Return-Path: <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j9KDf6G01960; Thu, 20 Oct 2005 09:41:06 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 09:41:06 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <00b901c5d57b$86fbf4c0$0302a8c0@Tomschoice> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "John Nissen" <jn@cloudworld.co.uk> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-LD:4948] Re: Fwd: resources for blind student? X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2180 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 4584 Lines: 122 Hello Robin, Thanks for passing this query from the ESL list, which I must obviously rejoin :-} I'm copying this to Sylvie Kashdan, Instructor/Curriculum Coordinator for the KAIZEN PROGRAM for New English Learners with Visual Limitations, and also to Cesar Watts of DC Learns, who has a blind adult ESL student. My company, Cloudworld, has developed a resource that is designed to be accessible to blind people. It is a software program called WordAloud. It can be used simply as a text reader cum browser. But it can also be used for teaching/learning literacy and language skills, including ESL. We have just won a bid for European funding under the Minerva/Socrates initiative, and will be further developing WordAloud as an e-learning platform, with multi-lingual support. We would be most interested in an ESL application that involves visually impaired students, whatever age. You can use WordAloud to support any teaching method, and using any teaching materials you like. However we are currently developing particular support for the "synthetic phonics" approach to the teaching of basic literacy skills. This is similar to the "explicit phonics" approach, used in the US. The synthetic phonics approach has been shown to be 100% effective in the teaching of reading, in a study of around 300 children in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. See http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/education/ins17-00.asp. Not only were there no non-readers, but on average the children were over three years ahead of their peers by the end of primary school. To find out about the teaching of synthetic phonics, see http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm. We believe that synthetic phonics is applicable to ESL. You can download a free demonstration version of WordAloud from our website: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk. Best regards, John John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info@cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: <robinschwarz1@aol.com> To: "Multiple recipients of list" <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 9:58 PM Subject: [NIFL-LD:4945] Fwd: resources for blind student? -----Original Message----- From: Robinschwarz1 To: nifl-ld@nifl.gov Sent: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 11:44:08 -0400 Subject: Re: [NIFL-LD:4936] resources for blind student? An earlier message on the NIFL-ESL listserv was from a program in Washington state that serves ONLY ESL learners with visual limitations. Here is her contact information: Sylvie Kashdan Instructor/Curriculum Coordinator KAIZEN PROGRAM for New English Learners with Visual Limitations 810-A Hiawatha Place South Seattle, WA 98144, U.S.A. phone: (206) 784-5619 email: kaizen_esl@literacynet.org web: http://www.nwlincs.org/kaizen/ Contact Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic also to see what support they can offer in the way of ESL texts on media. And the Kurzweil reader ( a commercial software program loaded into a computer with a scanner) will read any kind of text to a learner. Also, contact the Perkins Institute in Boston to see if they have any kind of support. I am sure others on the list must know of braille-associated programs or equipment that would be of help-- Rochelle-- what about that great school in St. Augustine that was part of that conference we had there?? Robin Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: Cesar Watts <cwatts@dclearns.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Sent: Thu, 13 Oct 2005 16:11:29 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [NIFL-LD:4936] resources for blind student? Hi, A blind adult ESL student enrolled in one of our programs in DC. I'm wondering if there are organizations that might be more equipped to serve her needs. If not, does anyone have any tips and strategies? Thanks in advance for any ideas! Cesar E. Watts G. READ OUT LOUD Hotline Coordinator 1-866-732-3688 www.readoutloud.org www.dclearns.org The D.C. LEARNs Literacy Calendar lists significant literacy events or deadlines in Washington, D.C. as well as a selected number of regional and national events that may be of interest to the D.C. Literacy community http://www.dclearns.org/calendar.html If you know of any upcoming literacy events in the DC region, please submit them to be added to our calendar! If you want to volunteer as a teacher or tutor for GED, ESL , ABE (Adult Basic Education) or computers please enter your information into our volunteer database: www.readoutloud.org/volunteer
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