POINT & READ Software FOUND!

SCORE! I was flipping through the net looking for good online childrens literature for emergent readers and students with disabilities when I came across this site: http://www.simtalk.com/bibli/index800.htm

I saw a little blurb on the page that raised an eyebrow:

If you are just learning to read, or have a hard time reading for yourself, click here for some software that can read these books to you.

And after a little googling--to make sure the site and software were legit and not malware or something that might fry my computer, I downloaded it.

While it doesn't solve the world's reading problems and doesn't magically teach your kids to read, it is an important tool and can be immensely helpful to parents who can not read to their kids, children who are emergent or struggling readers, English Language Learners and children with visual impairments. I like the software because it's easy to use so if you're familiar with an internet browser like firefox mozilla, google chrome or microsoft's explorer, using SimTalk's Point and Read Talking Browser will be a cinch.

What I like: I choose the passage I want read and click on the sentence. The sentence is highlighted and read out loud. The PLAY feature puts reading on autopilot instead of having to go from sentence to sentence and clicking on it.

The downside: The reading voice is unnatural and devoid of vocal intonations that is important for reading, especially to children learning to read. There's no visual differentiation from one word to the next during reading but it does highlight the sentence.

BUT: But it's better to use the tool and allow kids to play and interact with online books than not.

After downloading the file the browser pops up and allows you the option of registering with simtalk.com by providing a username and email address. I recommend registering because there's no information gauging, i.e. they don't ask for our address, phone number and other info. More importantly, registering give you two additional options with the Point and Read browser you wouldn't get otherwise: Play and Repeat.

Let me know what you think. Better yet, send me an email if you've come across better free programs or websites.