that relate to non-conventional topics that are of interest to a user can be created (e.g., flash cards that help user to learn names of one's family members).
In one embodiment, after relationships between flash data have been established and transferred to the portable flash card module, the resultant virtual flash cards can be used to quiz users. In one embodiment, the portable flash card module can be used to present flash data (flash card content) to a user and to cue (using either visual or audio prompts) a user to identify the flash data (flash card content) that is associated with the flash data that has been presented.
In one embodiment, the flashcards can be sorted according to topic area such as history, geography, mathematics, vocabulary, etc. Moreover, a user can customize interaction with the system by adding sub-categories to a topic area that is already categorized according to the user's wishes. In one embodiment, the flash cards that are presented can be two sided and can be flagged such as by using “bent ear corner” graphics. In addition, flash cards can have images or sound associated with them (such as an image of a dog on one side of a virtual flash card and the Spanish language term for “dog” on the other side of the virtual flash card).
In one embodiment, methods and systems for creating and using virtual flash cards are disclosed. A disclosed method includes receiving an input of sets of flash data into a portable handheld device, associating related sets of the flash data based on manual inputs that define the relationship between the related sets of flash data and presenting one of the related sets of flash data via the handheld device. Thereafter, a selection of a set of flash data that is associated with the presented set of flash data is prompted. Moreover, feedback is provided that indicates whether or not a selected set of flash data is correct.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention:
In the following detailed description of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be recognized by one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details or with equivalents thereof. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present invention.
Some portions of the detailed descriptions, which follow, are presented in terms of procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, and other symbolic representations of operations on data bits that can be performed on computer memory. These descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. A procedure, computer executed step, logic block, process, etc., is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps or instructions leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated in a computer system. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.
It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the present invention, discussions utilizing terms such as “sensing” or “scanning” or “storing” or “defining” or “associating” or “receiving” or “selecting” or “generating” or “creating” or “decoding” or “invoking” or “accessing” or “retrieving” or “identifying” or “prompting” or the like, refer to the actions and processes of a computer system (e.g., flowchart 700 of
Devices such as optical readers or optical pens emit light that can be reflected off of a surface for receipt by a detector or imager. As the device is moved relative to the surface, successive images can be rapidly captured. By analyzing the images, the movement of the optical device relative to the surface can be tracked.
According to embodiments of the present invention, device 100 can be used with a sheet of “digital paper” on which a coded pattern of markings—specifically, very small dots—are printed. Digital paper may also be referred to herein as encoded media or encoded paper. In one embodiment, the dots can be printed on paper in a proprietary pattern with a nominal spacing of about 0.3 millimeters (0.01 inches). In one such embodiment, the pattern consists of 669,845,157,115,773,458,169 dots, and can encompass an area exceeding 4.6 million square kilometers, corresponding to about 73 trillion letter-size pages. This “pattern space” is subdivided into regions that are licensed to vendors (service providers)—where each region is unique from other regions. In this manner, service providers are licensed pages of the pattern that are exclusively for their use. Different parts of the pattern can be assigned different functions.
In one embodiment, in operation, an optical pen such as device 100 can take snapshots of the surface of the aforementioned digital paper. By interpreting the positions of the dots captured in each snapshot, device 100 can precisely determine its position on a page of the digital paper in two dimensions. That is, device 100 can determine an x-coordinate and a y-coordinate position of the device relative to the page (based on a Cartesian coordinate system). The pattern of dots allows the dynamic position information coming from the optical sensor/detector in device 100 to be translated into signals that are indexed to instructions or commands that can be executed by a processor in the device.
In the
Memory 105 can include one or more types of computer-readable media, such as static or dynamic read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, magnetic disk, optical disk and/or the like. Memory 105 can be used to store one or more sets of instructions and data that, when executed by the processor 110, cause the device 100 to perform the functions described herein. In one embodiment, one such set of instructions can include a system for creating and using virtual flash cards 105N.
Device 100 can further include an external memory controller 135 for removably coupling an external memory 140 to the one or more buses 125. Device 100 can also optionally include one or more communication ports 145 communicatively coupled to the one or more buses 125. The one or more communication ports can be used to communicatively couple device 100 to one or more other devices 150. Device 110 may be communicatively coupled to other devices 150 by either wired and/or a wireless communication link 155. Furthermore, the communication link may be a point-to-point connection and/or a network connection.
Input/output interface 115 can include one or more electro-mechanical switches operable to receive commands and/or data from a user. Input/output interface 115 can also include one or more audio devices, such as a speaker, a microphone, and/or one or more audio jacks for removably coupling an earphone, headphone, external speaker and/or external microphone. The audio device is operable to output audio content and information and/or receiving audio content, information and/or instructions from a user. Input/output interface 115 can include video devices, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) for displaying alphanumeric and/or graphical information and/or a touch screen display for displaying and/or receiving alphanumeric and/or graphical information.
Optical tracking interface 120 includes a light source or optical emitter and a light sensor or optical detector. The optical emitter can be a light emitting diode (LED) and the optical detector can be a charge coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) imager array, for example. The optical emitter is used to illuminate a surface of a media or a portion thereof and light reflected from the surface is received at the optical detector.
The surface of the media can contain a pattern detectable by the optical tracking interface 120. Referring now to
Media 210 can be smaller or larger than a conventional (e.g., 8.5×11-inch) page of paper. In general, media 210 can be any type of surface upon which markings (e.g., letters, numbers, symbols, etc.) can be printed or otherwise deposited, or media 210 can be a type of surface wherein a characteristic of the surface changes in response to action on the surface by device 100.
In one implementation, the media 210 is provided with a coding pattern in the form of optically readable position code that consists of a pattern of dots. As the writing instrument 130 and the optical tracking interface 120 move together relative to the surface, successive images are captured. The optical tracking interface 120 (specifically, the optical detector) can take snapshots of the surface at a rate of 100 times or more per second. By analyzing the images, position on the surface and movement relative to the surface of the media can be tracked.
In one implementation, the optical detector fits the dots to a reference system in the form of a raster with raster lines 230 and 240 that intersect at raster points 250. Each of the dots 220 is associated with a raster point. For example, the dot 220 is associated with raster point 250. For the dots in an image, the displacement of a dot 220 from the raster point 250 associated with the dot 220 is determined. Using these displacements, the pattern in the image is compared to patterns in the reference system. Each pattern in the reference system is associated with a particular location on the surface. Thus, by matching the pattern in the image with a pattern in the reference system, the position of the device 100 (
With reference to
In addition, different parts of the pattern of markings can be assigned different functions, and software programs and applications may assign functionality to the various patterns of dots within a respective region. Furthermore, by placing the optical detector in a particular position on the surface and performing some type of actuating event, a specific instruction, command, data or the like associated with the position can be entered and/or executed. For example, the writing instrument 130 can be mechanically coupled to an electro-mechanical switch of the input/output interface 115. Therefore, in one embodiment, for example, double-tapping substantially the same position can cause a command assigned to the particular position to be executed.
The writing instrument 130 of
A user, in one embodiment, can use writing instrument 130 to create a character, for example, an “M” at a given position on the encoded media. In this embodiment, the user may or may not create the character in response to a prompt from computing device 100. In one embodiment, when the user creates the character, device 100 records the pattern of dots that are uniquely present at the position where the character is created. Moreover, computing device 100 associates the pattern of dots with the character just captured. When computing device 100 is subsequently positioned over the “M,” the computing device 100 recognizes the particular pattern of dots associated therewith and recognizes the position as being associated with “M.” Accordingly, computing device 100 actually recognizes the presence of the character using the pattern of markings at the position where the character is located, rather than by recognizing the character itself.
In another embodiment, strokes can instead be interpreted by device 100 using optical character recognition (OCR) techniques that recognize handwritten characters. In one such embodiment, computing device 100 analyzes the pattern of dots that are uniquely present at the position where the character is created (e.g., stroke data). That is, as each portion (stroke) of the character “M” is made, the pattern of dots traversed by the writing instrument 130 of device 100 are recorded and stored as stroke data. Using a character recognition application, the stroke data captured by analyzing the pattern of dots can be read and translated by device 100 into the character “M.” This capability can be useful for applications such as, but not limited to, text-to-speech and phoneme-to-speech synthesis.
In another embodiment, a character is associated with a particular command. For example, a user can write a character composed of a circled “M” that identifies a particular command, and can invoke that command repeatedly by simply positioning the optical detector over the written character. In other words, the user does not have to write the character for a command each time the command is to be invoked; instead, the user can write the character for a command one time and invoke the command repeatedly using the same written character.
In another embodiment, the encoded paper can be preprinted with one or more graphics at various locations in the pattern of dots. For example, the graphic can be a preprinted graphical representation of a button. The graphics lies over a pattern of dots that is unique to the position of the graphic. By placing the optical detector over the graphic, the pattern of dots underlying the graphics are read (e.g., scanned) and interpreted, and a command, instruction, function or the like associated with that pattern of dots is implemented by device 100. Furthermore, some sort of actuating movement may be performed using the device 100 in order to indicate that the user intends to invoke the command, instruction, function or the like associated with the graphic.
In yet another embodiment, a user can identify information by placing the optical detector of the device 100 over two or more locations. For example, the user can place the optical detector over a first location and then over a second location to specify a bounded region (e.g., a box having corners corresponding to the first and second locations). In this example, the first and second locations identify the information lying within the bounded region. In another example, the user may draw a box or other shape around the desired region to identify the information. The content within the region can be present before the region is selected, or the content can be added after the bounded region is specified.
Additional information is provided by the following patents and patent applications, herein incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes: U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,756; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/179,966 filed on Jun. 26, 2002; WO 01/95559; WO 01171473; WO 01/75723; WO 01/26032; WO 01/75780; WO 01/01670; WO 01/75773; WO 01/71475; WO 01/73983; and WO 01/16691. See also Patent Application No. 60/4561053 filed on Mar. 18, 2003, and patent application Ser. No. 10/803,803 filed on Mar. 17, 2004, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
Referring to
By placing the optical detector of device 100 (
In one embodiment, there can be multiple levels of functions, etc., associated with a single graphic element such as element 310. For example, element 310 can be associated with a list of functions, etc.—each time device 100 scans (e.g., taps) element 310, the name of a function, command, etc., in the list is presented to the user. In one embodiment, the names in the list can be vocalized or otherwise made audible to the user. To select a particular function, etc., from the list, an actuating movement of device 100 can be made. In one embodiment, the actuating movement includes tracing, tapping, or otherwise sensing the checkmark 315 in proximity to element 310.
In the
A region 350 can be defined on the surface of media 300 by using device 100 to draw the boundaries of the region. Alternatively, a rectilinear region 350 can be defined by touching device 100 to the points 330 and 332 (in which case, lines delineating the region 350 are not visible to the user).
In the example of
Importantly, the content of region 350 can be created either before or after region 350 is defined. That is, for example, a user can first write the word “Mars” on the surface of media 300 (using either device 100 of
Although content can be added, using either device 100 or another writing utensil, adding content using device 100 permits additional functionality. In one embodiment, as discussed above, stroke data can be captured by device 100 as the content is added. Device 100 can analyze the stroke data to in essence read the added content. Then, using text-to-speech synthesis (TTS) or phoneme-to-speech synthesis (PTS), the content can be subsequently verbalized.
For example, the word “Mars” can be written in region 350 using device 100. As the word is written, the stroke data is captured and analyzed, allowing device 100 to recognize the word as “Mars.”
In one embodiment, stored on device 100 is a library of words along with associated vocalizations of those words. If the word “Mars” is in the library, device 100 can associate the stored vocalization of “Mars” with region 350 using TTS. If the word “Mars” is not in the library, device 100 can produce a vocal rendition of the word using PTS and associate the rendition with region 350. In either case, device 100 can then render (make audible) the word “Mars” when any portion of region 350 is subsequently sensed by device 100.
In the discussions that follow, the term “virtual flash card” is intended to refer to a virtual card (presented as an vocal “card” that is output from a device or a visual card shown on a display) that correlates sets of related information such as “what is the capital of California” or “Sacramento.” In one embodiment, one set of related information such as “Sacramento” is presented to a system user and the user is prompted to attempt to provide the other set of related information (“what is the capital of California” or “California”). Moreover, the term “set of flash data” as used herein is intended to refer to one set of information that is part of a pair of related sets of information that is “presented” to or “flashed” to a user such as, in the above example, either “what is the capitol of California” or “Sacramento.” As used herein, with regard to optical pen embodiments, the term “presented” is intended to refer to the vocal recitation of flash data content that is “read out” or otherwise rendered via optical pen speakers.
In one embodiment, virtual flash cards can be created by placing onto encoded media 405 sets of flash data 401 that can be correlated into pairs that form opposite sides of virtual flash cards. In one embodiment, examples of the types of flash data 401 that can be correlated can include but are not limited to related data pairs such as state and state capital, word and definition, question and answer, etc. In one embodiment, sets of flash data 401 can be provided for correlation by writing the flash data (words, letters, numbers etc.) onto encoded media 405 using device 403 and simultaneously scanning the characters placed thereon with optical pen 403. In one embodiment, flash data 401 can be recognized either by a character recognition engine resident on optical pen 403 or by virtue of the location of the flash data 401 on encoded media 409 through processes described herein.
In one embodiment, flash data 401 pairs can be correlated based on their placement order onto encoded media 405 in a sequence of sets of flash data 401 placements that are made onto encoded media 405. In one embodiment, various types of placement order correlation schemes can be designated by a user (or another setting up a quiz or other type virtual flash card session) such as by making a selection using a component that is (button etc. on optical pen 403) appurtenant to optical pen 403.
For example, where flash data 401 includes a word or a phrase, a user can designate that a first word or phrase written onto encoded media 405 be associated with the next word or phrase that is written onto encoded media 405 to form opposite sides of a virtual flash card. Referring to
As shown in
In another embodiment, referring to
In another embodiment, based upon a correspondence of placement order in two sequences of N sets of flash data 401 placed onto encoded media 405, each set of flash data in a first sequence of N sets of flash data 401 placed onto encoded media 405 can be associated respectively with the next sequence of N sets of flash data 401 that are placed onto encoded media 405 to form opposite sides of N virtual flash cards.
For example,
In this manner, when a user is later prompted to identify a set of flash data 401 from, for example, the second column that corresponds to another set of flash data 401 that is located in the first column that has been presented to the user, the placement of the respective sets of flash data 401 in the first and second columns do not provide a clue as to the identity of the set of flash data 401 that corresponds to the set of flash data 401 that has been presented.
In another embodiment, a user can be initially prompted to draw a straight line down the middle of encoded media 405 by optical pen 403 (similar to the line in
In one embodiment, optical pen 403 can provide immediate feedback to a system user regarding correctness of an answer. Moreover, in one embodiment, system 105N can direct optical pen 403 to track the percentage of flash data correlations that a user answers correctly. In this manner, system 105N can automatically determine the associations that are problematic for a user and can increase the frequency with which these associations are examined.
In one embodiment, a set of flash data 401 can be traversed by optical pen 403 in order to identify (such as in response to a prompt or a cue from system 105N) the set of flash data 401 located on encoded media 405 that corresponds to a set of flash data 401 that has been presented. In one embodiment, snapshots of the surface of encoded media 405 that includes the identified set of flash data 401 can be taken by an optical tracking interface (e.g., 120 in
More specifically, in one embodiment, regions encompassed by sets of flash data on encoded media 405, correspond to particular locations on encoded media 405 that can be correlated to the sets of flash data 401. Encoded media 405 can be thereafter read using optical pen 403, to cause the identification of sets of flash data 401.
Optical pen 403 facilitates the identification of flash data as a response to prompts from system 105N to identify flash data that corresponds to flash data that is presented by system 105N. Moreover, optical pen can provide feedback (e.g., audio) from the system 105N related to the correctness of the response. In one embodiment, optical pen 403 can be held by a user in a manner similar to the manner in which ordinary writing pens are held. In one embodiment, optical pen 403 can include components similar to those included in device 100 described herein with reference to
System 105N accesses and correlates sets of flash data 401 and subsequently presents sets of flash data 401 to a user and prompts the user to identify the correlated sets of flash data 401. Moreover, system 105N determines whether a user identification of a set of flash data 401 is correct or not and provides feedback that indicates such (e.g., audio). The components of system 105N are described herein in detail with reference to
Referring to
At B, corresponding sets of flash data 401 are automatically correlated within memory of the computer pen 403. In one embodiment, sets of flash data 401 are correlated based on the sequence in which the sets of flash data 40 are written onto encoded media. In other embodiments, other manners of correlating sets of flash data 401, as are described herein with reference to
At C, a set of flash data 401 is rendered to the user by the computer pen 403. In one embodiment, the set flash data is presented by being read out through a speaker of pen computer 403.
At D, a user is prompted to identify a set of flash data 401 that corresponds to the set of flash data 401 that is rendered at C. The pen computer 403 provides this prompt. And, at E the user selects a set of flash data in an attempt to identify a set of flash data 401 that corresponds to the set of flash data 401 that is rendered at C. The identification may be through a user writing the answer on the encoded paper or selecting an existing writing on the encoded paper, e.g., tapping it.
At F, feedback is provided from the pen computer that communicates the correctness of a user response. In one embodiment, feedback can include an audio message output from the speaker of pen computer 403 that indicates whether or not the selection made at D is correct.
One embodiment of the present invention includes a pop-quiz feature. In this embodiment, after sets of flash data 401 have been placed onto encoded media 405 and correlated by system 105N, system 105N (via optical pen 403) can automatically create virtual flash cards for quizzing a user regarding data associations. For instance, system 105N (via optical pen 403) can read out one set of flash data 401 and can cue the user to write down the associated set of flash data 401 using pen computer 403. In one embodiment, system 105N (via speaker of optical pen 403) can provide instant feedback related to the correctness of an answer. In one embodiment, system 105N can track the percentage of the answers provided by a user that are correct and can automatically determine which associations are problematic for a user. In one embodiment, system 105N can then test these associations with more frequency and can report progress to the user.
In one embodiment, system 105N can encompass components that implement a process to provide more questions similar to the ones that a user does not answer satisfactorily. In one embodiment, a user can create their own quiz based on one or more quiz templates.
In one embodiment, handheld virtual flash card-module 430 can include, audio player, e.g., mp3, capability. In one embodiment, handheld virtual flash card module 430 has sufficient memory for hundreds of songs or more, and thousands of flash cards. In addition, handheld virtual flash card control module 430 can be equipped with a jack to accommodate ear plugs. In one embodiment, when the virtual flash card modality is enabled, music play back can be eliminated if desired.
In one embodiment, a user can navigate between the aforementioned, audio player modality and a flashcard modality by utilizing a menu that can be accessed through the use of UP, DOWN, LEFT and RIGHT buttons (for example d-pad not shown) to scroll through menu items (see 450 in
Referring again to
When flash cards 439 have been transferred to handheld virtual flashcard module 430 a user can be prompted (e.g., audio or video prompting) to identify the virtual flash card 439 that corresponds to the virtual flash card 439 that is automatically presented to the user on display screen 437. In one embodiment, correctly and/or incorrectly identified virtual flash cards can be marked (such as by dog ears) which allows correct and/or incorrect answers to be tracked and recorded in memory. In one embodiment, handheld virtual flashcard control module 430 can produce feedback (e.g., audio, video) that is based on the tracked correct and/or incorrect answers that communicates the flash data correspondences with which a user has difficulty and/or ease.
In one embodiment, system 105N (via module 430) can quiz users on the flash cards. In one embodiment, the order in which virtual flash cards are presented or “flashed” can be selected by a system user. In one embodiment, the order in which virtual flash cards 439 are flashed can be random. In one embodiment, virtual flash cards 439 can be “shuffled.”
In one embodiment, flashcards 439 can be sorted according to topic area such as history, geography, mathematics, vocabulary, etc. Moreover, a user can customize interaction with the system by adding sub-categories to a topic area that is already categorized according to the user's wishes. In one embodiment, the flash cards 439 that are presented can be two sided and can be flagged such as by using “bent ear corner” graphics. In addition, flash cards 439 can have images or sound associated with them (such as an image of a dog on one side of a virtual flash card and the Spanish language term for “dog” being read out in response to a selection of the other side of the virtual flash card).
Referring again to
In one embodiment, components of system 105N can be stored in memory 431 of handheld virtual flash card control module 430 and can be executed by resident processor 433. The components of system 105N are described herein in detail with reference to
It should be appreciated that aforementioned components of system 105N can be implemented in hardware or software or in a combination of both. In one embodiment, components and operations of system 105N can be encompassed by components and operations of one or more computer programs (e.g., 105A in
Flash data receiver 501 receives inputs of related sets of flash data (e.g., 401 in
Flash data set associator 503 associates in memory the related sets of flash data (e.g., 401 in
In still other embodiments, sets of flash data (e.g., 401 in
Flash data set presenter 505 presents flash data sets to a system user (student, quiz taker, etc). In one embodiment, the flash data sets can be presented as an audio recitation of the contents of a flash data set (e.g., the read out of words of flash data sets such as “California”, “Sacramento” etc.). In other embodiments, such as are described with reference to
Answer prompter 507 prompts the provision of an answer in response to the presentation of a set of flash data to a system user. In one embodiment, an audio prompt (a prerecorded sound or voice emanating from optical pen or a hand held module) can be provided. In another embodiment, a video prompt can be provided (e.g., blinking of LED on optical pen or handheld module or blinking graphics on display screen of handheld module). In one embodiment, an answer can be provided such as by contacting the appropriate location on encoded media (e.g., 405 in
Feedback provider 509 provides feedback that indicates whether or not an answer is correct. In one embodiment, feedback can be provided via speaker associated with an optical pen (e.g., 403 in
Referring to
At step 603, sets of flash data received in step 601 are associated. In one embodiment, a flash data set associator (e.g., 503 in
In other embodiments, such as the handheld embodiments described with reference to
At step 605 a flash data set is presented to a system user. In one embodiment, a flash data set presenter (e.g., 505 in
At step 607, the system prompts a system user to respond by answer to a presented virtual flash card or set of flash data. In one embodiment, an answer prompter (e.g., 507 in
At step 609, the system user is provided feedback that indicates whether or not an answer provided by the system user is correct. In one embodiment, a feedback provider (e.g., 509 in
In accordance with exemplary embodiments thereof, creating and using virtual flash cards is disclosed. A disclosed method includes receiving an input of sets of flash data into a portable handheld device, associating related sets of the flash data based on manual inputs that define the relationship between the related sets of flash data, presenting one of the related sets of flash data via the handheld device and prompting a selection of a set of flash data that is associated with the presented set of flash data. Feedback is provided that indicates whether or not a selected set of flash data is correct.
Embodiments of the present invention are thus described. While the present invention has been described in particular embodiments, it should be appreciated that the present invention should not be construed as limited by such embodiments, but rather construed according to the claims listed below.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61039341 | Mar 2008 | US |
