Dr Kay Lowe uses "Read on the Web" to flatten the world of literacy
Levels of attendance at the SSPR seminars series were once again strong in April, with Dr Kaye Lowe demonstrating the role of ‘on-line learning’ to improve levels of adult literacy. In her presentation, titled “Flattening the World – Technology and Literacy”, Dr Kaye Lowe gave the audience a practical demonstration of “read on the web”, an interactive website that use voice-recognition software, screen readers, and interactive activities to teach illiterate adults to read and write.
The on-line literacy program was developed while Kaye Lowe was Visiting Professor at the University of Kentucky. At the time, she was Principal Investigator for the state implementation of Reading First, an initiative that was directed at the improvement of literacy outcomes for nearly 19,000 students and more than 2,000 teachers. Dr Lowe joined the School for Social and Policy Research in July 2005, and she has already published research comparing literacy program implementation in the Northern Territory and Kentucky.
“Read on the web” is a remarkable program because illiterate adults can teach the computer to recognise the sound of the voice and then dictate their own texts that are relevant and meaningful to their life experiences. While mastering the technology, they are learning to read and write. At no point are learners left to flounder – they can read texts of their choice using screen readers; they are introduced to word processing using a virtual desk-top tour and the interactive games come with dictionaries that speak word meanings, screen readers, and self correcting activities.
The student becomes the teacher and is empowered and motivated to continue the program. A personal library can be established that includes the local online newspaper, copyright free books, or self-generated stories. Learners can read these at their leisure with the aid of the screen reader – a synthetic voice that reads each word as it is highlighted when the cursor moves across the line of text similar to a karaoke machine. This program provides learners tools that eliminate anxiety and embarrassment often associated with adult illiteracy.
Referring to the title of Thomas Friedman’s recent book “The World is Flat”, Dr Lowe argues that the development of the on-line literacy program can be interpreted as part of a wider phenomenon whereby information technology is allowing the social benefits of global capitalism to be distributed to a larger proportion of the world’s population. The program does not simply improve access to the world of print – whether that be in the form of novels or advertising – it gives learners access to the internet, and provides them with pragmatic keyboard skills that enable them to reap the full benefits of becoming literate. The program allows the learner to be self-sufficient without the fear of failure and associated unpleasant memories of past failures. The possibility of mastering literacy and learning in technological world provides a fresh and exciting new beginning for the adult learner.
WSM
