Sounds

This program uses names and pictures of items making sounds in our day-to-day life to help the student to learn listening, identifying, and naming skills. There are five sub-programs.

Select a program by clicking on the option and then click the “Enter” button to open the program.

Help

Click on the “Help” button to view the help contents. The help file opens in a separate window.

About

Click on the “About” button to view the profile of this company.

Enter

After selecting a sub-program, click on the “Enter” button to open the program.

Exit

To close this “Actions” program, click on the “Exit” button.

Note: In most of our matching and activity programs, the student must wait until the command voice has finished before he/she clicks on the object. For instance, the voice must finish “Match catching” before the student clicks on the catching picture. (If the student clicks on the catching picture before the voice command is finished, nothing will happen.) Therefore the teacher/parent needs to instruct the student to wait for the voice command to finish.

These sub-programs are:

1. Sound Matrix

Select the option “Sound Matrix” and click on the “Enter” button to open this program.

Items which make sounds are shown here in a two-row, two-column matrix. When the mouse pointer moves over the picture of an item, an animation related to the sound-making item plays in the box on the right side of the screen and the sound can be heard. There are, in this program, three pictures and animations for each sound-making item. Click on the picture to view the next picture and animation.

>> and <<
By clicking on “>>” or “<<” the student can view the next or the previous set of sound-making items.
Auto Play
Check this box to run the Sound Matrix program automatically; the student can just sit back and watch. To stop the automatic run, uncheck the box.
Sound
This is selected by default. When this option is selected, the student hears a voice name the item and the action and then hears the sound made by the action. If it is unchecked, the student hears only the sound made by the item.
Label
This option is selected by default. When this box is checked, the name of the item and the action appears just below the picture.
Done
Click on the “Done” button to close “Sound Matrix” and return to the main program.
2. Identifying Sounds Using Pictures

Click on “Identifying Sounds Using Pictures” and then click the “Enter” button to open this program.

The default selections for this program are: Level 3, Training Mode, Command Text, Prompt with Blink, Congratulatory Animation, and Select All.

Here the student hears a sound and is asked to identify the item which makes the sound. The item that makes the sound (with or without distracter/s) is shown on the bottom of the screen. The student is asked to click on the correct sound-making item at the bottom of the screen.

Level 1
When this option is selected, one sound-making item appears at the top of the screen. The same sound-making item is shown at the bottom of the screen to be matched with the one at the top, without any distracter.
Level 2
When this option is selected, one sound-making item appears at the top of the screen. Two sound-making items are shown at the bottom of the screen to be matched with the one at the top of the screen. There is one correct choice and one distracter.
Level 3
This level is selected by default. One sound-making item appears at the top of the screen. When this option is selected, three sound-making items are shown at the bottom of the screen to be matched with the one at the top of the screen. There is one correct choice and two distracters.
Training

The Training mode is selected by default.
Test
Here, the student can test him/herself. “Prompt” and “Congratulatory Animation” are disabled. The test results are recorded and “Report” becomes enabled
Report

Only under “Test” mode is “Report” enabled. After doing any number of test problems, you can click on “Done” to see the report. When you click on “Done” the settings screen appears. Now click on the “Report” button under “Test” to see test results. First the current test result will be shown with the date, starting time, end time, and level of the test. It also shows the percentage of correct answers. There are also buttons for showing test results in different forms. “Report” allows the teacher/parent to measure the student’s progress. The following are available.
Detailed Report
This screen shows test results including the grade, object identified, distracters, and time taken to finish the test.
View Old Records
If there are old test results, they will be shown on this screen. The current test result is always on top.
Bar Chart
If you wish to see test results on a bar chart, click this button.
Overalls 
This button appears on the Bar Chart Screen. Here, the student can see the average of all test results of up to the last ten attempts. Written vertically on the bar are: overall percentage of correct answers, and date and starting time of the tests. When there are any old results, they will be shown, left to right, from oldest to latest.
Right Arrow
This changes the display to the next more recent set of test results. When the current test result is on the screen, this button is grayed.

Left Arrow
This changes the display to the previous set of test results. When this button is grayed, there is no earlier test to see.

On the top left corner, the display indicates which record is being shown out of total records.

Print
When this button is clicked, the printer prints the current screen.
Delete
All existing records will be erased if this button is clicked. (But a warning message box pops up and asks for confirmation.)
Done 
Click on this button to close the screen and return to the previous screen.
Command Text
This is checked by default. When checked, a command text, “Click on the item that makes this sound.” appears at the bottom of the screen. If unchecked, the command text will not be visible.

User Defined

When this box is checked, the next screen will be the “SELECTION” screen. This screen allows the teacher/parent to choose the sound-making item and its location on the screen. It also allows the teacher/parent to choose the distracter/s.

There are no distracters for Level 1. The teacher/parent selects only the sound-making item.

For Level 2 and Level 3, the teacher/parent has to select the sound-making item, its location, and distracters from the User Defined “selection” screen before clicking the “Ok” button.

The picture-matching screen has a “Back” button. The student can return to the User Defined setting screen by clicking this button. Click the “Done” button to close the User Defined program.

Prompt

This is checked by default. If the student fails to match the correct sound-making item within ten seconds, the program guides him/her to the correct picture. This is available for “Training” mode but disabled for “Test” mode.

Uncheck this box if the prompt is not needed in “Training” mode.

Prompt with Blink
This option is selected by default. If the correct sound- making item is not chosen after ten seconds, it blinks.
Prompt with Label
The names of the sound-making items appear below the pictures.

Congratulatory Animation 

This box is checked by default. This is available only for the “Training” mode. When this is checked, clicking the correct picture invites a congratulatory animation. This animation runs for ten seconds. Click anywhere on the screen or press the space bar to stop the congratulatory animation.

Uncheck the box if the student doesn’t need congratulatory animation.

Selection
All items are selected, by default. Click on the check box to select or deselect the item.
Select All
This is checked by default. Check this box to select all sound-making items. Uncheck to deselect all.
Ok
Click this button to open this program after choosing settings.
Done
Click this button to close this program and return to the main menu.
3. Identifying Sounds Using Words

Click on “Identifying Sounds Using Words” and then click the “Enter” button to open this program.

This program runs like “Identifying Sounds Using Pictures,” but instead of pictures, words for the items that make the sounds are used. The student is required to click on the correct word which represents the item.

The settings are the same as those of “Identifying Sounds Using Pictures”.

4. Matching Similar Sounds

Click on “Matching Similar Sounds” and then click the “Enter” button to open this program.

This program asks the student to match similar sounds. One sound-making item is shown on top of the screen, and its sound plays in the background. One, two or three sound- making item/s (depending on the Level selected) are shown at the bottom of the screen. One of the items at the bottom and the one on top make similar sounds. (The student can move the mouse over the items at the bottom to hear the sounds they make.) The student should click on the item at the bottom that makes the sound similar to the sound made by the item at the top.

The settings are the same as those of “Identifying Sounds Using Pictures”.

5. Activity with Sounds

Select the option “Activity with Sounds” by clicking on it and click on the “Enter” button to open this program.

The settings are same as those of “Identifying Sounds Using Pictures”.

This program runs like “Identifying Sounds Using Pictures”. The program asks the student make a certain sound. The student clicks on the item that makes the sound that is requested by the program.

When the correct picture is chosen, the corresponding animation plays while distracters, if any, disappear.