ELR-News

August 2010

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), 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 -

  1. New eLr Activities
  2. eLr-Offline Updater - "Run as Administrator"
  3. Other Independent Developers
  4. Free Downloads
  5. ELR 2010 Calendar

  1. New eLr Activities

    This month we have added 11 new tasks in "Sentence Processing - Parts of a Sentence - Verb Tenses". All tasks use the ImageBoards model, which is fairly new to eLr. The aim of the tasks is to provide material to work on the client's ability to use correct verb tense. The ImageBoards model enables the clinician/helper to teach the concept of "past", "present" and "future", supported by PCS (Picture Communication Symbols) from Mayer Johnson. Then the clinician can engage the client in either a game, or a more structured practice session, where the client produces sentences using the verb depicted in the picture, in the correct tense. The role of the clinician or helper is central to these activities, as the client benefits from feedback, modeling and expansion of language structures.

    Difficulty using correct verb tense commonly occurs with children who have language impairment. It is beneficial to have activities that provide lots of repetition, and for some children, the ability to focus on a small number of verbs. The tasks in this section have been organized so that the clinician can select a task that focuses on only two verbs, or a larger number within the same task (eg four, five, or up to ten). The clinician can also select to work on only one tense, or all verb tenses in the one session.

    As with all eLr tasks, click on "?" for "help". This provides information about how the task is used, as well as tips about how to provide extension and expansion of language skills.

  2. eLr-Offline Updater - "Run as Administrator"

    eLr-Offline is a version of eLr which can be installed on your own computer and allows you to use the materials without needing an internet connection. We add new content each month (as above) to the eLr web site which is immediately accessible to all users. We also create an updated edition of eLr-Offline each month which you can install yourself directly from our website www.elr.com.au/offline.

    Make sure your computer is connected to the web, then start eLr-Offline as usual. Open the "Help" menu (at the top of the screen) and click on the item "Check for updates". The program will check whether a newer edition is available, you'll see a confirmation box, then follow the prompts and the newest edition will be automatically retrieved and installed for you.

    If you are using Windows Vista/7 you may find that the process doesn't seem to work. In which case try running eLr-Offline with "administrator rights". You can always open a (any) shortcut as administrator by right-clicking on it and selecting "Run as administrator", but if you want to have it always launched as administrator, do this simple change:

    1. Right-click on the shortcut and select "Properties"
    2. n the "Shortcut" tab, click the "Advanced" button
    3. Check the box for "Run as administrator"
    4. Click "OK" to apply your changes

  3. Other Independent Developers

    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.

  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 2010 Calendar

    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.



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, Build-s-Sentence or EIA. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an e-mail with details to news@elr.com.au

Copyright ©2010 ELR Software Pty Ltd

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Bairnsdale
VIC 3875, Australia
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+61 3 5156 8309
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