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 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 -
We are very excited to announce that through a collaboration with the Sydney based company Coviu, eLr subscribers will soon be able to deliver eLr based teletherapy to remote clients entirely through a shared browser or iPad screen. In addition to the usual "Skype type" audio-visual participation, a clinical session is able to include any of the more than 13,000 interactive eLr tasks. But this is not just screen sharing - every mouse action and screen response is synchronised, which means that you are able see and talk to each other while interacting with an eLr task as if you were using the same device.
Coviu have a particular interest in teletherapy in the healthcare environment, and we have been able to integrate eLr as an "Add-on" to Coviu's professional video consultation software. You can find more information about Coviu at www.coviu.com.
Whether your practice includes clients from remote Australian or global locations, or just in the next suburb separated from your clinic by traffic and scheduling hassles, we're sure you'll be interested to find out more about this new development. "eLr for Coviu" will be officially launched at the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference in Adelaide this May, but if you're interested in further information before then, please contact us.
We have added 60 new tasks to "Reading and Spelling" in the "Consonant Sounds" sub-section. This is a new sub-section which aims to provide materials to teach letter-sound relationships of the consonant sounds of English.
The new tasks are in the /k/ sound sub-section. The /k/ sound is a "short" consonant sound (ie it is produced as a little "explosion" after the breath has been completely stopped by the back of the tongue touching the soft palate); and it is a voiceless sound (ie no voice is used). In contrast the /ng/ and /g/ sounds (which are produced with the same tongue position as the /k/ sound) are long (in the case of /ng/) and voiced (for both /g/ and /ng/).
Within the /k/ sound sub-section, there are five further sub-sections which contain materials to teach each of the main spelling patterns for the /k/ sound:
- /k/ spelled with "c", which only occurs in the initial position of words (eg can, crash, coach)
- /k/ spelled with "k", which occurs in the initial position of some words (eg kid, key, king), and the final position of others (eg dark, creek, bank, brake)
- /k/ spelled with "ck", which only occurs at the ends of words with short vowels (eg pick, suck, click). (This sub-section previously existed in the now replaced "Consonant digraphs" section).
- /k/ spelled with "ch" (eg chord, school)
- /k/ spelled with "q" (eg queen, quick)
Within each of the sub-sections, a range of tasks are used: WordSound Buttons (segmenting the word into sounds), WordSearch (decoding and reading practice), SmileyMan (recalling the spelling), MemoryWords and ConnectWords (to encourage formation of clear mental images of words to develop automatic recognition - sight words), and LookThenCover (to encourage the student to write the words and consolidate knowledge of spelling patterns). This range of activities provides the learner with repetition within a range of enjoyable activities.
As with all eLr tasks, the role of the instructor is to ensure that accurate decoding and reading has occurred, and to encourage the student to expand knowledge of word meanings (eg by talking about the meaning, and using the word in a range of sentences).
For additional information about the development of these tasks, please refer to the February 2018 edition of ELR-News: the rationale and evidence base for the speech-to-print approach to teaching early reading and spelling skills was discussed there.
All ongoing eLr subscribers for 2018, as well as new subscribers who have purchased it, should by now have received a USB key containing eLr-Offline for Windows. This key can be useful if you want to use or install the program on various computers. And, unlike the CD version it has replaced, it's possible to repeatedly update the USB key to the current version directly from our website. Please ask if you need more information about this process.
In spite of the potential usefulness of eLr-Offline on a USB key, modern internet connections and improved computer awareness amongst our subscribers have meant that most of you now seem comfortable to download the program from our website - and it's free that way as well! Again, the downloaded version can be directly updated from our website as we generate a new version each month.
If you hadn't realised these USB keys were updatable, or have misplaced your copy, please contact us if you'd like a replacement.
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.
- Speech Pathology Australia 2018 National Conference:
Sunday 27th - Wednesday 30th
We will have trade stand #49 at this conference. Contact us for further details
ELR Software offers regular, 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. 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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