Digital Intensive 16th June 2017

Visibility and connectivity were the focus for the day and my aim was to add some bells and whistles to my very plain literacy site. Motivation is based on the need to make connections whether it be on a blog, in a class page or on a professional site.  Marshal McLuhan once said the medium is the message and the digital classroom offers the opportunity to change how we perceive education. Just as television changed the way we perceive crime, warfare, and politics so to the digital classroom will change the way we perceive education. In the 1960s, for example, the television news changed family life forever and now the digital classroom has the potential to do this as well.

For this to happen successfully students must be engaged in authentic reading (as opposed to whole language reading tasks) and writing tasks. If students can't summarize the text they have just read then it is up to us to ensure they are given support with their reading, support that empowers or improves their comprehension skills.

One of the elements used to describe an authentic reading task is simply, reading with instruction. This involves the explicit teaching of skills and strategies which address the learning needs of our students. Comprehension is a skill which needs to be taught. In a Glen Innes school this is not an add-on or something extra. It is instead, a basic requirement, one which ensures we address the learning needs our students.  Instruction which helps students recognize the regularities and structures of written texts is an essential aspect of our teaching.

The site 'Literacy Blends', now in development, aims to provide examples of literacy infused instruction for the classroom. This is not the sugar and cream of text teaching instead it is the inky black stimulant of improved motivation where students move from, "But Sir, we don't like reading," to thoughtful understanding through comprehension.  I will add historical material to the site along with material that I have created in collaboration with students and staff. The use of reading strategies has the potential to transform classrooms where students find a purpose in their reading.

Lastly, the Point England School presentation assembly, run for Pat Snedden in recognition of his citation as a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit was a moving event which celebrated his wonderful contribution to education in New Zealand.