IETA 2024

Children interact with technology on a daily basis that requires them to type, and many programs use spellcheckers to support these tasks. However, those spellcheckers are generally designed for more traditional users: adults. As a result, most commercially available spellcheckers can actually impede the clarity of writing, rather than supporting student autonomy and voice as writers. The fact that out-of-the-box spellcheckers do not work well for children is well known by educators, but they need strategies to help students leverage this technology and develop as spellers and writers. In this session, we will first discuss spelling, generally, and why standard spellcheckers are so bad at correcting student spelling. Next, we will present simple strategies children can be taught to more effectively utilize the spellcheckers integrated into their existing technology. Finally, we will present a freely available novel spellchecker (KidSpell) that uses a phonological approach to spelling correction and provides students with audio and visual cues to help them select their intended word from a list of suggestions.