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 -
Twenty eight new tasks have been added to the recently developed subsection called "Syllabic Consonants" which is found in "Reading and Spelling - Early Skills" / "Other useful groupings". In the last edition, we covered the syllabic /l/ spelled with "le". The new activities in this edition target the syllabic /l/ spelled with "el" and "al" (eg camel and mammal) and also the syllabic /n/ (eg button and hidden), thus completing this section. The July edition provides a more detailed discussion of syllabic consonants.
The materials in this section may be useful for students who have mastered the basic alphabetic code (ie letter-sound knowledge for single consonant, consonant digraphs, short vowels, and the most frequent spelling patterns for the range of vowel sounds), but need support to learn the spelling conventions of English and multi-syllabic words.
A range of models (activities) have been used to provide practice at decoding as well as reinforcing spelling. The WordSoundButtons shows how to break these words into syllables; WordBreaker provides more detailed information about the structure of the word (syllables, sounds, vowel sounds, and stress pattern); WordSearch encourages the student to sound out and blend the sounds to read each word; LookThenCover and SmileyMan support the student's ability to recall spelling patterns; and MemoryWords and ConnectWords provide fun activities to consolidate automatic recognition of previously decoded words (sight words).
We welcome your feedback about these tasks and any aspect of eLr, as well as your suggestions about additions and modifications to eLr.
The eLr-Pro Offline and eLr-Guest Offline "Universal Apps" are now the only versions of eLr-Offline that we update and support. If you or your clients are still trying to use the previous iPad version from the Apple store, please follow these instructions to move to the new mode of delivery.
To get the App in the first place you can install the "Pro" version from www.elr.com.au/elrpro.htm, or "Guest" version from www.elr.com.au/elrguest.htm. The "Pro" version is included in subscriptions for registered users, and enables selection and delivery of all eLr activities in the 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.
These Apps will run on all modern iPad and Android tablets, and MS Surface and Chromebook notepad devices, as well as conventional Windows and Mac computers. They will also automatically update themselves any time they are open while you have an internet connection available. These are the steps they take:
Please contact us if you need support in installing or updating eLr Offline on your device, and if you aren't currently a subscriber, please contact us for a free trial.
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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