Spellcheck is our Friend...Don't Make it an Enemy!

I have heard plenty of arguments both for and against spell-check. On one side, there is the spellcheck is the enemy and is killing the English language. I've heard, "Students are lazy, they assume spell check will fix their work, they don't even look it over"; "Students language is becoming basic because of spell check", "students don't know how to spell anymore".

On the other hand there are the supporters of spell check, "helps students become more independent in correcting their spelling", "they have and use it in their day to day use".

I will openly admit I'm pro spell check for my students, however, like all the tools our students use, they need to be shown the purpose and proper use of the tool to be effective. For example, just because a student in Gr. 1 knows how to navigate an Ipad, does not necessarily mean they know how to use an Ipad to support their learning. Chances are they know how to access their favourite show on YouTube and get to their favourite game, maybe even go and download some new games; don't confuse this with knowing how to use an Ipad for learning. Just like knowing how to open and create an email does not mean I know how to effectively communicate via email. That being said, just because a student knows that the little red underline means a word is spelled incorrectly and that they can right click on the word to get suggestions, does not mean they know how to effectively use spellcheck to improve their writing or communicate effectively.

So, how often do we as teachers take the time to show a student how to use spell check? Do we model and explain the importance of reading over their work even if there aren't any underlined words?  This is not just for grammatical reasons either, reading over their work for grammatical corrections is important, but I mean to read for spelling too. Right now I currently have multiple words underlined, but they're not spelled incorrectly, spell check can be used to teach the difference in spelling between countries that have the same language in that case. I also have the word YouTube underlined right now, but it's because I didn't capitalize the y and it's a proper noun...have we ever thought about using spellcheck to teach the use of proper nouns?

What about using spellcheck as tool for expanding students' vocabulary? Showing students the importance of finding out what all of the different "suggested words" mean vs. telling them to pick the one that makes sense. Perhaps getting students to think about why there are so many different suggestions based on the single word? Why would spellcheck give so many different suggestions? Encourage students to explore the different meanings of the words including the one they actually meant to spell. Could there be another word that would give their message more meaning or a more clear message? I know I have come across words I didn't know existed because of a misspelled word, why not embrace this?

All to often spell check is seen as "the devil" and avoided by teachers and students just use as best they know how, right click, pick the first word that is suggested. Sometimes it is avoided because "they already know how to use it", right click, pick the first word that is suggested. However, I think spell check should be embraced and taught as an effective tool to increase students' vocabulary and communicate more effectively. Do you teach how to use spell check?

Accessing Generation Like in Your Classroom

I recent watched a documentary called "Generation Like" I was very intrigued. In short the documentary shows how companies use individuals search history and social media usage (liking, sharing, etc) to bring advertising to the user. The documentary then goes to show how individuals who create their social media content and become popular (get a lot of likes or followers) can turn their "likes" into currency. In some cases, like it or not, students self worth comes from the number of likes their posts get. One reason for this could be that, if they get enough likes/followers, companies start to take interest and will pay them to promote their products through their social media. Whether they have 15 minutes of fame (remember "Damn Daniel!") or long time Youtube superstar Pewdiepie (over 49 000 000 subscribers) people are making money now by having followers and getting "likes". 

Understanding that students are a part of "Generation Like" and a lot of their day to day satisfaction comes from "likes" or "subscribers", how can we harness this in the classroom? 

Well, let's think about/look at gamification (not game based learning) but true gamification, students earning experience points to level up through assignments and tests. What if you turned your classroom into a social media setting where students collected "likes" and "followers". What if your assessments weren't a mark or a scale but a number of "likes" or "shares" and students needed to collect a certain number of "likes" to achieve a certain mark or to achieve a benchmark with their ultimate goal is to become a social media star in the classroom. If you really wanted to step up your game and tie it into the reality of likes and social media, there could be other extrinsic rewards like "sponsorship" opportunities based on the number of "likes". Now this situation is a little contrived and may not have the motivation to learn/explore/share we would like, but something to think about nonetheless. I think engagement and motivation in learning are things that we, as educators, are always striving for, especially because we (in Canada) are tied to a curriculum that we must teach. However you, as an educator, harness that motivation, whether it be through gamification, harnessing the power of "likes" or just being an awesome and amazing person, we are teaching a generation of students who are, in the words of Much Music, #MadetoMake. 

Ignite the Passion in Your Next PD Day

This past Wednesday I attended the Discovery Education Ignite Your Passion evening. If you haven't heard of Ignite talks here's one explaining what Ignite Talks are.

How awesome would this be at your next PD Day? If there's one thing teacher's have, it's stories! If there's another thing teachers have it's the ability to talk...and talk....and talk. That being said, one thing teachers struggle to talk about, either with their peers or with others, are the great things that are happening in their classroom and in their school. Another thing teachers struggle to talk about is what they are passionate about. Why? I'm not sure. Perhaps it's a culture in the profession that needs to be broken...perhaps too many of the people who were brave enough to share, were/are mocked and then they hide. I find this extremely ironic because we want students to share their thoughts and ideas (whether they're "right" or "wrong"), yet we won't do it ourselves? 

The moment I knew I needed to keep sharing was early in my teaching adventure. I had just finished sharing my thoughts in a staff meeting about differentiating for students with autism in the classroom. Although this was my 2nd year of teaching and first with a student with autism, I had spent two summers working at a camp for people with special needs. At camp we spent every single day differentiating and accommodating to make sure every single camper had the time of their life. So no, I didn't have a wealth of classroom experience with this population...however if you think it's difficult to accommodate and differentiate for a student with autism in classroom...trying doing it fishing on a boat in the middle of the lake. Anyways, a colleague of mine mocked my sharing, turning their nose at me with my "little classroom experience". I was a little, no, a lot deflated. Perhaps I needed to be. After all, I didnt have that much classroom experience. Then another colleague that day came and thanked me for sharing because they said more teachers need a view/understanding like that. I made 2 choices that day...1) I will share because even if I'm not an "expert" or a "veteran" somebody will appreciate it and learn. 2) I will never discredit someone who shares their thoughts. I will thank them for sharing no matter what their experience level because I learn when I share so they can/will too. 

Back to the Ignite...share your story, it will inspire someone and you will learn! 

My Open Letter About Open Letters

Dear writers of open letters,

I believe there is a time and place for open letters and at times open letters can be very powerful. However, let's be clear on a few things about said letters. First off, if you write an open letter, expect feedback. The feedback may be positive, it could go viral and you have thousands or millions of supportive comments and shares of your open letter. It may lead to someone supporting your cause for your open letter. However, it may also cause negative feedback, for example the Yelp employee who wrote an open letter to her CEO about the appalling conditions in which she was working in and found herself out of work.

Second, it is wonderful that you are being so "brave" and sharing your feelings with the entire internet community instead of sharing them with the person or people in which you are actually writing to. Perhaps it's just me and the nature of my job that I feel that if you are going to critique or criticize someone or some group that you should address it privately first, allow them the opportunity to not have to deal with the entire internet community because of one person who had a poor experience or was not treated properly. Don't write an open letter before this, you are hiding behind the keyboard and the faceless internet. If they fail to respond in a matter in which you feel was appropriate, publish away, make that letter open (but keep in mind point one, just because you felt wronged, the internet may not agree with you).

Finally, the internet is a very powerful thing and social media is an excellent avenue within the internet, and it should be leveraged when needed. Social media needs to be used responsibly...even Kanye needs to figure this out (really? Asking Zuckerberg for a bailout?). Don't jump on the social media rant-wagon because you didn't get your way or someone hurt your feelings. Jump on the social media positivity-wagon and make it a wonderful place where people write open letters about their journey battling/beating cancer or about how they received such excellent customer service from a company, or maybe even how great their company is to work for. Don't get me wrong, if push comes to shove, you may just see an open letter rant from me (oh...wait...). So let's think about the purpose of our open letters, take the right steps to address a situation before writing open letters and remember that just because you think you were "wronged" doesn't mean the internet will agree with you and the internet world can be mean!

Sincerely,

Nathan McEntee

2016 is an Exciting Year for Education

Why do you ask? Here we are in Alberta, on (hopefully) the cusp of a brand new curriculum and ultimately a reform to Education in Alberta. The vision for Inspiring Education is for Education in Alberta to create engaged thinkers, ethical citizens and an entrepreneurial spirit all while maintaining the core values opportunity, fairness, citizenship, choice, diversity and excellence. Sounds exciting doesn't it?

The vision set forth is awesome, but what does it mean for us (teachers)? For some, it may mean retirement, or a prescription for eternal damnation where they will have to throw out their worksheets and tests and spend hours upon hours creating brand new work sheets and tests. For the rest of us it is a giant breath of fresh air and why 2016 is an exciting year for Education!

We are finding new ways to teach the same curriculum in a new and exciting way that is more than just regurgitating facts and filling out worksheets. Teacher's are finding ways to incorporate different technologies into the classroom (like Google Apps for Education, Kahoot, WeVideo, Voxer, Sphero...the list goes on) to engage students in learning. They are also redefining their instruction to a flipped classroom (students preview content on their own time before coming to class to enhance discussion and working time in the classroom), blended learning, using the workshop model to ensure more small group or one on one time with students, as well as Project Based Learning. All of these ways of teaching take the focus  away from the teacher at the front being the bearer of all information and putting in the students hands (literally). Students are learning how to find, curate and create content to take control of their learning so they can be productive in the today's world and hopefully the world when they leave the formal education system.

Now as exciting as this is for me and for many of my fellow educators....it's not easy! It does take time to redefine your teaching, to learn, unlearn and relearn things, to learn what new technologies are available, how they work and how they can be integrated in the classroom, but I said it was an exciting year for education though....not an easy one!

So, fellow teachers, let's celebrate! Let's embrace the change and move forward to prepare our students, whom we care about, for the world in which they are going to enter, whether we know what that looks like or not!