A multimedia approach gives teachers a practical way to provide individualized phonemic awareness instruction. Just as students enter school at different levels of preparedness, they learn through different methods. The use of technology combined with classroom activities and manipulatives provide the needed diversity. It requires the teacher to work on repetitive listening activities with each student on an individual basis. Computer software can deliver this instruction in engaging and interactive ways, allowing the teacher to work with small groups on expressive language activities.
Technology is only one component of a multimedia model early literacy.
Multimedia solutions integrate technology that strengthens receptive language skills with group activities that develop expressive language skills and books on tape and video with companion printed books to support the transition from spoken language to written words. The use of various media for teaching early reading skills gives teachers the resources needed to teach to individual learning preferences. That Work Beckford Avenue School, a K-5 elementary in the Los Angeles Unified School District, is using Cognitive Concepts' Earobics software with books and classroom activities to help students develop early reading and spelling skills. The adaptive software enables me to individualize instruction for each child. For example, one child can be working on phoneme discrimination.