SRI International Licenses EduSpeak Speech Recognition Software to Electronic Learning Products
MENLO PARK, Calif. -- August 30, 2006 -- SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development organization, today announced that Electronic Learning Products, Inc., a Florida-based developer of interactive educational software, has licensed SRI’s EduSpeak® speech recognition system.
SRI, a leader in speech technology, developed EduSpeak for multimedia applications in reading development and fluency assessment, foreign language learning, English as a Second Language (ESL), and corporate training and simulation. EduSpeak provides a speaker-independent speech recognition engine that works for children and adults as well as native and non-native speakers of various languages.
Electronic Learning Products will leverage the EduSpeak engine in "Tune In™ To Reading," its literacy intervention program, creating a new and unique method of improving literacy among struggling readers. Originally developed to improve singing, the program uses a combination of pitch-tracking technology and speech recognition to address five aspects of literacy: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
ELP's roots are in the music industry, where its flagship consumer product "SingingCoach," unexpectedly was found to improve literacy. This, in turn, led to the development of "Tune In™ to Reading" (TIR), its first educational product for the classroom. TIR provides a unique multimedia experience for students, which combines singing with real-time pitch tracking, along with advanced speech recognition that yields literacy gains while having fun.
The University of South Florida (USF) conducted a nine-week study of Electronic Learning Products' "learn-to-sing" program and found that it helped struggling readers improve their reading skills by a full grade level or more. The Florida Department of Education co-sponsored a wide-scale replication of the USF pilot study with 500 students, and reported similar results. USF has plans to conduct a field evaluation using the "Tune In™ to Reading" program with special needs groups.
"We searched long and hard for a speech recognition engine that would meet our needs and chose EduSpeak because its accuracy was superior to all others we could find on the market," said Ken Spiegel, chief operating officer, Electronic Learning Products. "We were impressed with EduSpeak's ability to integrate into our complex application environment and with SRI's ability to adapt it to our unique needs."
More information about EduSpeak and other SRI speech technologies available for license.
About Electronic Learning Products, Inc.
Electronic Learning Products (www.elpcorp.com) designs and markets software products for consumers and students that improve singing, reading and speaking. These fun-to-use and innovative products are found on software retailer shelves and classrooms around the nation. All products for the classroom are scientifically based and research proven. The company is privately held and based in Tampa, Florida.
About SRI International
Silicon Valley-based SRI International is one of the world’s leading independent research and technology development organizations. Founded as Stanford Research Institute in 1946, SRI has been meeting the strategic needs of clients for 60 years. The nonprofit research institute performs client-sponsored research and development for government agencies, commercial businesses, and private foundations. In addition to conducting contract R&D, SRI licenses its technologies, forms strategic partnerships, and creates spin-off companies.
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