--- Forwarded Message from John McVicker <[log in to unmask]> ---
>Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 16:53:06 -0400
>From: John McVicker <[log in to unmask]>
>To: LLTI list <[log in to unmask]>
>cc: Jeff Magoto <[log in to unmask]>, Neil Anderson
<[log in to unmask]>, Claire Bradin Siskin <[log in to unmask]>,
Deborah Healey <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #8016 NewReader
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>References: <[log in to unmask]>
--On September 28, 2005 2:13:06 PM -0400 LLTI-Editor
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I'm currently searching for a replacement for NewReader. Have any of you
> used this program? It dates back to about 1995 (although was updated in
> 2001) and appears to be based on Hypercard. The program loads an
> external text file and creates a series of exercises based on it (timed
> reading, cloze, jumble, etc, etc). NewReader running in Classic does
> not seem compatible with our managed environment, so I'd really love to
> find some OS X-native replacement for it.
Hi Jonathan,
I'm the developer/publisher/bottle-washer.
First to get you going at BU. NewReader is, as Otmar mentions, a compiled
HyperCard stack. The most recent copy (2.1.3) runs without problem in
Classic in our lab (2nd generation eMacs running 10.4.2). If you're running
a significantly older version, maybe I can send you 2.1.3 as an attachment
and we can hope it will work.
BTW, I haven't actually SOLD a copy of NewReader for several years so
release to the public domain seems more than appropriate. If anybody else
has a classic or earlier lab and wants a copy of 2.1.3 I'll send it along
as a 2.3 Meg attachment (no postal requests please -- attachments only).
Just respond off-list and I'll send it. Likewise, if someone has an archive
where folks can download things like that I'd be glad to donate a current
copy. Let me know off-list.
FYI, the current version of NewReader includes timed reading, two versions
of paced reading (the slower paced reading module was originally made up
for Ohio U's speech and hearing clinic for speech therapy and seems pretty
neat for oral fluency practice), word- phrase- sentence- and
paragraph-jumbles, cloze, c-test (the second half of every second word
deleted), a grammar-oriented cloze-oid thingie (takes out prepositions,
articles, logical connectors, or whatever), 'camouflaged' text which drops
random letters between words, missing vowels, missing consonants, and
missing everything (all but punctuation removed). It prints or saves
exercises as well as generating on-screen activities, and will even shovel
your driveway if it's not too snowy. All that's in a package that's pretty
easy to use, I think. I haven't seen anything like it out there for windows
or OS X.
Alas my workload in other areas has expanded and my energy and brainpower
have contracted, so I doubt that I'm going to churn out OS X or windows
versions anytime soon. I would be delighted, however, if someone wanted to
use the stack's code (and the 9,000+ word built-in dictionary-thing) to
produce a freely distributable version for English, or for other languages;
it should be easy to adapt for other Roman-based languages.
John McVicker
[log in to unmask]
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Otmar Foelsche, LLTI-Editor ([log in to unmask])
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