ELR Software produces 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) and Word Meanings. 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 -
This month we have added a third and final "Placement test" in the subsection called "SSP nonword assessments" in the "Systematic synthetic phonics" section of "Reading & Spelling - Early Skills". Each placement test is comprised of 36 unique, legal nonwords sampling decoding skill across all the levels available in the "Progress monitoring" assessments also in this subsection. The following 10 groupings of 48 monitoring assessments are available:
The placement tests may be used prior to commencement of intervention to establish the level of grapheme-phoneme knowledge; thus identifying the starting point for intervention. Subsequent use of a progress monitoring assessment will provide a more detailed baseline at that level. For example, if the results of the placement test suggest that the student has mastered the first three levels but struggles at level 4, administration of set 1 of the level 4 progress monitoring assessments will provide more precise information of grapheme-phoneme knowledge at level 4. After a couple of weeks of intervention, administration of Level 4 set 2 nonword assessment can provide feedback about response to intervention.
All these tasks use the model SingleWord Slideshow which is a simple activity for displaying/reading a single word at a time. Each item (nonword in these tasks) appears on the screen and the client attempts to decode and read it. To move between items, click the [Forward] or [Back] buttons. The clinician/helper provides appropriate verbal response and records results as necessary. We have placed response forms, and printable sets of the stimulus items, to facilitate delivery of these assessments at www.elr.com.au/links/NLBHY
The items selected for these assessment tasks are drawn from the ARC Nonword Database www.elr.com.au/links/CVFJB, and are single-syllable, "legal" nonwords; that is, the spelling patterns are consistent with the English orthography (for example, "ck" never appears at the start of a word). We welcome your feedback about these tasks as well as your suggestions about additions and modifications to eLr.
We welcome your feedback about these tasks and any aspect of eLr, as well as your suggestions about additions and modifications to eLr.
eLr-Offline allows access to all eLr content where access to the Internet is not possible or desirable. Since the start of 2021 the Apple Store version is no longer being updated as we've completely replaced the previous iPad and Windows eLr-Offline Apps with our new "universal" version. These new "eLr-Pro Offline" and "eLr-Guest Offline" Apps will work on all modern computers and tablets such as Windows, MacOS, iPad, Android tablets, and Chromebook. The content on all platforms is absolutely identical, and is integrated and updated with the rest of the eLr website. The "Pro" version is free for registered subscribers and enables selection and delivery of all eLr activities in familiar ways. The "Guest" version is also free and is for clients of registered users who have been provided a specific set of activities for home or school practice.
We encourage you to install the "Pro" version directly from www.elr.com.au/elrpro.htm, or "Guest" version from www.elr.com.au/elrguest.htm. Please be aware - this installation process uses recent browser technologies and may be unfamiliar to some people - it is all done from within your browser in a process that can generally be described as "Saving to your homescreen". The steps vary slightly according to the device/browser you are using. The "Install" button in each App offers guidance, and we are very happy to be contacted for advice. Once you have an App installed, you'll need to "register" if for ongoing use with the same "Appkeys" we've previously supplied for the Apple store eLr-Offline App. If you're not currently a subscriber, please contact us for a free trial.
You'll probably also find that the web sites indicated above don't load quite as fast as standard eLr web pages. For each App your browser first assembles the entire set of eLr activities, then presents the package for installation. The total size of each App (under 50 MB) is similar to our previous Windows and iPad Apps, and for comparison, each entire App, containing more than 15,000 activities, is equivalent to approximately 20-25 modern digital photos, so the initial installation does take a few moments. Once installed your App will automatically update whenever we change or update the content. If you need assistance to transition to the new Apps, please contact us for more specific details or Zoom support.
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 offers free eLr 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. We are also offering free Coviu sessions to allow clinicians to get a feel for teletherapy, and in particular the advantages of using eLr for Coviu. Please contact us for details.
You are receiving ELR-News because you are an eLr subscriber, or have expressed an interest in either eLr, Build-a-Sentence or Word Meanings. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an e-mail with details to news@elr.com.au
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