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3]ROBOT READERS
Something New For The Kids
Review by NORMAN CAMPBELL, Huntington Beach, CA
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     Finally, there is something exciting available on the Amiga for younger
children and their parents. Robot Readers are comprised of four programs
designed to give children a head start on word recognition and reading.
     The Robot Readers include such familiar stories as "Chicken Little,"
"The Little Red Hen," "Aesop's Fables" and "Three Little Pigs."
     In this issue of JUMPDISK is a demonstration using two pages from "The
Little Red Hen." To try it, double-click on the Robot_Reader icon in the
main JUMPDISK window. However, there will be no effect if you try it on a
256K system.
     I'm a grandfather and am tired of trying to entertain my grandchildren
using such things as "SAY" and the few programs available that seem to be
oriented toward super graphics for adults. Kids in the formative ages of 4
to 7 may have their attention grabbed by these animated monsters much like
television, but it isn't really a learning experience. The four Robot
Readers programs are designed for the learning experience of youngsters.
That's a refreshing thought.
     Robot Readers use stories and fairy tales that have endured through the
ages and adapts them to the computer age. They do this in a very effective
way by using the Amiga to read aloud the stories to children, while at the
same time providing a visual stimulus that prompts them to participate in
a learning situation. In addition, a phonetic pronunciation approach in a
game setting are used to encourage children to recognize the words in the
stories. There is a point-and-say approach to help children associate the
words with the visual images presented in the stories.
     Using the Amiga mouse allows the child to select a word which the Robot
Reader will then stress by color change while providing pronunciation of
that word.
     Robot Readers also allow the child to select the reading speed so
the reading voice, though Amiga-like, is more comfortable for them.
     An example of the programs from these books is included in this issue
of JUMPDISK as the program Robot_Readers.
     This example contains two sample pages from the story "Chicken Little."
After clicking on the Robot_Readers icon in the JUMPDISK window, note the
boxes at the top of the page. These boxes are used to control the program
using either the left or right mouse buttons.
      Click on the "READ" box and the program will read the text aloud. The
"F" (Fast) and "S" (Slow) control the speed of the reading. Click the "G"
(Game) box and you activate the word recognition game. This game will
phonetically pronounce the words of text on the current page, expecting the
player to point and click at the word just spoken.
     Pointing and clicking in the "Page" box causes the program to turn to
the next page. In addition to the boxes, clicking an any word in the text
causes the program to pronounce that word, and clicking on the items in the
pictures results in the name of that item.
     Sound like fun? Gather your pre- or early readers and enjoy.
     If you are interested in additional information about these programs,
contact the developers at the following address:
Hilton Android Corporation
P.O. Box 7437
Huntington Beach, CA 92615-7437
Phone (714) 960-3984

(Editors note: This program is copyrighted and should not be redistributed
or put in the public domain.)

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