So all of you must be wondering - what's new with Little Reader?
We're here to answer those questions and to give you an introduction to our reading curricula.
NOTE: If you're an existing Little Reader user, please read this before installing the new version.Here is a list of features we've added into the new Little Reader:
1. The BrillKids learning curriculumThe Little Reader Learning System provides you with an early reading curriculum, giving you a day-to-day guide for teaching your baby. The curriculum comes complete with words and subjects you can teach for each day, so you'll never be lost when it comes to your baby's education.
Our curriculum covers a range from 6 months to 12 months - depending on your choice of course length - and guarantees that your child will learn as many as a hundred words within the first month of following the program!
• Click here to see what's in the 6-month curriculum • Click here to see what's in the 12-month curriculumNOTE: Semester 2 (second 6 months of the 12 month curriculum) will be released within 30 days, as we're still finalizing the content for it!It is important that you understand the thinking behind the curriculum, and how to use it! Please see here:http://forum.brillkids.com/little-reader/understanding-the-little-reader-curriculum/2. A more intuitive interfaceThe Play PanelWe've added a long Play Panel along the bottom which provides you additional options to further customize how presentations play back for your child.
The Courses tabWe've added something new to your Home Play Panel and the Playback Screen - the Courses Tab. Through this, you can begin teaching your child using our recommended BrillKids curriculum. We've already divided each entry into lessons for each day, so you'll never have to worry about being lost when it comes to teaching your child to read.
• Completion markers These little green markers are handy for figuring out which lessons you've already played:
o Full green circle - The lesson has not been played
o Half green circle - The lesson playback is incomplete
o No green circle - The lesson is completed
• Next Lesson button Whenever you finish one category within a Little Reader course session, you will be prompted whether or not you'd like to continue on to the next lesson.
3. New Playback Settings •
Letter Casing options Want to change the letter casing of the way words are presented in your lessons? Now you have 4 options to choose from:
o Upper case
o Lower case
o Original case
o Capitalize first letter
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Word Display Size We've increased the maximum font size with which you can display your word slides - it now goes up all the way to 400!
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Double Space Think that the letters for the words in your lessons are spaced too near to each other? We've now built in the Double Space function, which lets you increase the amount of space in between each letter.
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Split Mode for Teaching Phonics: The Pattern Phonics System (TM) We've now built in a function to help you teach your child phonics! This system enables you to split words into syllables or "parts" - this will create a visually comprehensible way of showing pronunciation stress and highlight certain consonants, vowels and combinations!
While creating or editing words, simply type in your word – separate the word in syllables or letters, simply by adding a “/” between the parts. Enable the Split Mode feature and play the word back - you'll see it displayed in different colors!
4. Integrated Playback ScreenWe've gotten rid of the hassle of switching between the Playback and the Word Library screens just to play or edit your lesson files. We've combined all the functionality of both screens into just one - the Playback Screen - so you can edit and add categories and playlists as well as adjust playback settings right on the same screen!
5. Saved Playback Settings for CategoriesNow, you can also adjust and save specific playback settings to categories (previously only applicable to playlists.) This will help you further customize your child's learning experience, and enable you to fully dictate the order in which your slides are shown.
6. Start Guide •
Welcome Note from the BrillKids Founder New to Little Reader? Don't know exactly where to begin? We encourage all new users to read through a letter written by our founder, explaining more about how the system came about, and why the system and the curriculum was built exactly the way it is.
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New FAQ / Helpdesk We've integrated the BrillKids Helpdesk right into your Little Reader Start Guide, so searching for answers to frequently asked questions is much easier and faster.
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Enhanced Tips Screen Looking for ways to spice up your Little Reader lessons? We've improved on the tips section in the Start Guide so you can access fresh ideas on how to personalize your lessons, right at your fingertips!
7. Great add-ons to make teaching much easier •
Beefier lesson library - get more media Each BrillKids word file adheres to higher standards, and comes with 3 professionally recorded voices, 3-5 quality images, 2 word commentaries or sound effects and – to help better illustrate concepts such as action words and phrases – videos!
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Online progress diary Keep track of your child's progress with our online progress diary, which allows you to see what words you were able to teach for each day!
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Weekly lesson updates Need a weekly reminder to find out which lessons you need to play? Don't worry - we'll send you weekly lesson plans so you'll never forget to make time for lessons!
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Loyalty points bonuses Getting a Little Reader course gives you loyalty points bonuses - use these loyalty points to download high-quality lessons from our Premium Content section!
We hope that all of you have a great time teaching your children with our new Little Reader Learning System.
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to let us know by posting a reply on this thread, and we will gladly lend you a hand as soon as possible.
Thanks and happy teaching!
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