Activity 2: MyWordz® with MySpeekie® Technology

This technology is used to support Activity 2 of Speedie Readies and the use of the One, Two, Three and Away series of one hundred readers. These books take children from single-word decoding and encoding to reading with fluency, vocabulary knowledge, and comprehension.
 

The TA will guide children to use the technology. As part of the pilot, they will also teach children how to use the MyWordz® app independently in class. Children can say any word to see the spelling and grapho phonemic structure, or type any word they cannot decode and view the structure. This means that during reading and writing in class, children can use the technology to work independently.

It matters that children can see the grapho phonemic structure because the technology shows the structure of all words, not just the grapheme phoneme correspondences that are taught in a synthetic phonics programme. English contains more than three hundred and fifty correspondences, far beyond the one hundred or so that are covered in validated programmes. By showing the complete structure for any word a child wants to read or write, the app makes the full alphabetic code visible. This helps children understand how sounds and letters connect across the entire orthography, not only within the restricted set taught in class. This is especially important for hildren a risk of reading and spelling difficulties, and when used in class within Reception and Year 1 prevents the dyslexia paradox.

It can also be used as a one-screen AAC.