IRC Logo

IRC

Internet Reality Check

5:00 pm Friday, 26 May 2000

Kurrajong Hotel Bar, Canberra

Topic: Perceptions of Literacy and Technology

Special Guest: John Worthington, Educational Consultant & Lecturer at the Schonell Special Education Research Centre, Graduate School of Education, The University of Queensland

John Worthington is undertaking full time doctoral research into The trajectories of observable literacy activities including the use of technology; parent and teacher perceptions and assessment ratings over three years:

The observations related to details such as, the length, number of sessions, location and timing of television and computer activities, reading, writing, book and non-book stories. Detailed assessments of pre-academic skills including receptive and expressive vocabulary, auditory comprehension, visual motor integration, school readiness and intelligence. Ongoing assessments also included basic reading, reading comprehension, spelling and mathematics reasoning.
Results from a longitudinal study are currently being finalised. The project involved the detailed monitoring of three years of development of thirty Queensland children. At the end of data collection in December 1999 a total of 28 different teachers had been involved, and the children were attending 13 different private and public schools.

Do TV and computers make a difference to children's ability to read and write, or do they just colour the perceptions of parents and teachers? Does television at home impede traditional educational performance? Do computers at school really help children? Join John Worthington and the Internet community of Canberra to discuss the issues over a drink.

As well as researching early literacy at The University of Queensland, John Worthington also continues to run a private practice, specialising in consultation services to schools and other agencies. He works with individual clients from Preschool age to the end of High School, undertakes group testing, class programs, and staff in-service activities on a contract basis.

John has practising rights at the Mater Staff Specialists Private Practice centre, as a visiting specialist at the Wesley Hospital and is a visiting consultant to the Sunshine Coast Paediatrics group. Current memberships and registrations include the Australian Board of Certified Counsellors, The Australian Guidance and Counselling Association and the Board of Teacher Registration (Queensland).

IRCs are free (but you have to buy your own drinks and one for the special guest) and open to anyone interested: just turn up. Internet Reality Check (not to be confused with Internet Relay Chat) is designed so that members of the 'net community can meet and exchange the small amount of very important information which is not suitable for digital transmission. ;-)


See also:
By Tom Worthington
Note: This information is no longer being updated but has been retained for reference.