In 2012, a research study was conducted at the University of Utah Departments of Radiology and Bioengineering under the direction of Dr. Jeff Anderson. This study tested the effects of the eyeQ Brain and Learning Enhancement program on adolescent females between the ages of 12 and 20. An fMRI scan was used to measure brain activity in the subjects as they were reading. Then, the subjects underwent approximately 8 weeks of training using the eyeQ program. The program entails reading and eye exercises which strengthen eye muscles and stimulate the left and right sides of the brain. This is done through patented technology which alternates between exercises which focus on the left side and then the right side of the brain. Additionally, the program uses variable speeds during the exercises to challenge the brain’s cognitive and processing abilities. The eyeQ program is designed to activate the brain and promote more holistic brain activity in everyday functions.

After completing the eyeQ program, the subjects were again asked to read, while undergoing an fMRI scan. The results show that use of the eyeQ product changed the function of the brain. Core language regions were activated during reading both before and after eyeQ training, but by looking at relative differences in activation after as compared to before training, a picture emerges of changes in brain activity during reading associated with eyeQ training. The images below show the changes in brain activation. The left image shows changes in brain activity before and after reading before undergoing the eyeQ training. The right image shows changes in brain activity before and after reading after completing the eyeQ training program. The images are reversed, meaning that in these images, the left brain is shown on the right side, and the right brain is shown on the left. 

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By Jeffrey S. Solochek, Times Staff Writer 

In Print: Friday, December 17, 2010

DADE CITY — Maribel Sanchez scanned the computer screen as sentences whizzed by faster and faster.

Her eyes darted as words then popped up randomly, followed by geometric shapes that started small at the display center and expanded outward to the edges.

After seven minutes of these eye games, the Pasco High School senior faced a final challenge, a timed reading passage. Her goal: To improve upon her words per minute, while also boosting her understanding.

"Before, I didn't really much like to read a long book because it would take so long," said Sanchez, who's in her second year of intensive reading courses. "This keeps me reading and I have a fuller comprehension of reading the book."

Using the EyeQ program, developed in Japan in the 1980s, she has improved her ability enough to push her FCAT reading score up by nearly 40 points. Others have experienced even greater gains.

Teacher Robin Walters, a 2010 finalist for Pasco County teacher of the year, recommended the program to give Pasco High's lowest performing readers another technique to improve their abilities. She and some other educators, including principal Pat Reedy, donated their school recognition fund bonuses to cover the cost.

"With remedial reading, the students are reading one word at a time," Walters said. "This gives them the concept that good readers take in chunks at a time. We don't even read the whole word. … I have to teach fluency. That's what this is."

After a year, she saw the ACT scores of her students rise dramatically, to an average of 16 to 18 from an average of 10 to 12. Students came back telling her that they could get through the reading passages more easily, with enough time to answer the questions.

Which got her thinking that maybe this concept could work well for high performers, too.

So with the help of Pasco High's academic booster club, she brought EyeQ to AP. Students in Advanced Placement courses were given the opportunity to use the computerized program, which lasts just seven minutes every other day, to help them with their studies.

"Reading is reading," Walters said. "They need good reading skills out in the real world. And it doesn't matter if you're remedial or advanced. We can all improve in our reading skills."

Count junior Carson Brock among the believers.

He sampled the EyeQ system while studying for his AP psychology exam, and said it "really helped with the capacity" for his reading.

"I could read a lot faster and still understand it," Brock said. "It trains your eyes to take in more of the page."

He scored a 4 out of 5 on the test, and plans to pick up the practice again as he prepares for the AP language and composition test.

So too does junior Kevin McDougal, who said the method helped him get past the FCAT reading test and convince him that AP language and composition is doable.

"AP was overwhelming at first," said McDougal, who saw his reading speed increase from about 400 words per minute to almost 650 in just three months. "I wasn't expecting so much reading and writing. (With the EyeQ system) I was able to read a lot faster. I am actually able to keep up with the class."

Walters said she worried that students would not warm to the idea of another reading program. She said the school's successful football team helped make it stick.

Team members who had used the program, either in remedial or advanced courses, began telling stories about how they were taking in more of the football field, noticing movement in the periphery that they hadn't seen before.

That became a selling point, Walters said, as reluctant students came to accept the new initiative. They showed how the work related not just to school success, but also to the "real world," she said.

It helps that the work doesn't take long, she added. That means it's not an imposition for students who work, play sports or have other commitments after school, unlike after-hours tutoring or other types of homework.

"It's pretty easy," said junior Maricela Mendoza, whose reading speed increased by nearly 100 words per minute in less than three months. "And it challenges you to do the best you can."

Junior Earnestine Burns credited the program with helping her get out of the intensive reading course — the goal for everyone in it.

"When I first started it, I was reading slow. Then I started reading faster. And I can understand things," Burns said. "I passed the FCAT reading. That helped me out."

Walters acknowledged that EyeQ, as virtually every reading intervention, is not for everyone. And it comes with detractors who question its value as well as supporters who applaud it.

Bottom line for her, though, is that it offers good results for many teens.

"It's not the end-all," she said. "But it's a piece of the pie."

One that has gained traction for some of Pasco High's best and worst readers.

"It's a real good thing that our school can have something that can cater to kids at all levels," Brock said. "It's helped. Definitely."

Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at solochek@sptimes.com or (813) 909-4614. For more education news, visit the Gradebook at www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook.

As decision makers move forward they are analyzing new programs and technologies, looking to meet the following needs:

·         Does the technology enhance existing educational goals and curriculum?

·         Does the technology improve student or teacher effectiveness? Or even both?

·         Is the technology cost effective and sustainable?

While it may be hard to imagine that there are technologies out there that can meet all of these criteria, there are options which can and do meet them. One such technology is eyeQ, an online reading and learning enhancement tool. The patented program is designed to increase reading speed, reading comprehension, and improve the brain’s ability to acquire and retain new information and concepts. Using high speed imaging exercises, eyeQ activates both sides of the brain. This unique aspect of the program not only increases the rate at which students read and understand the material, but it also strengthens the learning function of the brain. By increasing the right brain’s activity, students are able to grasp whole concepts at one time, and are also better able to process and retain that information, making it available for future use as acquired knowledge.

EyeQ was originally created in Japan by Dr. Akihiro Kawamura, a double PhD in child education. After 30 years of implementation in Japan’s educational system from elementary level, through university level institutions, the program has enjoyed wide spread success. Dr. Kawamura is the recipient of the Emperor’s Award, Japan’s equivalent to the Nobel Prize, for his work in education, and child development. EyeQ was brought to the United States and adapted for the English language by Jeffrey Flamm, CEO of Infinite Mind.

Since its implementation here in the United States, eyeQ has over 1 million users in homes within the U.S. and has been implemented in over 1,000 schools across the country within the last two years. It has been shown to improve student performance on standardized tests such as Dibbles, CRT, SAT, ACT, GMAT and LSAT by an average of 20%. These results are seen within 8 weeks of implementing the eyeQ program in a given school or classroom. To validate its claims of effectiveness, eyeQ has undergone significant testing.

·         An independent study done at Caltech showed that after one session of the eyeQ program, activity levels in the test subject’s right brain increased 1500%.

·         In a study conducted by Harvard professor Dr. Steven Shaha, every demographic within the test class improved in reading, language and mathematics as a result of using the eyeQ program. This test included demographics such as Title 1 students, English Language Learners (ELL), Special Needs, Resource Reading Students, as well as Top Performing Students. All demographics saw significant improvement in the areas tested.

·         Students who used the program for a full semester at Brigham Young University tripled their reading speed while increasing their reading comprehension by over 30%.

·         A Kaplan Professor of Law uses the eyeQ program to prepare pre-law students for the LSAT. He guarantees that his students will pass the LSAT after taking his class and completing the eyeQ program as part of that class. He has yet to refund a single student.

Coupling the eyeQ program with existing educational curriculum not only improves student performance, it enhances teacher performance as well. While implementing eyeQ in a class, concepts are easier for students to absorb, process and synthesize into meaningful answers. This reduces the amount of repetition, and also yields higher results on student exams. Teachers have also reported increases in focus and order within the classroom after using the eyeQ program.

Going back to the criteria for new classroom technology, eyeQ also meets budget demands for schools and districts with limited funds. The eyeQ program is highly affordable. CEO Jeffrey Flamm has indicated that he equally as interested in improving education in America as he is in expanding his business. By making the eyeQ program affordable he has made its benefits available to all students of any demographic. For low income areas, eyeQ qualifies for Title 1 funding. In addition, schools can use eyeQ’s fundraiser program to raise the money to get the program into their classrooms. Unlike with some classroom technologies, the cost of eyeQ is not prohibitive.

EyeQ is also simple and easy to implement. It does not require any new hardware, infrastructure upgrades or software purchases. It is available online via the Internet, and all updates happen automatically. Teachers and administrators can monitor student progress through convenient back-end reporting.

With the tightening of educational budgets and the explosion of technology available for classrooms, it is imperative that educators and decision makers carefully evaluate what products and technologies they bring into the classroom. The technology must enhance existing curriculum, improve teacher and/or student performance, and come at an affordable price. As an educational tool, eyeQ presents a powerful and effective product at a reasonable cost. For more information regarding these case studies, or on eyeQ and implementing it in your school or district please review the following:

Website: www.eyeqadvantage.com

Sales: sales@eyeqadvantage.com

Phone: 801-453-1700

I've always been an avid reader. I was reading 500-600 page books when I was a little kid. I love fiction, and history. Since I got my MBA I have been doing a lot more reading on business. The trouble for me was always that I just didn't read very quickly. It created problems from elementary school all the way through my MBA program. It just took forever to get through all the reading! Plus, half of the time I would read a whole page and not even remember what I'd read. Not effective.

I got hired here last year. I got to work on the new eyeQ Online Edition and develop much of the reading material you'll find in it. Especially the Intro level. I liked writing the little stories about butterflies and sharks and farms. Fun stuff. ;)

Since I was using the program anyway, I started doing the sessions in the Advanced level. In my first session I found out I was reading at 225wpm. That is BELOW the national average. Not too good. I'm the perfect case study on the effectiveness of the eyeQ program.

I made it a part of my routine. I'm lucky enough to be able to do it work. I do it first thing after I get in and settled at my desk. Before I had finished the first 12 sessions my reading speed went from 225-947 wpm! I quadrupled my reading speed!

Often times people ask me if there is any added benefit besides reading really fast. My answer is always, "YES!" I understand what I read better because my mind is engaged. I retain what I read better as well.

As another totally random and surprising benefit I have noticed is that my typing speed has gone up dramatically. I can type a lot faster than I did before I started at Infinite Mind. I was surprised and pleased with this little development.

The bottom line for me, is that eyeQ actually worked. Many people are like me and say, "I'll believe it when I see it."

Well, buy it. I've included a link in this post. You'll see for yourself. I'm more productive here at work, reading is easier and more enjoyable, and I definitely have felt a difference in my life as a result of using the product.

Once you've used it, like this article, and share it on your wall with your friends. Let them know how to improve their lives.

https://www.eyeqadvantage.com/Products/Products/eyeQ-Online-Edition/ 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Pamela Steele-Unger

O2 Media, Inc.

pamela@o2mediainc.com

(954) 691-1102

“The Balancing Act’s” Parent Teacher Corner Series Begins Production

on The Future is Now: The Dream School of the 21st Century

Pompano Beach , Florida. One small corner of the nation will start to get a little smarter, as leading minds in K12 education converge on the set of the Lifetime morning television series, “The Balancing Act” . On February 28 and 29, production will begin on The Future is Now: The Dream School of the 21st Century, a special one hour edition of the Parent Teacher Corner, the educational series within “The Balancing Act.” This television special will help launch the Dream School Challenge of the Districts, a contest designed to engage and empower all of America to take a positive steps towards the improvement of education in America. We are giving every citizen a voice - a chance and a means to change the lives of the students in their hometown with the simple cast of a vote for their Public School District. The selected winning District with the most votes will receive up to $250,000 in educational prizes from the producers of “The Balancing Act” and participating sponsors: Kuno /CurriculumLoft, Infinite Minds, Virco, Inc. and The Source for Learning, as well as a chance to appear on Lifetime Television.

The contest will empower students, parents and faculty to help make changes within their districts and schools. The one hour special will educate audiences on the possibilities for change. The Special will take the viewer on a tour across America to discover schools that are already operating with 21st century tools; classrooms where students are engaged in learning, and where teachers are empowered.

For this special, we have gathered six of the most influential leaders in education to help us explore the issues that are plaguing K12 educational success and to offer solutions that are moving America forward. The leaders, members of Learning First Alliance, are Dr. Dan Domenech, Executive Director, American Association of School Administrators, Don Knezek, CEO, International Society for Technology in Education, Betsey Landers, President, National PTA, Nancy Poliseno, Association for Middle School Education, Rob

Monson, President, National Association for Elementary School Principals and Ken Griffith, President of National Association for Secondary School Principals.

No more will we sit back and allow other counties to supersede America in math and reading. No more will we allow our students to fail, to drop out, or to give up! Together we are united with one vision to change the face of Education in America.

About “The Balancing Act” on Lifetime Television

“The Balancing Act” show airs daily on Lifetime Television at 7:00am (ET/PT). “The Balancing Act” on Lifetime Television is America’s premier morning show that’s about women, for women and trusted by women. For information or to view a show, visit http://www.TheBalancingAct.com. You can also follow “The Balancing Act” on Lifetime Television at; http://www.facebook.com/TheBalancingActFans, www.twitter.com/BalancingActTV and www.youtube.com/thebalancingact. About BrandStar Entertainment BrandStar Entertainment is well known for its cutting-edge, content-driven women’s programming, including “The Balancing Act” on Lifetime Television. The Balancing Act TV show inspires and empowers women with entertaining and educational segments, placing them in the best position to achieve success in every aspect of their lives. For more details about BrandStar Entertainment, please visit http://www.brandstartv.com. For information on becoming a content partner for “The Balancing Act” on Lifetime Television, contact BrandStar Entertainment at Brandutainment@o2mediainc.com.

Many of our customers often ask how to get the most out of their eyeQ experience. We share this information in phone and email conversations on a regular basis. It occurred to me that it would be helpful to have it compiled into one nice, neat place.  We have created this article into a web page which you can visit here.

Or, you can read this blog, in which I lay it out in simple terms. So, for those of you looking to make eyeQ more effective, enjoy! For those of you looking for material to practice your eyeQ reading skills on, this will do.

10 Keys to success with eyeq

1. SET A GOAL

Set a personal goal for your reading speed improvement. For example, two or three time as fast as your starting speed. Having a goal in mind will help you work to continually improve.

2. IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU

Do not compare your progress to others. Everyone has his or her own unique learning ability. EyeQ is designed to help individuals improve their reading and learning abilities. If you are seeing improvements in your reading, comprehension and learning, then you are doing just fine!

3. RELAX

Always relax when doing the eyeQ sessions. Otherwise your speeds may not increase. Many factors can contribute to getting the most out of eyeQ. Your mental state is among the most important. To get the most out of the program, try making it a part of your daily routine. If possible, set time aside each day when you can dedicate yourself to your practice without interruption. Before starting, try to take a moment to relax and calm your mind. This will allow you to give your whole attention to improving your reading speed. It will also help you to improve your focus and productivity in other areas of your life as you train your brain to focus and block out other distractions.

4. ONE SESSION, EVERY OTHER DAY

Complete a 7-minute eyeQ session every other day. EyeQ may fatigue your eyes. The exercises are designed to strengthen the muscles which control eye movement. By completing a session every other day you will allow your eyes time to adjust to the exercises, making your training more effective.

5. 2-POINT TRAINING

On your “off days,” practice 2-point training in the Personal Training Center. The 2-point training is the most effective supplement to the eyeQ program for improving your reading speed. It will train your eyes to flow from left to right in one fluid movement, teaching you to read the words in rapid succession without pausing over smaller word segments.

6. SESSIONS 1-8: SPEED

Don’t worry about comprehension yet. During the first 8 sessions, your eyes are being strengthened to accommodate the rapid movements necessary for increasing reading speed. Your brain is being trained to see and process words and concepts faster. You are instilling the techniques you practice in the eyeQ sessions into your reading habits so that they come naturally. By session 8 you will have accomplished all of this so that your brain can focus more on improving your comprehension, instead of trying to improve reading speed and comprehension at the same time.

7. SESSIONS 9-12: COMPREHENSION

Now that you have completed sessions 1-8 you are ready to begin the advanced sessions of the eyeQ program. By this time you should have mastered the techniques of speed reading and are now ready to increase your reading comprehension and enhance your learning faculties. In these final sessions of the eyeQ program your reading speed may decrease slightly from your highest scores. Continue practicing the proper techniques, but focus on comprehending what you are reading at these higher speeds. Your comprehension and reading speed will then increase together.

8. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Between sessions, practice reading books, magazines, or newspapers at a rapid speed, finding the basic concepts in the reading material. In order for eyeQ to have a lasting impact on your reading speed and your life, you must apply what you learn during the eyeQ sessions and training exercises to your everyday reading. You can practice with anything! Emails, work reports, documents, and more. You will find that as you practice you will be more productive and focused in school and work.

9. WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, HOW

To increase comprehension, review in your mind the “who”, “what”, “where”, “when”, “why” and “how” questions. These are the critical elements of any writing. By keeping these ideas in your mind as you read you will be able to pick out concepts at a much quicker pace. Once you have established what is being said in an article, email or book, you will be able to read through it at lightning speeds because you will not have to spend as much time processing the meaning of each individual word. You will be able to read entire sections of text at one time and know and understand their meaning.

10. HAVE FUN!

Don’t take yourself too seriously. The program is most effective if you relax and enjoy reading faster.

(Pompano Beach, FL) BrandStar Entertainment, producers of the popular morning show, The Balancing Act on Lifetime TV, welcomes on board Infinite Mind LLC, an innovative company that promotes brain enhancement and learning products. They will be making their appearance on a special “Parent Teacher Corner” edition of The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television. 

(Pompano Beach, FL) BrandStar Entertainment, producers of the popular morning show, The Balancing Act on Lifetime TV, welcomes on board Infinite Mind LLC, an innovative company that promotes brain enhancement and learning products. They will be making their appearance on a special “Parent Teacher Corner” edition of The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television.

In the upcoming segment a representative from Infinite Mind will join the show to talk about the many benefits of using eyeQ™— and how the program extends into all aspects of life.

“We’re looking forward to having Infinite Mind join The Balancing Act on Lifetime TV.  Our viewers will be able to learn about the eyeQ™ program-- and how it's the right tool to use to enhance your brain’s capabilities," says Doug Campbell, Executive VP of Programming for BrandStar Entertainment’s The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television.