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 Ratings
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| Reviewed: |
Sep 02, 2009 by World Languages Editorial Board |
| Overview: |
Hiragana Flash Cards is a collection of flashcards developed by Jyunichi Kanbe in Hiragana, one of the three types of Japanese characters. This is one component of the author’s website : Kanabe’s home page (http://www.geocities.jp/kambejt/index.html) which features materials made for grade school students in Japan. Hiragana Flash cards provides 12 grouped cards created in a flash format with image and sound. Six groups are designed to assist in recognition of letters, such as letters in sequential order and letters in random order. The other 6 groups offer the words. Every group features 3 different usages for the cards: “One by one”, where a user can go from one card to another at their own speed; and “slow”, where a user will see a card turning over automatically in a slower speed; and “fast”, which uses a faster pace. Other types of Japanese characters, Katakana Flash cards is available at http://www.geocities.jp/kambejt/katakana.htm |
| Learning Goals: |
The learners will be able to memorize, recognize and read letters, their combinations and words. |
| Target Student Population: |
Beginning students who are just learning hiragana. |
| Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills: |
--Some level of Japanese is required to navigate through the site. All instructions/directions/links are in Japanese.
--Users will need to know hiragana already, or would benefit from an instructor's assistance, as no correct answers (readings of characters, or definitions of vocabulary words) are provided. |
| Type of Material: |
Drill & Practice |
| Recommended Uses: |
--The intended use of the material, as clearly indicated (in Japanese) on the module homepage, is for use by an instructor in a classroom setting. The flash cards generated by the module would be projected, and students would call out the readings for characters/words given, and the instructor would correct as necessary.
--This module could also be used by individuals with basic knowledge of hiragana |
| Technical Requirements: |
Flash player, no encoding needs for Japanese fonts.Flash required Module worked well in Firefox 3.0.13 |
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| Strengths: |
Hiragana Flash cards is well designed to help learners to memorize, recognize, and read the letters and their combinations, and words in a very effective manner. Each letter presented is clear and easy to read. The variety of words presented cover almost all the combinations of characters a learner needs to know.
The division of the hiragana characters into various types, beginning with no diacritical marks and proceeding on from that point, is very conducive to progressing through all the hiragana characters. Also, because there is no English on the page, users will need to jump in and be immersed in the language, just as they would if they were living in Japan. |
| Concerns: |
This site does not provide words using the combinations of “long vowels”.Further divisions of hiragana within those provided would be welcome. Often students are learning just a line or two of hiragana at a time, and it would be nice to be able to select just that particular line. The fact that no readings or definitions are given with the characters would make this a difficult module to use on one's own. |
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Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool |
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| Strengths: |
Hiragana Flash cards provides a more flexible option when compared to printed materials, as cards are available in random order so a user sees different sets of cards each time they practice. It also enhances learners’ understanding of Hiragana through gradual learning steps. For the “step by step” part, a learner can control the pace when going back and forward by clicking the button. “Slow” and “Fast” parts engage learners by simulating a game environment with speed, the sound of flipping cards, the ring of a bell and an image at the end of each drill. The letter sizes are set very large to make it possible to read in a classroom situation.
This module could be used very effectively in reviewing hiragana in class with students, or helping them prepare for an exam. |
| Concerns: |
Unless the students already had a background in hiragana, they would probably find this difficult to use. The speeds of “Slow” and “Fast” can both be too fast for students of Japanese. |
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Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty |
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| Strengths: |
This site is all in Japanese, but students are not going to get lost because everything is done from one screen. It is easy to navigate. The rollover and underline will let a user know where to click.The instructions for the module are clear and consistent. The hyperlinks within the module are functional. The overall design is of very high quality. If users read Japanese, then they can easily understand instructions for navigation within the site. |
| Concerns: |
Because the module is entirely in Japanese (including the instructions on how to use), it may be difficult for some to utilize. Because no correct answers are given, students will need an instructor or a helpful hiragana chart on hand to check their knowledge. |
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