To get kids to read it is important that they get books they like. For lots of kids these books are non-fiction with interesting pictures of things like weapons or gross skin conditions, books that can be taken to anywhere and beaten up and shared.

In one way I am all for it, since e-readers allow fonts to be change, how many words per line, and has been proven to increase fluency. What I do not like is the use of the text-speak, for all readers. Although text-speak is a useful addition for students who have trouble with decoding, it still does not teach the children to learn how to decode. It must be taught, or otherwise there is too much dependence on hearing every unknown word, that will impact on reading fluency, instead of trying to sound out the unknown word on their own. Human nature will take the easy route, as in my youngest when I introduce text-speak apps. Although helpful for my youngest who has low phonemic awareness, text-speak could very well be used by the education system as the default for students who have decoding problems, rather than using the instruction route to remediate the decoding.

Further to my last post on the reliance on the use of tech devices and accommodations in the public education, rather than to ensure that all students have the essential skills needed to become effective readers and writers, a headline appeared in my e-mail - “CRA to spend $42,900 to help dyslexic worker learn French ” in the Globe. One federal employee, and he must be highly placed in Revenue Canada, to warranted language retraining, at a school that is own by a woman who developed a method called the Simultaneous Multisensory Teaching method (S.M.T.). http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/cra-to-spend-42900-to-help-dyslexic-worker-learn-french/article1933220/

It is “, based on the Orton system, is a language re-education method developed to meet the needs of students of all ages, who need a more thorough knowledge of the structure of written language, and a solid understanding of the association of sounds and symbols, before learning how to apply the concepts and rules of written language.”
http://www.dyslexiacentre.ca/english/smt_method.htm

The developer has founded schools, plus training programs for individuals and teachers to teach using the SMT methods.In addition to that, ” she conducts in-service trainings throughout School Boards and Universities in Canada as well as the Federal Government.”
http://www.heritage-academy.com/founder.htm
What one does not find in her schools, are a over-reliance on devices that will take short cuts in reading and writing proficiency. So unlike public schools, that are quite willing to sacrifice reading and writing proficiency, in favour of using less costly short-term solutions, passing the bad outcomes to the private sector, to fixed. And in this case, federal tax monies is handed to the private sector, because of the inadequacies of the public education system to remediate language problems and in part the beliefs held by the educrats on language. that are always looking for the cheapest solution, without regard of the long-term costs to the taxpayers and the ills of society.