Create smart playlists in iTunes for audio flashcards

Jul 30, '08 07:30:04AM

Contributed by: aristide

In my iTunes library, I have a lot of oral exercises obeying the following scheme: question, pause, answer. I can now train on these exercises, and track my progress on my iPod, without a dedicated flashcard program simply by creating some iTunes smart playlists. My algorithm can't compare to Leitner's or SuperMemo, but it's really better than nothing!

Here's how I did it:

  1. Place the desired exercises in an album named Flashcards.
  2. Create six smart playlists:
    1. 0 stars:
      • Match all of the following rules
      • Album is "Flashcards"
      • Rating is .....
      • Limit to 50 items selected by most recently played
    2. 1 star:
      • Match all of the following rules
      • Album is "Flashcards"
      • Rating is *....
      • Last Played is not in the last 0 days
    3. 2 stars:
      • Match all of the following rules
      • Album is "Flashcards"
      • Rating is **...
      • Last Played is not in the last 1 days
    4. 3 stars:
      • Match all of the following rules
      • Album is "Flashcards"
      • Rating is ***..
      • Last Played is not in the last 7 days
    5. 4 stars:
      • Match all of the following rules
      • Album is "Flashcards"
      • Rating is ****.
      • Last Played is not in the last 14 days
    6. 5 stars:
      • Match all of the following rules
      • Album is "Flashcards"
      • Rating is *****
      • Last Played is not in the last 31 days
  3. Create one more smart playlist named Training:
You might, of course, change the number of items and number of days to match your own needs.

To exercise your flashcards, just play the Training list in random order. After hearing the question part of the current exercise, press the Play/Pause button on your iPod, answer for yourself, then listen to the official answer by pressing Play/Pause again. Then, rate the song according to the following rules: The next time you synchronize your iPod, the Training list will automatically repopulate with the exercices you need for that day! This hint has been devised for the iPhone or any iPod which permits to change a song rating -- but of course, you can practice it on your computer, too.

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