IBM Technology Helps People Learn to Read on the Web
From: Journal News (NY) - 06/11/2006
By: Julie Moran Alterio

Researchers at IBM have developed a Web-based technology that teaches people
how to read and gives encouragement when they pronounce a word correctly. The
product of 10 years of research in speech recognition and human-computer
interaction, Reading Companion uses voice-recognition technology to "listen"
as a user reads into a microphone while a panda on the screen either responds
with praise for a correct reading, or by encouraging the reader to try again.
"The way kids learn to read ideally is sitting on a mother's or aunt's or
grandfather's lap. You get instant feedback when you pronounce a word wrong.
That's what we were trying to reproduce in a software solution," said IBM's
Jennifer Lai. Most reading programs focus mainly on comprehension, and pay
little if any attention to pronunciation. The software lets children practice
their reading independently, without having to worry about making mistakes in
front of the whole class. In addition to enhancing voice-recognition
technologies for general use, the Reading Companion could greatly improve
literacy, as nearly 90 million adults in the United States would function
better in society with a higher reading level, according to the National
Center for Family Literacy. IBM has pledged $2 million to deploy Reading
Companion in 62 US and Canadian schools and adult education centers, with
plans to add more international sites later this year. Reading Companion, the
first Web-based speech-recognition program, required developers to devise a
method for rapidly sending packets of audio data over the Internet while
ensuring that the software retains enough data to make meaningful analysis of
the reader's fluency. Reading Companion could also have a significant impact
on adults whose native language is not English, as it challenges them to read
e-books on useful life skills such as writing a resume or visiting a doctor. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060611/BUSINESS01/606110331/1066

Links:
IBM launches Reading Companion
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ibmgives/grant/helping/ReadingCompanion.html

Reading Companion
http://www.readingcompanion.org/

Website helps users develop reading skills
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2006-05-10-ibm-reading_x.htm
