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 -
Seventeen new tasks have been added to the "Using Language - Wh Questions" section. This is a relatively new section which provides material to teach comprehension of "Wh" questions (eg who, what doing, what, where), and to support expressive language that focuses on sentence structure. All of the new tasks use the SentenceMaker model which incorporates principles of "Colourful Semantics" (a system of colour coding the key elements in a sentence).
A range of modifications allow the user to tailor the task to suit the needs of the client and the therapy goals, eg de-selecting colour coding and/or deciding whether to display the written sentence to match the picture. The new tasks appear in all subsections, ie one, two, three and four elements. In these activities, the role of the clinician/support person is central to provide reinforcement and feedback and to expand sentence responses where appropriate.
As with all eLr materials, we welcome feedback about this model and section. This may include ways that you are using the material and suggestions for improvements.
Development and testing of the iPad App version of eLr-Offline Beta is almost compete. A new release for "April 2013" (build 1.12) is now available. It concentrates on the Registration mechanism which uses an "Appkey" which we'll provide free to subscribers and current Beta testers. All the content of this App is fully functional and matches that on the website and in the standard Windows version of eLr-Offline.
If you are a current eLr subscriber and would like to participate in this free process, please email us from your iPad to support@elr.com.au. We'll reply with an invitation to join the group of Beta testers and instructions about how to install the App.
The most common issue we've been informed about relates to the special icon fonts we use for little coloured "draggable" animals etc. Some of them have the curious trait of leaving a trail of small fragments behind as they are moved. These trails may be "mopped up" by dragging the same or another icon over them, and that activity in itself seems to incite quite a bit of interest (and language) in children using the task. However, this is a "bug" - apparently specific to the Safari browser as well as our App on the iPad. We are aware of the problem and will incorporate a fix into the website and App as soon as we can.
Thanks again to our Beta testers for your interest and feedback so far.
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 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.
- Speech Pathology Australia 2013 National Conference:
Sunday 23rd - Wednesday 26th
We will have trade stand #5 at this conference. Contact us for further details
ELR Software is also able to offer free 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.
You are receiving ELR-News because you are an eLr subscriber, or have expressed an interest in either eLr, Rude Readers, Word Meanings, Build-a-Sentence or EIA. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an e-mail with details to news@elr.com.au
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