Language Learning Resources: Flashsticks App and Flashsticks Post-Its

My first encounter with Flashsticks came as a result of my own ingenuity, or from an idea that I thought was ingenuous at the time. I was curious whether anyone had developed pre-made stickers to attach to objects and surfaces for language learning. My mother has taken the same Italian course for beginners about three times now and the textbook used in her class came with a page of such labels. You could stick “tavolo” to your dining room table and essentially learn vocabulary by daily visual exposure to the words. If you go into my parents’ house to this day, you’ll see little stickers stuck on everything from the telephone to the refrigerator. I can’t be sure if this is because my mother still hasn’t learned the word “telefono” in Italian, or if the stickers have been around so long that they can’t be peeled off. Turns out, my ingenuous idea was not so unique, or rather, it was too little, too late...

A quick Google search brought up Flashsticks Post-It Notes© that are exactly what I had imagined with the advantage being they are easily removable. So I'm officially blaming the mastermind behind Flashsticks, a fellow named Richard, as the reason why I'm not currently a billionaire. 

In short, they look like standard rectangular Post-Its with graphics, strategically color-coordinated (my English set are arranged as follows: pink = verbs, blue = adjectives, green = nouns, although I've read this may change depending on the language; gendered nouns in Italian for example, are indicated with blue and pink for masculine and feminine), and available in the following languages: 

​The people over at Flashsticks were kind enough to send some of the English packs, Beginner  and Intermediate, that I immediately stuck all over my office where I teach adults in a business setting. While they provide a laugh for the grown-ups,  I also believe they have helped immensely, it’s impossible NOT to have the words seared into your memory after day-in and day-out exposure . They would be even more utilizable in a home setting  because in an office, there are many words that can’t be applied which are objects of domestic daily living such as “groceries” and “car”. What's even more fantastic is that Flashsticks took this idea one step further, creating a corresponding app that literally bring the words to life right on your smartphone: 

​You can use the app to hear a native speaker pronounce the word you’re learning on your Post-It, but that’s not all. Like many standard language-learning apps, the Flashstick app offers a full course load for languages that  is organized by level and categories. It offers all the bells and whistles of similar language learning apps when it comes to keeping track of progress and courses completed, as well as learning streaks and XP (experience points), although I've never really paid much attention to the latter. I actually had to Google what XP stands for, since DuoLingo also uses. 

One aspect that I particularly appreciated from the perspective of an intermediate-advanced language learner is the ease in which you can choose a category to download and work on at any time if you have the Premium version (£3/month), independent of your “progress” through the course. This is a deterrent of DuoLingo which I haven’t used since I started studying Italian as I have absolutely no motivation to have to start back from the beginning if I haven’t used it in a long time, nor can I suggest it to any learners who are already at an intermediate level. Nobody wants to download a language app and have to suffer through the basics they already know in order to get to the appropriate level. Despite the DuoLingo’s placement test, many users have complained that it’s not very accurate at all and find they have to start from an inappropriate point in the course. For beginners, this is fine, we often need more structure and direction at the start of learning a language. However, I like the Flashstick app for the freedom to peruse and choose topics that interest me and this is likely its biggest selling point for intermediate level students, or even travellers who can tailor their learning in this way. 

The most interesting part of Flashsticks is actually not part of the course material, nor is it a game of any sort. It’s the innovative OBJECT TRANSLATOR (shown above). Let me tell you, I was like a little kid in a candy shop the moment I started tinkering around with this feature. Flashsticks has developed a realtime translator for the objects around you, it’s like something out of a sci-fi movie. You use your smartphone to “scan” an object, the process is just like taking a photo, and after a few seconds, you are provided with a jaw-dropping detailed description of it. It’s mind-blowing. It can even detect and report materials that objects are made out of, it won’t tell you “mug” but “CERAMIC mug”. If there are distinct colors, it might spit back “brown and white ceramic mug."

Summary: I highly recommend this app to everyone if for no other reason than to play with the Object Translator and blow your friends away during aperitivo hour! I imagine that this technology will only be improving with time, so I can't wait to see what's next for this company. 
 
Have you used Flashsticks Post-It Notes© or the app? Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below! 

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Language Burnout
The Gift of Language: Italian and Beyond
The Neverending Story of Learning Italian
Living in Italy, Speaking in English 
Parli Italiano? 
​How to Keep Learning Italian in Italy
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