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| Frequently Asked Questions |
| What is Reading Companion? |
| How does Reading Companion work? |
| Can anyone use this software? |
| What is the goal of Reading Companion? |
| Is there other software like this available in the market? |
| How accurate is the voice recognition software? |
| Has IBM done anything like this before? |
| Have independent evaluations been done on IBM's literacy grant programs? |
| Does Reading Companion run on Macintosh machines? |
| What is IBM's investment in this project? |
| Does Reading Companion replace the need for a teacher? |
| Do you have to be a trained literacy teacher to use the software? |
| What types of material do users read using Reading Companion? |
| Are reading levels assigned to e-books? |
| Can anyone access and use Reading Companion at home? |
| Is Reading Companion for sale to people who may be interested in purchasing it? |
| What has been IBM's history in its involvement in education? |
| Does Reading Companion run on Linux? |
| What do I need to run this software? |
| How much space does this software use up on my PC? |
| I need headsets. What kind should I buy? |
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| What is Reading Companion? |
| Reading Companion is IBM's web-based literacy program that uses novel speech-recognition technology to help adults and children gain and increase literacy skills. Reading Companion's innovative software "listens" and provides feedback, enabling emerging readers to practice reading and pronunciation as they acquire fundamental reading skills. |
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| How does Reading Companion work? |
| Basically, users log on to the Reading Companion web site and are presented with material to read. An on-screen mentor, or companion, "reads" a phrase to the user and then "listens" to the user read the material through a headset microphone. Based on what was heard, the companion either provides positive reinforcement (e.g., "You sound great!") or an opportunity for the user to try reading a word again. As the user's skill improves, the technology reads less material so that the learner reads more. |
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| Can anyone use this software? |
| This software is available for free to public elementary schools (for children ages 5-7) and nonprofit organizations such as public libraries, community colleges, and agencies that offer adult literacy services. Individuals who wish to use this software must be affiliated with a Reading Companion grant site. |
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| What is the goal of Reading Companion? |
| The goal of Reading Companion is to help children and adults around the nation and the world gain essential literacy skills in English. IBM is promoting literacy by donating this web-based technology to schools and nonprofit organizations. |
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| Is there other software like this available in the market? |
| Other voice recognition software is available on CD-Rom or on the web for a fee. Reading Companion is the only voice recognition software available via the web, for free, to schools and adult literacy organizations. |
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| How accurate is the voice recognition software? |
| Reading Companion provides users with 100% accurate audio presentation of all words in the e-books, e.g. when the online mentor reads to the user or responds to a request for assistance. The voice recognition technology is approximately 90% accurate. It is important, though, for the reader to use the microphone headset properly. |
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| Has IBM done anything like this before? |
| Yes, IBM worked with schools and adult literacy organizations to use similar voice recognition software, in CD-Rom, as part of prior grant programs aimed at helping children and adults gain literacy skills. The software was developed by IBM researchers working in partnership with schools and not-for-profit organizations. |
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| Have independent evaluations been done on IBM's literacy grant programs? |
| Yes. Independent evaluations of the technology demonstrate that children who use the software tested significantly higher on word recognition and comprehension tasks. For adults, the software not only improved reading skills, but also helped improve their English pronunciation; it also provided adults with an opportunity to learn in a new way by combining visual and auditory methods. |
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| Does Reading Companion run on Macintosh machines? |
| Currently, the software does not run on Macintosh machines. |
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| What is IBM's investment in this project? |
| IBM has invested $2 million to develop Reading Companion. IBM also donates access to the technology to schools and nonprofit organizations, along with 10 microphone headsets for each grant site. The market value of the donation per site is $10,000, regardless of the number of users per site. |
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| Does Reading Companion replace the need for a teacher? |
| The Reading Companion web-based literacy program is designed to supplement, not replace, existing literacy curriculum - whether the curriculum is in a school setting or within an adult literacy program. |
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| Do you have to be a trained literacy teacher to use the software? |
| Teachers will find the software easy to use. Additionally, training materials are available on the web site, with simple instructions on what to do, how to set up books for the classroom, and how to use the evaluation materials for students. This information is available as a reference at any time needed. |
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| What types of material do users read using Reading Companion? |
| Currently, there are 25 e-books For children in grades kindergarten to second (ages 5-7). The children's library will continue to grow during the grant program. For adults, there are approximately 100 e-books on topics ranging from job search and employment, driving, U.S. citizenship, housing, financial issues, and other topics relevant to the lives of adult learners. |
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| Are reading levels assigned to e-books? |
| Reading Companion e-books are categorized by the general terms of beginning, intermediate and advanced reading levels. Students at ANY level can benefit from reading ANY e-book since they provide practice with reading and pronunciation. Many readability scales are available for assessing reading materials on a Grade Equivalency (GE) level. Reading Companion e-books have not been correlated with GE, Student Performance Level (SPL) or readability levels. |
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| Can anyone access and use Reading Companion at home? |
| Yes, provided the user is affiliated with a school or a nonprofit organization that is participating in this grant program. The school or nonprofit organization will provide the user with an ID and password that enables the user to access the books from home. The user simply has to download the software to their own PC, log on, and the software will allow the user to pick up reading where they left off. |
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| Is Reading Companion for sale to people who may be interested in purchasing it? |
| No. This is purely a philanthropic initiative. |
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| What has been IBM's history in its involvement in education? |
| Since 1994, IBM has been a leader in elementary and secondary school reform. Reinventing Education, IBM's flagship program with an investment of $75 million worldwide, has led to the development of a series of high-impact technology tools and more important, introduced technology into school district operations in an effective manner with resulting improvements in student achievement. This school year, 7,500 IBM employees will be online mentors for middle school students and more than 3,000 employees visited classrooms in the U.S. through National Engineers Week in 2005. IBM also has introduced hundreds of thousands of students to math, science and engineering through the award-winning web site tryscience.org and has provided millions of young children with a strong foundation in technology with 27,000 KidSmart Early Learning Center computers in pre-kindergarten classrooms. |
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| Does Reading Companion run on Linux? |
| Reading Companion can run on Linux Ubuntu 8.04, 9.04 or 10.04 |
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| What do I need to run this software? |
Reading Companion simply requires:
- Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Linux Ubuntu 8.04, 9.04, or 10.04
- A high-speed Internet connection (DSL or higher)
- Audio capabilities
- Access to the Internet via Internet Explorer (version 6 or higher) or Firefox
- Headset microphones
- Flash 10 - system requirements are here
- Intel Pentium 4 2.33GHz, Athlon 64 2800+ or faster processor (or equivalent)
- 128MB of computer RAM
- 128MB of graphics memory
- Installed ActiveX Control MNG4IE
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| How much space does this software use up on my PC? |
| The size of the file is relatively small when compared with other software downloads -- about 5MB. When the reading application is accessed, two files are launched on the user's system which combined require about 12MB of memory. |
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| I need headsets. What kind should I buy? |
Common microphone/headset brand names include Labtec and Plantronics. IBM does not promote these brands in any way - these are simply suggestions on the type of headsets that work well with Reading Companion. Estimated cost per headset is US $12-$15.
Purchasing tips:
Look for noise-canceling microphones without a sponge cover. Also, to avoid accidental changes to the microphone set up, avoid styles with in-line controls for microphone volume or mute.
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