Application Of Flashcards To Present Information

Flash cards are a set of compact cards; consist of any subject matter on one or both sides, which are presented before the audience in proper sequence to tell a complete story. If both sides of the flash cards are used, then the front side will consist of pictures, diagrams or drawings and back side of the card will consist of useful information of that particular topic. Flash cards are effective tools to aid the memorization and understanding of concepts. Flashcards can bear social issues, health issues, developing civic senses and even educational topic for children. Flash cards can be effectively used to teach the public about a particular topic which will help them to understand the cause and take actions in the future. The cards are organized in such a way that the presentation can be made in a step by step process.

Guideline for making a flashcard

Step 1. Define the objective: You should have a clear objective to tell your story. So questions like why, for whom, for what etc may arise in your mind. You must be able to provide answers to such questions before going to make a flash card. Flashcard must convey the objective in the form of a story about a particular topic. It should never get complicated.

Step 2. Know the audience: Knowing the audience is very important which includes age group, gender, occupation or the needs of the audience. This will definitely help you to convey the objective effectively to the audience which will help them to meet their goals.

Step 3. To get the right size: The ideal size of the flash card for a group of 30-50 people is considered to be 20 to 25 inches approximately. It is best to limit the flash card to10 or 12 numbers for one talk.

Step 4. Give visual effect: Visuals must be made eye-catching so that audience can give attention to them. The visual effects can be in the form of drawings, cartoons, large photographs or large illustrations cut from magazines or newspaper. The cards sequence with scenes can be cut short and the flow of stories can be checked if desired. Draw diagrams if needed, include additional information on the back of the flash cards so that it can help in the learning process. Visual effects on flash cards make a tremendous impact on the learners.

Step 5. Highlight the point or idea: Highlighting the point or content can seek the attention of the public quickly. Avoid crowding of words as it can make the audience get confused. Make your points simple, attractive and understandable. Don’t use small fonts for your flash card because it may cause difficulty in reading. It must be noted to provide the information in short sentences in a simple way. Make sure your points are highlighted, clear and well spaced.

Step 6: Choose colours wisely: It is necessary to make the characters of the flash card colorful. The emphasis of the characters can be provided by keeping the background light and characters bright.

Step 7. Prepare yourself before the final presentation: It is necessary to prepare well before the final presentation is made. It will definitely help you to make your presentation a great success.

Advantages

1. Helps to give emphasis a point
2. Make teaching and learning interesting and dynamic.
3. Easy to carry from one place to another.
4. Easy to use and can explain effectively
5. Draws the attention of the public very quickly.
6. Messages can be understood by the illiterate or semi-literate public.
7. Not much expensive
8. No electricity is required for Flashcard presentation.

Disadvantages

1. Requires a lot of time, energy for the planning and preparation.
2. Cannot be used to a large number of audiences.
3. Too many flashcards can lead to confusions.
4. Corrections are difficult to make on prepared flash cards.

Conclusion

This chapter addresses a detailed study of some of the most commonly used visual aids by the extension agents to the rural population or farmers. The module is presented in such a way that that the readers will definitely get an idea of making and using different kinds of visual aids effectively to the audience.