ELR-News

ELR Software produces a range of computer programs designed by speech pathologists for speech, language & literacy intervention. Our programs may be used interactively within therapy sessions, to increase efficiency in service delivery, and to improve access to the Internet for people with special needs. We are also available as consultants to clinicians and research projects in the fields of literacy and accessibility issues associated with the Internet.

The aim of this newsletter is to inform you of developments and changes to our major products eLr (Extra Language Resources), Rude Readers, Word Meanings and EIA (Enhancing Internet Access). We welcome the opportunity for feedback and questions, and will be pleased to consider including reader contributions and announcements.

This Newsletter (and previous editions) is available online at www.elr.com.au/news and an email version is sent monthly to members of our mailing list (See Subscribing/Unsubscribing).

Season's Greetings, and we wish you all a safe and happy new year. And special thanks to all to have provided us feedback - always helpful!

In this issue -

1. Looking Back on 2004
2. New! eLr Affiliate Subscriptions
3. New and Changed eLr Materials
4. Feather Weather - Featured Rude Reader
5. Free Downloads
6. ELR 2005 Calendar

1. Looking Back on 2004

   Every year seems busy, and this year was no different. Our small team at ELR Software has been involved in a range of activities, including software design for research projects, provision of clinical services, working on new speech pathology computer programs, and adding new materials to eLr.

   eLr remains our main focus. Since the launch in 2000, with about 1,600 tasks, we've added new materials each month, and revised several sections. There are now 6,667 tasks covering more than 680 different speech, language and literacy targets. In 2004 we added 772 tasks. Some of the areas we worked on include:

   1. Sentence Processing - added picture based tasks, activities which focus on passive sentences, and materials to increase flexibility of sentence production in the "Using Phrases" subsection.
   2. Phonology Early Skills and Sounds - added a section for discrimination of vowel sounds
   3. Reading and Spelling - added tasks involving the "200 Most Frequent Words"
   4. Phonemic Awareness - revised some of the sections, and added materials to strengthen the client's knowledge of the relationship between sounds and letters.
   5. Using Language - this is a new section. It has included "Sequences", and will expand this coming year to include materials which target "What's Different", "What's Missing" and "What's Wrong".
   6. Clinicians Toolbox - this area contains materials which enable clinicians to "make your own" tasks. We added a tool which allows you to make Word Searches containing your own target words. Other useful materials in this section include board games, scenes which can be used for barrier games, sticker boards, glue and paste activities, or stimulus pictures.

   Our continuing aim for eLr is to provide a resource which contains a comprehensive range of useful materials which may be used as part of speech pathology sessions. The activities are designed to allow modification for individual needs, and to encourage active participation by the client.

   We appreciate the feedback we receive from subscribers. This has included suggestions for new materials, letting us know of any errors that have slipped through our quality check, and lots of positive comments about the usefulness of eLr as a clinical tool. Comments have highlighted how eLr has decreased preparation time, streamlines provision of home and school practice, and provides motivating activities for clients.

   Thank you very much for your support, and we wish you all the best for 2005.

2. New! eLr Affiliate Subscriptions

   Have you ever wanted a CD version of eLr that you clients can use on their computers, without the need to use an internet connection? In response to a number of requests like this over the last couple of years, we've developed an "Affiliate" form of eLr subscription. This provides CD only access to a standard eLr-Offline CD, and is available only to Professional Subscribers for distribution to their clients (individuals, families or schools). More information about the licence entitlements for Affiliate subscriptions, and the comparisons with existing eLr licences may be found at www.elr.com.au/support/elr_matrix.htm.

   Next month we'll cover in more detail the mechanism, pricing, bulk discounts etc for this new product. In the meantime, if you have any comments or questions about your needs to provide additional eLr access to your clients, while staying within the licence agreements, please contact us.

3. New and Changed eLr Materials

   The focus for this month has been Phonemic Awareness - Initial Consonants. We have revised 10 tasks and added 31 new tasks in a new subsection called "Sound Letter Matching". These additions and changes are similar to those we completed for Final Consonants a couple of months ago.

   The "Initial Consonants" and the "Final Consonants" sections in Phonemic Awareness provide material to strengthen the client's ability to process initial and final sounds in words, ie to name the sound, to detect which words start or end with the same sound, to identify which word starts or ends with a different sound ("Odd-One-Out"), and to generate a list of words that start or end with the same sound.

   These new tasks use a model (PicTextMatch), which strengthens the client's knowledge of the relationship between sound and letter. The client names the picture, identifies the initial or final sound, and then selects the letter/s which represent the sounds. The tasks are graded in difficulty in the following ways:

   1. The subsection is divided into low level or easier tasks, and higher level or more difficult tasks. The low level tasks contain sounds which have a high contrast and are therefore easier to discriminate. For example, /m/ and /s/ are distinctly different: The /m/ sound uses the lips and is a nasal sound, and the /s/ sound uses the teeth and is sibilant. The higher level tasks contain sounds which have a low contrast. For example, the /s/ sound and the /sh/ sound are more similar in their production, and are therefore more difficult to discriminate.
   2. The tasks require the client to identify long or short sounds, or a combination of long and short sounds. The tasks with long sounds are generally easier because long sounds are more readily identified.
   3. The choice of letter/s (graphemes) varies in difficulty. The easier tasks require the client to choose between two letters which are visually very different. Tasks become more difficult with an increasing number of choices, ie 2, 3 or 4, and in the most difficult tasks the letters may be visually similar (eg "m, n", or "p, b").

   This month, the tasks with long sounds have been completed. Next month tasks with short sounds will be added to this section.

4. Feather Weather - Featured Rude Reader

   Feather Weather (Volume 4) practises /th/ sounds in a six-line rhyme with a regular beat in the connected utterance. It has seven verses of rhymes about how to use a feather to cope with different weather - boiling, chilly, foggy, rainy, windy and thundery. The silly advice is given in two sentences which keep the same syntactic structure "In boiling weather/Hold a feather/Just between your toes/Then wave it back and forth/And send a cool breeze/Up your nose." Syntax is up to LARSP Stage V with connectivity structures (and, but, or else, then), and complex sentences. There are 18 /th/ sounds carried by nouns, verbs and prepositions. Where possible an /f/ sound is slipped into the text or into a word - feather, froth, flutter, freezing, flap, fear - just to make things difficult. In the end the child gets to hug mum. There's nothing rude about this reader - it's just silly in a sensible way.

5. Free Downloads

   ELR has a number of free or evaluation files available for downloading directly from our website. Please see www.elr.com.au/downloads.htm for specific details. For other supporting materials and documents available for free download, please see www.elr.com.au/support.htm.

   • Products: The current ELR Software - Product Brochure, in PDF format.
   • eLr-Offline: Compiled, "mirror" version of the eLr (Extra Language Resources) website which you may download and run on your own PC. Allows access to the eLr Directory and all tasks from locations where regular access to the Internet is not possible.
   • Word Meanings: Volume One. Trialware, Interactive Language Program designed to build understanding and recall of words by strengthening semantic processing, based on the therapy manual Building Language: Word Meanings by Robyn Dower and Jan Mackey's, Helios Art and Book Co, 1996.
   • Rude Readers: Volumes One to Five. Trialware, eBook type programs each containing 5 "Readers" intended primarily for children with speech, language and reading disorders. They are intended to stimulate humour and provide material targeting a range of language goals.
   • Rude Readers Library: A single "Table of Contents" program for all published volumes of Rude Readers containing brief descriptions and the full, cross-referenced Speech Pathology Targets for each published Reader.
   • eLr  Directory (Summary): Summary of eLr Directory in print-ready PDF format. Contains all the classification information but no listing of actual tasks and task numbers. (The full version is available only to eLr subscribers.)
   • EIA  Browser: A specialised Browser for Internet training and access for people with disabilities and other special needs.
   • EIA  Demonstration: Demonstration of EIA Browser, AAP and Web Tutorial modules to let you see, or show others, how the EIA Browser and its Plugin modules (the AAP and the Web Tutorial) "look and feel".
   • EIA  Flyer: MS Publisher format flyer and some original graphics. Prepared for an EIA "See me - Feel me- Touch me" promotion. May be freely used/modified as required.
   • Black  Window: Enhance visibility and reduce distractibility of other programs. Fills the screen with a black background which remains underneath other programs. Mininmize or close the program to restore normal Windows appearance.
   • APAR-C: Allows delivery of the APAR (Assessment of Phonological Awareness and Reading) from a computer using either a scan-switch (such as the Discover Switch), or conventional mouse/keyboard, or touchscreen. Also contains all the score sheets and stimulus cards.
   • APAR/PDF (zipped): APAR (Assessment of Phonological Awareness and Reading) in print-ready PDF format (zipped). Contains all the score sheets and stimulus cards.
   • WordCue  Trainer: Installs WordCue and the WordCue Trainer on your computer. WordCue provides assistance in reading words, links and phrases on web pages. By selecting a word or phrase which is difficult to read, a range of cues are provided directly within the MS Internet Explorer Browser
   • Literacy  Online: Mirror of Literacy Online web site. This is the full (except for external links) set of files (.htm/.js/.css/.gif/.jpg) that constitute the Literacy Online web site.
   
    

6. ELR 2005 Calendar

   • March 2005
     • NSW - Albury, March 1st

       Workshop - details to be finalized

     • NSW - Sydney, March 2-5th (approx)

       Workshops - details to be finalized

   • April 2005
     • Qld - Townsville and Brisbane, April 4th - 8th, 2005

       Workshops - details to be finalized

   • May-June 2005
     • Canberra, May 29th - June 2nd, 2005

       Speech Pathology Australia National Conference, May 29th - June 2nd, Canberra. We will have a commercial stand during the conference with eLr, Rude Readers, Word Meanings and EIA on show.

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You are receiving ELR-News because you are an eLr subscriber, or have expressed an interest in either eLr, Rude Readers, Word Meanings or EIA. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an e-mail with details to news@elr.com.au