Software to help you speed read? - Page 2

piperclassique · 12-30-2013, 04:11 AM

And your commission is how much?

Bob Russell · 02-28-2014, 11:02 PM

FYI, another take on speed reading from Business Insider...
http://www.businessinsider.com/sprit...ng-gifs-2014-2

Canuck_in_Japan · 03-01-2014, 02:52 AM

Staples has an interesting test to check your reading speed.
I seem to be only slightly above 300wpm which is apparently the national average which is pretty disappointing.

Lin2412 · 03-01-2014, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolRaven

I have used them in the past, but not lately. I've found it very useful, especially when I was mentally distracted or had a hard time focusing, and kept reading the same line, over and over.

It's similar theory to reading in narrow columns. I read faster, and am more focused, when I read in narrow columns. For me, it seems to create a mental rhythm.

Here's the one I've used online.

http://www.spreeder.com/

The bold is exactly what I usually experience especially when I'm reading classic books that I really want to absorb into.

I've never heard of spreeder before but that website looks very helpful. I even type with an inner voice and I very much read with an inner voice so truthfully I really want to improve on that so this is a huge help for me.

I find it funny to notice reading with an inner voice though. It's like you always knew you do that but I've never been this aware of it. lol

Bob Russell · 03-01-2014, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canuck_in_Japan

Staples has an interesting test to check your reading speed.
I seem to be only slightly above 300wpm which is apparently the national average which is pretty disappointing.

Here's the Staples reading speed page in case others are also interested...
http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marke.../speed-reader/

I got 635 wpm, going back for words or sentences that were hard to get. Believe I sometimes read slower and sometimes faster. And the whole thing leaves you thinking more about their testing than the text itself. But it has a lot to do with your familiarity with the topic, amount of "chewing on the material" you want/need to do and how much you choose to linger in general. It takes work to go fast.

(For those trying it, be aware that it reuses the same text over and over, so don't start until you are really ready to do the test.)

What's really funny is the scale with...
150 wpm - 3rd grade students
250 wpm - 8th grade students
300 wpm - average adults
350 wpm - 11th grade students
450 wpm - avg college students
575 wpm - high level executives
680 wpm - college professors
800 wpm - high scoring college students

I'd like to see how high scoring a college student would be if they read their advanced Physics or Statistics textbooks at 800 wpm! ;-)

mgmueller · 03-01-2014, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xanthe

Count me as another person who also has always wondered why anyone would want to speedread. It always seemed as if it would remove the fun from reading.

Quite the contrary.
If you speed-read at University, you can absorb an entire semester in a few hours. Thus reducing the boredom of weeks to a single day. (This only applies to information driven courses, where you'd memorize lots of data. Didn't work for me for mathematic courses, where you have to understand a topic, modify methodologies and such). If it's about absorbing as much information as possible, speed reading is extremely helpful and kind of fun.
I'd never do so for reading material I want to enjoy, though. Only for the material, where I have "to fight through".

WT Sharpe · 03-04-2014, 08:41 PM

I got a speed reading app on my iPad named Acceleread and have never used it. Now this thread has inspired me to buy yet another app: QuickReader. QuickReader is a reader with enhancements to help people read faster. I'll give them both a shot tonight.

Bob Russell · 03-06-2014, 10:12 PM

Let us know how it goes!

My problem in general with any apps that scroll automatically or control my reading speed is that I have to keep fiddling to recover from all the times my mind drifts (especially if the book triggers something I "have" to dwell on a bit). But I definitely like the idea...

WT Sharpe · 03-07-2014, 08:25 AM

Starting out, they're both very different. QuickReader has you reading a public domain story of your choosing from its library at a pace of your choosing, while Acceleread starts off by having you focus first on words in the center of the page in rapid-fire succession, than back and forth between three columns of words. I've been alternating between the two, but I can't do either for long because both of them—especially the Acceleread app—give me a headache. And I don't normally get headaches, with the rare exception of a sinus headache. Perhaps the headaches will subside once I become more use to the exercises.

MeSue · 03-07-2014, 05:27 PM

I'm pretty sure Quickreader lets you tap in the page to pause. That way you can catch up or pause to think.

WT Sharpe · 03-07-2014, 06:59 PM

That's correct; it does.

BookCat · 03-07-2014, 07:59 PM

I have Acereader on my pc but rarely use it. There are various modes of using the program, the one I've found most helpful is where it breaks a passage (which you can load into the program, or choose a pre-selected one) into groups of words which sort of roll along the page: the first group at the beginning of the 'line', the second further along etc. This discourages reading individual words and encourages reading word-groups, which both speeds reading and reduces inner vocalisation.

I do these things naturally now and did when I was studying literature at uni and needed to get through a lot of reading. I bought the program to refresh my speed at a time when I was very sluggish and frustrated with my slow reading.

There are lots of other programs which do similar things. Many people just naturally read efficiently.

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12-30-2013, 04:11 AM	#16
piperclassique A garbling groftpot Posts: 996 Karma: 9234667 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: France Device: Oasis, Voyage, Kobo mini, Samsung tablet, phones, whatever.	And your commission is how much?

02-28-2014, 11:02 PM	#17
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	FYI, another take on speed reading from Business Insider... http://www.businessinsider.com/sprit...ng-gifs-2014-2

03-01-2014, 02:52 AM	#18
Canuck_in_Japan Wizard Posts: 1,476 Karma: 14328611 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: Aura, Aura H2O, Kindle PW3	Staples has an interesting test to check your reading speed. I seem to be only slightly above 300wpm which is apparently the national average which is pretty disappointing.

03-04-2014, 08:41 PM	#22
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	I got a speed reading app on my iPad named Acceleread and have never used it. Now this thread has inspired me to buy yet another app: QuickReader. QuickReader is a reader with enhancements to help people read faster. I'll give them both a shot tonight.

03-06-2014, 10:12 PM	#23
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Let us know how it goes! My problem in general with any apps that scroll automatically or control my reading speed is that I have to keep fiddling to recover from all the times my mind drifts (especially if the book triggers something I "have" to dwell on a bit). But I definitely like the idea...

03-07-2014, 08:25 AM	#24
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	Starting out, they're both very different. QuickReader has you reading a public domain story of your choosing from its library at a pace of your choosing, while Acceleread starts off by having you focus first on words in the center of the page in rapid-fire succession, than back and forth between three columns of words. I've been alternating between the two, but I can't do either for long because both of them—especially the Acceleread app—give me a headache. And I don't normally get headaches, with the rare exception of a sinus headache. Perhaps the headaches will subside once I become more use to the exercises.

03-07-2014, 05:27 PM	#25
MeSue Geek in the Forest Posts: 399 Karma: 1077186 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: FL Device: iPad Air, iPhone 4s, Nexus 7	I'm pretty sure Quickreader lets you tap in the page to pause. That way you can catch up or pause to think.

03-07-2014, 06:59 PM	#26
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	That's correct; it does.

03-07-2014, 07:59 PM	#27
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,911 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	I have Acereader on my pc but rarely use it. There are various modes of using the program, the one I've found most helpful is where it breaks a passage (which you can load into the program, or choose a pre-selected one) into groups of words which sort of roll along the page: the first group at the beginning of the 'line', the second further along etc. This discourages reading individual words and encourages reading word-groups, which both speeds reading and reduces inner vocalisation. I do these things naturally now and did when I was studying literature at uni and needed to get through a lot of reading. I bought the program to refresh my speed at a time when I was very sluggish and frustrated with my slow reading. There are lots of other programs which do similar things. Many people just naturally read efficiently.