A while back one of our users asked us for a mode to practice typing instead of writing. The idea would be to give everyone an option to select either writing or typing practice in your account preferences page and for those that opt in, the flash box would be replaced by a box where you type using a Chinese pinyin IME and the input would be graded when the user hits the return key or a button.

Would typing practice interest anyone?

Maybe this article supports writing practice over typing:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7912671.stm

Using an IME for typing would effectively mean you'd turn it into multiple choice, as you give pinyin and a definition already. So rather than using an IME you could just get people to pick out the character from a big list or grid.

I tend to get quite a lot of practice at typing when I'm using nciku and when I type something in Chinese in IM or email, so writing practice is much more important to me, as I don't practice that much.

Another possibility for this kind of multiple choice test would be disambiguating similar looking characters such as 列， 烈 and 例, or 测 and 侧: matching each with their respective meanings.

I ever talk about that with this "user" (he's one of my friend) and I'm quite dubitative about that.

Where is the point ? If you know how to write it, you know how to type it (the opposite is however not true, there is hundreds of words I can type but not write) I don't think we need a special option.

The interesting things would be way to learn how to use the different systems. We're here almost all PinYin user (PC or Mac, Trad or Simp) but there other methods that are (in my opinion) much more effective, but quite complicated (Canjie, Phonetic...etc)

The customer is always right. If enough customers ask for this, then you should meet their need.

Especially because you have already done 90% of the work. And with this option, you would not get complaints about skritter being slow...

Also, in real life, I think most of us type 10x as often as we write by hand.

I also think, any skritter typing learning, could be independent of which system the user uses to input.

Signed, "user"

And why assume it must be multiple choice? It can be "single word response". Show a word like "car", user must type the tzyh for che. And can do other direction too.

OK only count me as one vote, but I'm glad at least you asked. Of course it is your business decision. I am just pointing out that technically you are 90% done.

Also, does not have to use pinyin at all. I think 2 modes: you show an english word, they type the tzyh character in a text box and hit enter. They can use any of the 6 or more IME's they choose to, and skritter does not know or care. Well, maybe you can suggest advantages of each. I like bo po mo fo but maybe PRC doesn't really use this innovation from Taiwan. And the second mode, you show the character and they type the english meaning.

While I'm at it, I think it would be useful for your website to say the chinese word at some point during each quiz question, even at the end. Even if its just a computer voice. There must be some research that hearing stimulates memory. The larger point is that we rely on skritter to dig up and apply some academic learning research, make it automatically part of your learning tool. Surely the topic I raised and the topic ximeng raised already have whole shelves full of scientific studies on them already.

the typing aspect doesn't interest me that much. But I do have to say that it would all in all enable another direction of improving the language skills....why? because then there is a new directionality to the whole thing...instead of English+Pinyin-> Chinese character you then have English -> Pinyin/Pronounciation.....

and that is something that does interest me in the long run. I have now already had that I have seen a Chinese character on Chinese TV and I knew how to write it but I couldn't figure out anymore what it meant or how to pronounce it.
Of course this functionality is something you can easily have with flashcards and many websites and programs are probably offering just that, but I prefer using just the one system (Skritter).
Not that this is something really urgent in my opinion, but I do think it would offer a more complete learning approach in the long run.

David

David, pinyin and definition practice are coming soon. They will rock, yes.

Pinyin IME input would be less interesting than canjie, etc., where you type 字 by knowing how to write them rather than how to say them. But how many learners are using that rather than the pinyin IME? I'd be interested to know.

I do know that a lot of students don't care too much about writing, so then Skritter-depth knowledge of characters becomes overkill. We'll want to work on solutions to serve those students at some point. Flashcard-style or multiple choice is not the answer, though, because although it is reading, it's not active recall, so it's very easy to avoid learning anything.

With tone, pinyin, and definition practice, you'll be able to turn off writing practice if you so desire, which may be close to what you want, user (if you're typing with pinyin IME, anyway, which you may not be).

I would like to see GwoYuRoMaTzyh as an alternative form of inpput in addition to Pinyin. Ed

although i am recently considering learning wubi or some alternative form of input than pinyin to use my memory even more, i for one am not too interested in this option in skritter.

I am though in the reverse quiz, writing the pinyin and/or english of a shown character.

We'll see what we can do about Gwoyeu Romatzyh -- it shouldn't be too hard to implement, although isn't the highest of priorities. Is there interest in any other romanization schemes (besides bopomofo)?

For practicing the pinyin (which, I'm assuming refers to being shown a character, and typing the pinyin to prove you know how to pronounce it-- which, from what I've read elsewhere, is in the works), is it planned for the program to quiz the tone transformations when there is a word or a phrase? (example: showing the characters of pinyin bu4 shi4 together would make bu2 shi4 a correct answer, due to bu4 becoming second tone when followed by a fourth tone-- and which I'm sure will be more helpful for other irregulars)

Though that breaks the rules of pinyin transcription, I think it would aid in memorizing correct pronunciation. (or, if you want to keep pinyin transcription rules, maybe have a "phonetic mode" where you can type something the way it's actually pronounced? Half third tones and all?)

Yes? No? Eventually?

For 不 and 一 sandhi, we'll do it, but not for third tones. I think that would just confuse people as to whether the individual characters really are third or not.