ELR-News

August 2005

Newsletter of ELR Software Pty Ltd

ABN 67 090 738 702
http://www.elr.com.au
news@elr.com.au

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).

In this issue -

  1. New and Changed eLr Materials
  2. Downloading and Installing eLr-Offline
  3. Don't Hit Dad - Featured Rude Reader
  4. Free Downloads
  5. ELR 2005 Calendar

  1. New and Changed eLr Materials

    New categorization tasks

    Thirty-five new tasks have been added to the Semantics-Categories section. The existing tasks in the Categories required the client to identify which items belong in certain categories. The new tasks are in a new subsection, called "Word Generation" which provides activities where the client is required to generate words within categories, so it focus on expressive language skills.

    Within this new subsection there are three levels of difficulty - "common", "specific" and "higher level". The tasks in the "common" level focus on the main categories, eg foods, clothes etc. There are some game models for clients at a lower level, and also some models which are text based for clients at a higher level. "SpinPic" and "SpinWord" are games where the client clicks a spinner to get a number. They then click the "Chance" button which presents a picture or a text based prompt. After generating words within the given category they can move their marker around the game board. The "Fortune cookies" model is a text based task. Nine large buttons appear on the screen. When a button is clicked a prompt is revealed. The easier level tasks require the client to name items within broad and then more specific categories (eg "clothes", or "things that keep you warm"). The higher level tasks require the client to name items which can be described by two adjectives (eg "things that are shiny and hard").

    Changes and improvements to three models

    We have recently received several suggestions for improvements and modifications to some of the models. Here are some of the changes that have been made -

    Feel free to email us if you have comments about the changes, or about any other model / activity you feel could be improved.

  2. Downloading and Installing eLr-Offline

    eLr-Offline is the "compiled" version of eLr which may be run as a standalone program on a Windows style computer without requiring internet access. A new version is generated towards the end of each month as new materials are added to eLr, and subscribers are mailed the then current version on a CD every 6 months.

    An installation program containing the current version is also kept on our website and anyone can download and install this. If you are a current subscriber and have previously installed eLr-Offline from one of our CDs, then this download will update your installed program. If you are not a current subscriber, then the same download will install an "unregistered" version for your evaluation.

    If you'd like to try this, here is a few quick overview of the process. If you're not familiar with downloading and installing programs from the web it would probably help to have some experienced assistance the first time or two. The steps are -

    It's usually not necessary to uninstall each old version, but if you find that you are treated as an "Unregistered User" try an "uninstall" followed by a "re-install". If your need more information or help troubleshooting, please feel free to cantact us.

  3. Don't Hit Dad - Featured Rude Reader

    This is a social story about managing the urge to hit people or animals. The vocabulary is small - 23 words - and the syntax is simple. The same structures recur. This Rude Reader in Volume 5 begins with "I want to hit my dad" = putting the urge into print. The next page has a high teaching load - "Don't hit your dad" = the social rule; "He will be hurt" = the consequence; "That's not OK" = the judgement; "So don't hit you dad" = the approved behaviour. The main teaching points are that people and animals can be hurt; it is not OK to cause hurt; it is OK to hit inanimate things - quite a philosophic stretch for such a small story. Animate nouns - dad, mum, dog, baby are alternated with inanimate nouns - pillow, ball, bag, bed. There's something very satisfying about the structural symmetry of Don't Hit Dad.

  4. 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.


     
  5. ELR 2005 Calendar



Subscribing/Unsubscribing to this Newsletter

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

Copyright ©2005 ELR Software Pty Ltd

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