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), Build-a-Sentence, Word Meanings, Rude Readers 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) as well as a "print-ready" PDF version of the current edition is available online at www.elr.com.au/news. An email version is also sent monthly to members of our mailing list (See Subscribing/Unsubscribing).
In this issue -
44 new tasks have been added to "Reading and Spelling" in "Diphthong Vowel Sounds - /oa/ sound" and "Long Vowel Sounds - /er/, /ee/ and /or/ sounds". Over the last couple of months we have been adding material to "Reading and Spelling" using the relatively new model, WordBreaker. This model provides material to teach segmentation of words into syllables and sounds, and to highlight more specific information about those two features, such as the stressed syllable in a multisyllabic word, and the vowel sound/s. It supports reading and spelling skills by reinforcing knowledge of how to break words into sounds, and providing visual support for the spelling patterns of each sound.
Within each sound there are activities focusing on the different spelling choices for that sound. For example, this month, the tasks within the "/oa/ sound" subsection cover the spelling patterns of "oa" as in foal, "oe" as in doe, "ow" as in blow, "o_e" as in nose, and "o" as in most. Once each of the spelling patterns has been mastered there's an "assorted spellings of this sound" subsection which provides material to teach discrimination of those words that sound the same but have different spelling patterns, eg "road/rode", "role/roll" etc.
In these tasks, as with most the eLr activities, the role of the clinician/helper is central in providing corrective feedback about accurate decoding and segmentation, which has been shown in research to play a central role in development of sight word knowledge. It is also useful to accompany these computer presented tasks with pen and paper activities, such as writing each word to consolidate knowledge of spelling patterns.
The Quick Loader in the iPad version of eLr-Offline has been revised to allow entry of up to 5 tasks (as is the case in other versions of eLr), although it still only allows loading of one task at a time due to constraints of the App architecture. The Quick Loader is a useful tool for preparation of tasks for a clinical session, and it also allows retrieval of the Directory classification for a task for which you only know the task number.
Please contact us for a short, free "over the web" tutorial on using the Quick Loader or any other eLr feature, if you'd find it helpful. You can download an updated version of eLr-Offline for iPad containing all the newest material every month from the Apple App store (search for "elr" in the store).
As an occasional feature of this Newsletter, we include simple, unpaid announcements of products developed by other small, independent developers, who, like ourselves, are practising clinicians who have put their ideas and experience into resource materials for general distribution. Links and brief information about these sites may be found at www.elr.com.au/links/developers.htm. To date we have listed -
If you would like your materials listed on this page (at no charge), please contact us.
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.
ELR Software is now able to offer eLr support and short tutorials over the web. We can provide this sort of support to individuals, or to groups who would like to have an overview of eLr. Please contact us for details.
You are receiving ELR-News because you are an eLr subscriber, or have expressed an interest in either eLr, Rude Readers, Word Meanings, Build-a-Sentence or EIA. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an e-mail with details to news@elr.com.au
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