What's the deal with index cards?

Question

My turn to ask a question...

I have seen several people ask questions about what they should do with index cards. Why would you purchase index cards if you don't need them? And if you have purchased them and don't need them, why not just stick them in a drawer somewhere?

When I was in school, we only used index cards as flashcards or to make notes to organize for a research paper. I think I am missing something here.

What do students use index cards for nowadays?

Answer 1

I mainly use them for flashcards.

I also use them to make my duct tape wallets sturdier. Goes against my personal philosophy, but the ones with a stronger base will last longer and are therefore preferable for retail.

Answer 2

We use index cards for recipes, miniature board games, flaps on lapbooks, and for making art trading cards, but we're not the typical schoolie people. ;-)

Seriously, flash cards are helpful for those trying to memorize knowledge outside of context, so there's that. I imagine that that's just about it in school.

Answer 3

I think people have index cards left over from before their kids started getting homeschooled (since practically *every* teacher requires them). Of course, you very rarely use them. I had a number of teachers require us to make flash cards of our vocabulary words (something that *never* helped me learn them), some who wanted us to use them for notes so we could organize them (not good for me--I'd always lose a few cards so notebooks worked better for me) and a few cool teachers who allowed us to use one for notes (on equations and the like) to bring to tests.

By the end of school, I had piles and piles of unused notecards (I'd stick them in a drawer, forget about them, then get another teacher who required them). I gave them to my brother who finds them useful for note-taking...go figure.

Answer 4

I think the best two uses we have found for index cards while schooling has been flash cards (colors, numbers, letters, months, days, timelines, etc.) and also we use them to keep track of what our children have read.  

As homeschoolers we use the library A LOT so it is hard to keep track of what each child is reading.  When we come home from the library I have them write down the date it was checked out, the name of the book, author, and after it has been read then I let them put a small sticker on the card and write the finished date.  On the back I have them write a short paragraph about the book.  This is my record of what they read and they easily store in a recipe box labeled with the child's name.

Hope this helps!

Answer 5

I never used them till I started college.  But in college I just don't have the time I used too!  Two jobs, school full time, I am always on the run!  I use them for flashcards.  I like the fact that I can stick them in my purse and take them everywhere!  You never know when you might have an extra minute to study!  

My sister is homeschooling and she uses them to write out spelling words and definitions.

Answer 6

We used them for public speaking !

Answer 7

They probably reproduce in homes...especially when people like me go nuts at the "back to school" sales.  :-)  When will I ever learn that just because glue sticks are 10 cents each, we don't need 50 of them a year?  They always end up drying out anyway.!  :-)

We use index cards for "spelling box" words.  Our curriculum also used them in phonics.

I really like the ones that are spiral bound, and the ones that can be used in a printer.  I seriously need to copy over all my recipes.  I use the AllRecipes.com site nearly every day, and you can print recipes out in index card size.

But yeah, I'm with you...why the need to ask about them?

Answer 8

Same here... my son just uses index cards as flashcards.  It makes a great study aid but that has been it.

Oh yeah, and the occasional paper airplane!  :-)

***UPDATE:

You can see how my son used index cards to make flashcards last year with this one example...

More than just a word / concept he would draw (what I unobjectively think) are fairly clever cartoons to help him better remember the concepts.

But... still... they are just 3X5 pieces of paper.