Sources: Timothy Frey, 785-532-5900, tfrey@k-state.edu
Video available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzlDr2f9zt0
News release prepared by: Jennifer Torline, 785-532-0847, jtorline@k-state.edu

Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

'I CAN SEE ME' WEBCAM RESEARCH HELPS KIDS IMPROVE 1xbet sports betting FLUENCY

MANHATTAN -- An interest in technology and a desire to help elementary school 1xbet sports betting prompted a Kansas State University professor and two graduate 1xbet sports betting to turn to webcams to improve 1xbet sports betting ' reading fluency.

Timothy Frey, assistant professor of special education, counseling and student affairs, wanted to help elementary-age 1xbet sports betting reduce the number of errors they make when reading out loud. He worked with two K-State master's graduates: Abby Houlton, now a special education teacher at Brookridge Elementary School in the Shawnee Mission school district, and Elizabeth Gruis, who teaches in the Manhattan-Ogden school district.

The project aimed to improve 1xbet sports betting fluency, which involves processing words in a meaningful way. When fluency improves, usually comprehension also improves.

&1xbet sports betting ;With testing and assessments, we know that generally the earlier you can catch things and find potential problems, the better off a student will be,&1xbet sports betting ; Frey said. &1xbet sports betting ;This really can help students pick up on error patterns and help prevent them from having further reading problems.&1xbet sports betting ;

The researchers turned to webcams, instead of audio recorders, to help students improve reading fluency. With webcams the students could both see and hear themselves read, which the researchers called the &1xbet sports betting ;I can see me&1xbet sports betting ; procedure.

During a 16-week period the researchers worked with teachers at Brookridge Elementary School to observe 27 second-, third-, and fourth-graders who tested on-grade level. The research actively involved the 1xbet sports betting . During designated reading time in class, the 1xbet sports betting went to the computers and read a selected reading sample in front of the webcams. Afterward, they could watch the video and pick out any mistakes.

&1xbet sports betting ;The video really seemed to change how students were engaged,&1xbet sports betting ; Frey said. &1xbet sports betting ;They didn’t just hear themselves read anymore, but they could see themselves reading, which they really liked.&1xbet sports betting ;

All three student groups improved 1xbet sports betting fluency in impressive ways. After only three to five weeks of using the webcams, the second-graders improved from averaging seven errors per minute to four errors per minute. Third-graders went from averaging six errors to four errors per minute. The group of fourth-graders improved from an average of four errors to two and a half errors per minute.

&1xbet sports betting ;We were really interested in interventions that students can do themselves or that build metacognitive skills,&1xbet sports betting ; Frey said. &1xbet sports betting ;Having the students build skills and learn to detect their own errors rather than teachers trying to fix them over and over again is really important for students.&1xbet sports betting ;

When one student excitedly said, &1xbet sports betting ;I can see me!&1xbet sports betting ; the researchers adopted the name for the principle of improvement using the webcams. Researchers said the students seemed to enjoy reading in front of cameras, and even students who disliked reading would read with the cameras.

&1xbet sports betting ;The students' ability to analyze their own reading through a guided discussion was truly what amazed me the most,&1xbet sports betting ; Houlton said. &1xbet sports betting ;When I look at the big picture of what this project did, it was that it made the students more accurate readers because they were more aware of the mistakes they were making.&1xbet sports betting ;

The researchers plan to use the webcams with other groups of 1xbet sports betting , such as 1xbet sports betting who are learning the English language, 1xbet sports betting with cognitive disabilities or 1xbet sports betting reading at a lower reading level. Houlton has also planned to use the webcams to help 1xbet sports betting prepare for oral presentations and understand geometry concepts, such as reflection.

&1xbet sports betting ;The students loved that I could make a DVD of their reading to show to their parents, or even e-mail the video to their parents,&1xbet sports betting ; Houlton said. &1xbet sports betting ;We also saved videos throughout the year so they could see their improvement from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.&1xbet sports betting ;

The researchers are preparing their research for publication and recently presented their project at the conference for the International Society for Technology in Education. Their research will also be published in the society's November magazine, Learning & Leading with Technology.