Learning to Read with Multimedia Materials. The National Reading Panel (2. After evaluating the research base for each element, the panel determined that instructional attention to these elements is critical to the development of independent, motivated readers. Unfortunately, many students struggle with reading, and reading achievement remains a serious concern among educators and parents. Technology and multimedia materials offer the potential for addressing the challenges of reading instruction. For more than 2 decades, researchers have been using innovative technology to engage students, build connections between oral and written language, prompt active reading, and provide supplemental tutoring. In the process, technology and the understanding of how to support reading instruction and achievement have both advanced. Some educators and parents express concern that if digital texts are used too early in the process of learning to read, students may never become strong, competent, independent readers of print. However, there is a steadily growing body of research showing that digital text and multimedia environments can play a powerful supporting role in reading instruction. Multimedia reading materials and environments offer a variety of flexible supports including text- to- speech, voice recognition, animation, music and sound effects, embedded dictionaries, linked videos to boost background knowledge and vocabulary, study tools such as highlighters and annotation capabilities, and animated agent tutors. They have the capacity to support choice of content and tools, adjustable challenge level, and adjustable practice and feedback. This Research in Brief article considers the research on the potential of multimedia materials and environments to support reading for struggling readers. We offer suggestions for choosing multimedia materials and integrating them into reading instruction effectively. Finding the Right Reading Program. Reading tutor Al Moore. Computer-based instruction. Select an Appropriate Research-Based Reading Program That Brings Together Elements of Strong Reading Intervention. Phonics Reading Programs by Sound Reading helps children make sense of reading. Computer reading software for kindergartens and above needs to include fluency and phonemic awareness which Sounds Reading offers. In this first section, we offer suggestions based on the research for integrating multimedia materials and environments into reading instruction. The section is structured according to five key areas of reading research. Phonemic Awareness. The goal of phonemic awareness instruction is to build students. Young students, students new to English, and students of any age who are emerging readers need to have a firm grasp of the relationship between oral and written language. Lexia Computer Based Reading ProgramComputer-based instruction, also commonly referred to as Computer Assisted Instruction, was introduced during the 1950s. The pioneers of the movement were a team of researchers at IBM, including Gordon Pask and O. For many children, this awareness grows naturally through word play; for students with learning English or difficulties, it rarely grows without explicit instruction. Teachers are always looking for ways to make instruction exciting for students; so are multimedia designers. For more than a decade, various multimedia programs have been used to teach phonemic awareness, and such programs have shown consistent promise, boosting users. Because they are able to animate the relationships between oral language and print, the concepts are less abstract. Students with poor phonemic awareness need to practice and improve this fundamental skill. Conversely, students who have strong phonemic awareness most likely do not need additional practice. Therefore, individualized instruction is important. Educators are wise to select commercial software and web- based programs that offer individualized learning paths and/or progress monitoring. Many commercial programs and free Web- based programs offer practice in phonemic awareness and other basic skills that draw attention to the features of print and language, reinforce classroom instruction, and increase engagement with print. Television and video programs that teach print concepts through multimedia are also engaging and reinforce rhyme and language play. Computer Based Reading Programs For AdultsFor example, the award- winning PBS show, Between the Lions, supports emergent reading through activities, songs, and stories (discussed below in Research Support). Multimedia programs should be considered a supplement to quality, explicit instruction. To promote transfer, the concepts in these programs should be reinforced during instruction by, for example, adopting the terms the program uses and revisiting sample words from the program. Programs that focus centrally on print and language concepts (rather than bury these elements in other distracting elements) and programs that include progress monitoring features are best. Phonics and Word Recognition. Emergent readers need to understand how the written language works, that is, the phonics rules and underlying orthography that are unique to English. Multimedia models of these relationships and rules can make them more comprehensible and concrete. Computer- based multimedia, video, and television programs have been investigated for their effectiveness in providing opportunities to experience language in an engaging, fun, and memorable way. Computer- based activities that animate the creation and manipulation of words, such as the programs described in the previous section, have been shown to improve students. Thus, computer- or video- based activities are a good option to consider for providing students with targeted supplemental instruction and additional demonstrations and practice. Students’ scores in a no-help condition did not. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI), in which the program provides drill and practice. The Positive Side of Computer-Based Training. Effects of a Computer-Based Early Reading Program (Headsprout. Whitcomb & Jennifer D. This study evaluated the effects of a computer-based early reading program, Headsprout. The dependent measures were four. Fluency. Fluency is key to reading competence, enabling readers to devote their cognitive effort to comprehension and enjoyment of reading. For struggling readers who decode laboriously or ignore punctuation and natural phrasing, fluency instruction and practice are necessary and effective (Kuhn & Stahl, 2. There are two important approaches to improving fluency: engagement with print (i. Meyer & Felton, 1. By reading a familiar text aloud multiple times, students can begin to coordinate their decoding, semantic, and syntactic skills. Students need to read engaging material silently and aloud and with ready support for words and concepts that they do not know. Researchers have investigated the effectiveness of providing fluency support in the form of multimedia environments that combine text- to- speech and speech recognition to listen to students. These programs can function as an electronic tutor; some are designed with an animated agent that interacts with the student like a tutor (see the topic paper. These programs have been found to be helpful to students and their instructors, providing students with needed word recognition and fluency support and parents and educators with progress monitoring information needed to tailor instruction. Given the limited supply of trained reading tutors and specialists who can provide a fluent oral model and one- on- one tutoring, the effectiveness of e- tutors is encouraging. Educators should look for multimedia reading programs that provide supported practice. Online demonstrations of two e- tutors (discussed below in Research Support) are available: The Reading Tutor. Multimedia environments can mirror and reinforce proven teacher- led strategy instruction through the use of pop- ups, linked questions, online resources, and animated reading coaches or e- tutors who engage in questioning, prompts, and think alouds. Increasing vocabulary is an important goal and necessary component of comprehension. Multimedia texts with supports for vocabulary development, such as linked mini- videos demonstrating a concept or dictionaries and thesauruses with text- to- speech capabilities, can help students achieve this goal and improve comprehension. Getting students to use supports effectively is a significant instructional challenge. Studies consistently show that students. Accessing appropriate supports is a skill and habit to be taught and learned. This can be accomplished through explicit instruction with a whole- or small- group activity. Students need to be prompted to regularly use supports while they are working, either through verbal reminders or study guides that accompany the reading assignment. When strategy prompts and supports are embedded in the text, they are more timely and targeted for readers. These kinds of supports are just becoming commercially available. Two examples (discussed below in Research Support) are. Teachers can help students find motivating material among the growing selection of digital text available on the Web- -for purchase or through subscription sites for students with diagnosed disabilities. Some Web- based sites embed supports into their selections. By importing text lacking embedded supports into reading programs, educators can leverage the multimedia supports with an increasing array of text. No one program or approach will meet the needs of all students, so to engage students in their own learning it is wise to try a variety of interventions and supplemental activities and consult students in the process. Programs that are customizable and have a variety of digital texts will best meet diverse needs and interests. To promote transfer of learning, we recommend that educators look for programs that support the instructional strategies and goals already addressed in the classroom. Beware of programs that bury the elements of instruction in distracting animation or story lines. See the Reading Matrix for reviews of commercial and Web- based reading programs and products. Expand this section to read more about the research behind this article. Programs that provide emergent readers with visual and auditory examples of sound manipulation (i. Computer- based practice with these concepts has been shown to increase struggling students. They have developed and tested two programs that serve as facilitated supplements to classroom instruction, Accurate Reading in Context (ARC), where students spend 2. Phonological Analysis (PA), which provides explicit instruction of speech articulation in addition to animated storybooks and other word- level analysis. These facilitated supplemental interventions require a trained teacher or instructional aide to prompt and monitor young students.
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