Read With Me! vs Buzz 'n' Read! (AAE version)

The goal of the Read With Me! is to embrace your child’s ability to learn to read naturally during your normal picture book reading time. The words are presented dynamically one at a time in large type and stay on the screen long enough for the child to attend to the words and eventually learn to read them. This experience allows your child to learn to read naturally in the same manner that they learn to understand what you say. To begin, just search our library for a physical book you have available to read. Select this book from our library by touching the start icon. Then go to the Settings to allow the reading experience to be uniquely tailored to your child. For each recorded sentence, choose the number of words that your child will see, as well as the duration for each word. The default settings are reasonable for most children, and you will quickly determine the optimal settings that seem appropriate for your child. The printed text that the child sees has typical punctuation and is presented in an easy-to-read type font. When you dictate a sentence from the book, your child can now see the printed words from the book on the screen. This application carries out automated speech recognition under your command. For best accuracy, you will want to read clearly and with emphasis as you usually do with your child. You activate this recognition by touching the screen before you begin reading a sentence from the book, and touch it again when you have finished reading the sentence. The words from the sentence you just read will then appear on the screen. The words will occur one at a time on the screen, and will follow their sequential order in the sentence (even though some of the earlier words in the sentence might be missing). This method of presentation has been proven to be a valid method of reading text, and it allows your child to focus on each word separately at their center of attention. The printed text that the child sees has typical punctuation and is presented in a large easy-to-read type font. Engaging Your Child Your child is usually engaged in your shared reading times, and it offers an ideal opportunity for giving them the opportunity to learn to read naturally. Our observations have shown that children find the written words as part and parcel of shared reading, especially if it is begun early. Our application is more interactive and somewhat more demanding than normal reading but as parents or caregivers you are starting your child’s road to literacy. The screen accompaniment is necessary because the words in picture books are usually difficult to read because of their small size and fancy fonts. In addition, children look at the pictures and not the words. We believe that learning to read in this manner instills in your child a much more positive attitude about reading and will set him or her on the pathway to reading to learn. You can see the books in our library here. http://psyentificmind.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ReadWithMeBookList.pdf If you have questions email dominic.massaro at gmail.com For video instructions and demonstrations of the program, see http://psyentificmind.com/videos-2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R3pGTYwa7E&feature=youtu.be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5A6dHp-qMg&feature=youtu.be

FOR BEGINNER READERS-- Especially designed for Black children to learn to read by using stories with characters that look and sound like them so they can get excited about reading! This version of Buzz ‘n’ Read uses African-American English in the stories so that children who began speaking English with the African-American dialect don’t have to work TWICE as hard at reading by trying to sound out a word while translating the story from another dialect (Standard English). This app will help your child to learn to read faster! The simple stories are designed to be relatable and engaging. Buzz ‘n’ Read is very unique in that it listens to your child while they read. The app actually uses speech recognition to listen to your child slowly sound out each word until it is identified correctly. The instructions in Buzz Reading are spoken to your child by a human voice, that of a Black child. In most other reading apps, the instructions are written for a parent who is expected to help the child use the app to read. Having a narrator explain the reading process to your child and provide instructions for using the app not only makes learning a friendly process, but your child could even use this app to learn to read all by him- or herself! Best of all, BUZZ Reading is COMPLETELY FREE, with no in-app purchases or membership fees, unlike any other major reading app available for iPhones and iPads! There are three major sections to BUZZ Reading: learning letter sounds, including a target game to help your child identify the letter sounds in a fun and interactive way learning to string letter sounds together to make words Reading stories that contain simple words with beautiful illustrations. The words on the screen are read in part by the narrator and in part by your child, with feedback when they read their word correctly. This app was developed by Jackson Lasaga-Ivey.