New Synthetic Phonics Literacy Activity

[Edward Cherlin]

On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 12:03, Mike Dawson <mikeofmanchester at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> As many of the target areas for the XOs suffer from massive illiteracy
> problems, and some live away from where schools will be built during
> the time that they grow up and could benefit from a literacy learning
> activity using home schooling.
>
> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/SynPhony

Excellent.

> Norbert Rennert has done work on a prototype Synthetic phonics based
> application that can pick out appropriate words from a list according
> to learner's levels and the phonics being stressed.  Then we have
> espeak that can handle text to speech.
>
> We can migrate this to using HTML 5 for it's database and built it as
> an offline application (which could then use any other source to
> update word lists etc).  We can then define a means to link words to
> other media such as images.
>
> We have no shortage of potential test beds here in Afghanistan that
> could benefit massively, illiteracy is at the heart of many problems
> here.  If we can support the mass production of literacy learning
> experiences then that could have a significant positive impact.
>
> Contributors both in terms of those involved in linguistics and
> literacy (we have people for Dari and Pashto) as well as those
> familiar with the involved technologies would be most appreciated.  I
> will myself be focusing on this and have reasonable experience with
> Javascript, SQL, etc.  We are working on a Dari version of espeak that
> is in prototype at the moment.

I will be happy to help in any way I can. I have worked with the
espeak developers on ideas for karaoke-style marking of the text being
read, and I can help document the Activity for teachers and other
stakeholders.

> Regards,
>
> -Mike
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>



-- 
Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) Cherlin
Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
http://www.earthtreasury.org/