FAQ

Buttons

Q. I can't get the buttons to open .
A. Move your cursor over the text or see Specifications

Cost.

Q. Is it all free?
A. Everything on the web site is free and can be copied non-commercially.
I can no longer supply free DVDs but there are two authorised commercial sellers

Copying.

Q. Can I copy the program?It is copyright © Valerie Yule with a Creative Commons copyright, but
everything can be copied and you can share it around.
You can print out documents.
If you have the facilities, you can copy items on to a DVD or CD.

Contact

Q. How can I contact you?
A. Email or send a card to Valerie Yule, 57 Waimarie Drive,
Mount Waverley, Vic. Australia 3149.
All messages cannot be replied to, but all will be read.

Content

Q. Isn't there too much in one go for learners to take in at one viewing.
A. It is intended to be watched several times. The Home Page sets out 14 different sections of the movie
so that you can watch or download al the parts you need to watch again.

Watching again and again makes it all familiar and easy to understand.
This is better than 'a million ways to learn one thing.'

Downloads

Q. I can't find where my downloads go to.
A. Look on your desk-top. You can then move your downloads to wherever you like.

DVD

Q. How can I get a copy of the DVD?
A.There are now commercial distributors, so that the DVD can be accessed from libraries, schools, courses, video-shops,
or bought cheaply if you cannot copy your own.

Evaluations

Q. Have there been evaluations of whether this is useful?
A. Yes. See for example Appendix 6A to submission 144 to the
Australian Federal Government Nelson Inquiry into the Teaching of Reading. here and here

Almost everyone discovers something useful that they did not know,
and very many are greatly helped.
Some viewers may prefer different pictures, songs or style. Everyone is different.

We would like different versions to suit diffrent tastes and needs.
But until then, it is worth half an hour to watch the parts you do not know well.
Official evaluations are welcomed.

Loading Time

Q How long must I wait for the video or a section to load?
A. This varies according to your computer and speed of internet connection.
The whole movie is a large file and so it takes longer than the short sections of it that you can view from the Home Page,
and view online or download to your computer.

Scroll over the buttons at the top of the page for Sounds, Letters, Words, Spelling and Reading what you want to read.

Lessons

Q. Can it all be set out as lessons?

A. Yes, but the half-hour overview is the most important thing to watch to understand spelling and be helped in reading.
Listen to the instructions for 'activities' in the voice-over on the Home Page.
But you can break it down into 22 lessons if you want. See http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ozideas/literacy.htm and its links.

 Check lists

Q. How can I remember what I find out?

A You can download and print out check lists from the Ozreadandspell website,
to see how much you knew already and how much you find out.

There is a colored picture checklist and a plain black and white. Choose the one you want.

Q. If someone cannot read, how can they work this program?

A.. 1. The DVD Version 11 of Oz read and spell can be watched on a DVD player. This is the easiest way to go.

Or 2. Use the web-site pages. Someone will need to show learners how to get on to the web-site pages.
Then they can find their own way next time.

3. Listen to the introduction on the Home Page.

4. Parts of the video can be downloaded on to your computer so that learners can open
just the sections they want to watch again and again.

Opening program

If the program will not open, download Flash and Acrobat Reader from the first page.

Picture size

Q. Can I make the movie pictures bigger?
A. Yes.
Download the sections you want on to your computer and make them any size you want.

Problems

Note that different computers work differently so some problems can be computer specific.

Q. The sound and the pictures do not always match.
A. Your computer cannot cope with the whole big movie at one go.
Watch or download the sections of it that you want to watch from the Home Page.

 Q. I wait and wait for a part to load, and the slider does not move from 0%.
A. Try again another time in case it is just a glitch.

Questions

Q. Any more answers to questions?
A. See The Serious Side on www.ozreadandspell.com.au

Research

Q. What is the research and rationale that backs this program?
A. See the Serious Side.

Specifications

Q. What do I need for my computer to run the full program?
A. Preferably broadband or cable
PC preferablyWindows 2000XP or above
Macintosh preferably OS X or above

Earlier systems and dial-up modem can work but can be too slow.
And see specifications on the ENTER page

Spelling

Q. Why is the spelling sometimes odd? eg grafics not graphics?
A. Because some day English spelling will be made easier,
and why shouldn't words like grafic be spelled more like the original Greek?

Starting

Q. There is so much that I do not know where to start.

A. Go to the Home Page, and look at the different sections at the top, to see what you want to watch first.
If it is spelling that you want to understand, for example, then you will start at Part 4.
Then you can look at the other parts and other information on the Home Page whenever you like.

Synchronising

Q. The sound and the pictures do not always match.
A. Your computer may not be able to cope with the whole big movie at one go.
Go to the Home Page and load the sections of it that you want to watch or copy to your computer.

Theory

Q. Which theory of reading is Ozreadandspell based on? There are so many theories of reading.
A. All of them - Whole Language, Whole Word Learning, Synthetic Phonics, Analytic Phonics,
Multisensory Learning, Eclectic - They are all applied!

Versions

Q. Can there be different versions for different needs?
A. Different versions should be made for children, teenagers, English language learners, versions for different cultures,
learners with particular difficulties.

We would like to make DreamTime Dillybag with Australian indigenous teachers, artists, writers and musicians.

Learners deserve the best.

Volume

Q Can I change the volume of the sound?
A. Yes, your computer has a way to make the volume louder or softer.