I have recently discovered Flippity.net, a Google Spreadsheet conversion tool that creates online flashcards in an instant. This is NOT an iPad app, but rather a web tool that can be accessed on PC or mobile device. Making the flashcards is quick and easy, but will require a computer.

How to create Flippity Online flashcards:

1. On your computer (not iPad), head over to http://www.flippity.net
2. You will need a gmail account and Google docs to be set up.
3. Keep this as a tab open in your browser so you can refer back to it. You will need to go back to insert the published data link each time. This page also has the complete instructions on how to publish and create the flashcards
4. Always open the template for each new set of flashcards. Click “YES, make a copy”
5. Delete the template info (keep Side 1 and Side 2 on top)
6. Type or copy in your columns
7. Once complete, copy the link back in the flippity.net page to create the flashcards. (If you don’t do this step, you will just have a nice google document with two columns!)
8. Remember to rename each set, both at the top and bottom of the document

If you have more time on your hands, you can search for internet images (you will need a URL address for each photo, as opposed to saving the photos on your computer). Once you have the URLs, copy them into the appropriate column.

On the iPad, projected or not, you can more or less remove the ads by enlarging the screen to completely fit just the flashcard and the buttons:

I tried to create flash cards using the iPad, but was unsuccessful, since google docs will lose some features on Safari. The “publish online” option did not appear. Looks like you will need a computer to create them:

By pressing the printer icon on the main screen, everyone can get access to the columns view. Here students can quickly reference all the words at once:

My grade fives recently had a quiz on the French body parts. I showed them in class how to use Flippity and sent them the link. Surprisingly, all three classes averaged above 90%. I was impressed, and Flippity flashcards undoubtedly had a part in that.

There is a very helpful FAQ section that will answer your questions.

Caveat:

Unfortunately, since deciding to do a post on Flippity, I have experienced some minor issues with it. Sometimes the links work on certain browsers, and sometimes they don’t. It seemed bizarre, but Safari seems to always work, but when you try it on Google Chrome, the flashcards won’t open. Also, I found that when I added to a list and republished, the old links didn’t work. I contacted Steve Fortna (creator: @stevefortna) and he said it was an issue on Google’s end. Hopefully these issues can be resolved in the near future.

Conclusion:

Flippity can be a great learning tool for students. Although speaking English is not allowed in my French classes, I think that this was a great way for the students to review the meanings of the words at home. In class, I projected the English words, while they shouted the French equivalents. The fact that you can review on iPhone and iPad makes Flippity appealing to students. Do make sure you give it a try!