New Reader
Product Information
Software title: NewReader
Publisher: John McVicker, Nameless Software
Telephone: 740-594-4609
Email address of software developer (John
McVicker): mcvicker@ohiou.edu
Address: 5 Sunnyside Drive, Athens OH 45701-1919
Cost(s): Stand-alone Version (one copy): $70.--
Site License $350.--
Reviewer Information
Name: Raquel Kellermann
Title: ESL Instructor/Computer Lab Coordinator
Program: Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Adult ESL
Address: 885 Washington Street, Boston MA 02111
Phone: 617-635-5133
Fax: 617-635-5132
Email: rkellermann@hotmail.com
Date of Review: March 15, 1998
Description of Software Program
Instruction Types: Designed for ASE; can be adapted to suit ABE students' needs.
ESOL: designed for intermediate students on an academic track, can be used for beginning students
Curriculum Area: reading
Software Types: authoring program, tutorial, drill and practice, management, assessment, computer-assisted instruction
Back-up Disks Available? no
Network/Site License Available? yes
Program editing features included? Text can be imported (e.g. student writing)
Demo disk available? yes, can be downloaded from
http://www.orst.edu/Dept/eli/celia/macreading.html
Demo Free? yes
Trial period? yes
Full version available for trial period? Glossary is missing
Length of trial period: 25 uses
General Description: "NewReader is intended for use by language teachers who want to create a range of computer-based activities for the reading texts they have on hand without getting involved with authoring or programming. The teacher collects plain-text (ASCII) files for student use, stores them on flopppies, hard drive, or file server, and shows students how to use NewReader as a kind of 'software toy' that transforms the texts into reading activities. This approach makes it easier for non-technical teachers to prepare material for the computer, encourages the use of a wide range of texts, and allows the learner great flexibility in tailoring study to his/her needs." (quoted from pamphlet)
Purposes: Improvement of reading skills. NewReader contains user-friendly on-line help, a printable notebook which tracks student progress, and a 7,000 word glossary. There are 13 reading activities which can be done in any sequence: 1. Read the text 2. Timed Reading 3. Paced Reading 4. Paragraph Jumble 5. Sentence Jumble 6. Phrase Jumble 7. Half-a-word 8. Cloze 9. Grammar Search 10. Word Camouflage 11. Vowel Search 12. Consonant Search 13. Hidden Text.
Intended audience: ESL students at the pre-college/community college level. NewReader can be adapted to suit the needs of ABE/literacy learners.
Instructional Mode:
Some activities are designed for individual use (e.g. find out how many words per minute you read), while some could be done in small groups (e.g. cloze, paragraph jumble). An instructor or tutor may or may not assist.
Instructional Format
Directions on how to use NewReader are part of the software. The help mode can be accessed at any time. Directions are appropriate to reading level. Knowledge of basic computer terminology is assumed (e.g. menu, click, button). There is no sound. Graphics are clear and appropriate for adults. Reading activities focus on basic reading skills, such as guessing words and the basic structure of an article. Bottom-up reading skills (focus on word recognition rather than on ideas conveyed in the text) are more emphasized than top-down reading skills. It is definitely necessary that the teacher learners are familiar with top-down reading skills; in that respect, NewReader should be considered a supplement to reading instruction. Adult ESL educators may want to introduce the text in class so that students have a grasp of its topic and ideas. NewReader will have them focus on word-level reading skills.
Program Format
The controls are easy to operate, especially for someone who is familiar with a Macintosh. Interface is black-and-white. There is a menu bar on the left side of the screen which is accessible during any activity. Help is easy to access. There is no bookmark feature, not allowing the user to continue where he or she left off.
Management Format
Program tracks student progress for one session. The notebook can be printed out but is not stored in computer. The teacher has control over which text students should work on and can give directions on which activities the students should work on. Students can remain with one activity as long as they want to. Activities do not have to be completed in sequence. There is no password required. During log-on, the program asks the user to enter their name. The printout records the user's name, date, name of text, scores for each activities completed and time spent on each activity.
Manuals and Student Support Materials
NewReader comes with a teacher's manual only when purchasing the software. There is a clearly-written student handbook available (can be downloaded).
Technical Support
There is no local vendor support for the product. The program creator is available via e-mail. Publisher can be reached via a toll number.
Hardware Requirements
Platform: Macintosh only
Other (describe): Macintosh Plus or better, System 6 or higher (NewReader is optimized on PowerPC Macs)
Hard Disk required. HyperCard not required.
RAM memory requirements: 4 MG
Medium Keyboard Skills needed
Curriculum Integration Comments
New Reader is a good way to improve reading speed, guessing skills and some grammar. An adult educator may want to first introduce the reading text to the students before sending them to the computers. I think it would be really neat to use students' writing as texts to work on. The teacher could have students work on their writing through journals before the students type their writing (or the teacher does) and import it to NewReader. Using student writing as text will be much easier for students to work with since the topic and vocabulary will be tailored to their level.
Evaluative Comments
Strengths: Focus on bottom-up reading skills. Adaptability. Self-directed.
Weaknesses: Not enough focus on top-down reading skills. Limited to Macs.
Overall Rating: Good