Telephone Learning Software Helps Solve SAT and Literacy Crisis in American Classrooms with a Phone and the Web
New Technology Assists with Essay Portion of the SAT
Hollywood, FL (PRWEB) May 20, 2005 -- Steven Donahue, professor and developer
of innovative writing enhancement technology, today announced the release of
revolutionary Telephone Learning Software to help solve the literacy crisis in
American classrooms and promises to truly "Leave No Child Behind." The phone
learning system is capable of processing student essays by telephone and
returning instant holistic scores. Professor Donahue notes, "With the new SAT
requiring an essay component, this is an incredibly important invention for all
American students to realize their college dreams."
The telephone
learning system consists of 11 activities covering a spectrum of learning:
Spelling, Multiplication Tables, Dictation, Tongue Twisters, Background
Knowledge ("What is the capital of California?, etc.") and free responses for
writing and speech topics. Activities involve both listening and actual voice
output. The Web is an integral part of the phone system, and allows students to
pre-view assignments, and get post-results, which are then emailed to them. Once
the student's audio writing samples are converted to text, they are processed
using an automatic essay evaluation program called California Electronic Writer,
currently in use in California school districts.
The automated telephone
learning system offers many advantages. Authentic listening and speaking can
help take the place of the lack of interaction with native role models. Phone-in
homework becomes an interactive and documented experience. Moreover, increased
verbal power spills over positively into related disciplines: writing, grammar,
accent reduction, vocabulary building, reading, even math. Finally, the work
load of teachers is lessened.
Donahue describes the urgent literacy
needs of students in the June issue of a Language Magazine article, "English as
Second Language (ESL) students might as well learn Cockney from the Queen of
England as attempt to study English in Miami. Language contact with native
speakers of English is becoming increasingly uncommon. And this immigrant
language problem is a burgeoning one, coast-to-coast."
Professor Donahue
declares, "There has got to be a better way to teach aspiring English learners
the spoken language. " And the better way has involved using the common
telephone, linked to a sophisticated Web-system which is beginning to provide
authentic language learning for the legions of foreign students at Miami Dade
College's English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program. The telephone learning
system has seen significantly improved speech and writing output by EAP students
in trial tests this past semester at the College.
To use the telephone
system, students call a toll free number, enter an individual PIN, select a
lesson and assignment, and interact with that assignment over the telephone.
Responses are converted to audio files and emailed to the students, posted to a
Web site, and then analyzed with an audio to text converting program to assess
the accuracy of the responses.
Steven Donahue is a professor at Miami
Dade College and features editor for Language Magazine (http://www.languagemagazine.com). He has developed the
software specifically for the woes of America's poor writers/speakers. Beyond
the classroom, the US Military has used his software for learning exotic
languages, such as Pashto and Dari, the languages of Afghanistan and Iraqi
Arabic.
The software assignments can be viewed at (http://www.californiaelectronicwriter.org/moodle).
For
a copy of the article, contact e-mail protected from spam bots
Professor
Donahue can be contacted at (954) 920-8192 or e-mail protected from spam
bots
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb242815.htm