Building a Better Student with Dom Testa-- Spell Check #education #learningtools

One of my co-workers at the radio station said something interesting to me this week. He said, “Spell check made me into a good speller.”

At first I thought he was kidding, but no. He told me that he was horrible at spelling when he was younger, but through the years spell check taught him. And it stuck. Today his computer and phone rarely need to correct him.

I walked away and thought about the significance of this observation. At their core people seem to scowl at technology in terms of education and all-around learning. 

In fact, almost daily we hear someone lament that “kids ain’t learnin’ nothin’ with them darned screens in their face all day.”

But is that true?

Try doing an online search using these five words: How technology helps students learn.

You’ll discover a vast archive of stories, studies, and stats that show how devices - even the frightening phone or the terrifying tablet - can open up a world of information to students who perhaps never found education . . . well, interesting.

Our non-profit foundation, The Big Brain Club, provides all sorts of services and resources to schools, but we always try to make technological donations an important part of the equation. Why? Because teachers tell us that gadgets often help them to connect with students who otherwise would sit in the back of the room with their arms crossed.

It will be argued, of course, that some kids will try to sneak over to the games instead of the lesson, but that’s not a generational thing; it’s human nature. And it shouldn't detract from the positive effects that lurk at our fingertips. 

What, we throw out the entire system because a few people corrupt it?

Voltaire taught us that perfect is the enemy of good. Well, electronic tools can be harnessed for good. Lots of good.

Instead of crusading to get phones and tablets out of the hands of students, let’s search for more ways to make each gadget an accessory to education. If, over time, spell check can help a grown man - who we normally view as stuck in his old habits - to become more proficient with language skills, then imagine what other devices can do if unleashed upon minds that are more naturally open to learning.

I spell that S-u-c-c-e-s-s.

Dom Testa is an author, speaker, morning radio show host, and has kept a ficus tree alive for twenty-four years. He’s also the founder and president of The Big Brain Club, a non-profit student-development foundation. His new book, Smart Is Cool, is now available. More info at www.DomTesta.com.

Building A Better Student: Circles From The Air #series

Circles From The Air

By Dom Testa

The flight from Austin to Denver was routine. We pulled away from the gate right on time, the guy next to me had already drifted off to sleep with his ear buds snugly tucked, and I settled in with a million-page Michener novel. (Is that redundant?)

After so many years of choosing window seats, the view from 37,000 feet was familiar and strangely comforting. The lakes, the highways, the shadows caused by stray clouds, 
the thousands of circles . . .

Those circles. Have you noticed them? The endless patchwork, dotting the landscape? Have you ever turned to the person next to you and said, “What’s up with the circles?” (Note: If the person is asleep with ear buds jammed into his head, don’t do this.)

Funny, but I've never remembered to investigate this question after touching down and retrieving my carry-on bag from the overhead compartment - whose contents may have shifted during the flight. And then on the next flight I’ll find myself peering through the acrylic pane again and wondering.

This time, however, I made a note on my phone: Circles from the air.

Turns out that it’s not the most exciting answer - sorry, no aliens - but at least I’ll know it for the rest of my life, which will be helpful in case I’m ever the guy in the middle seat. It also made me realize something else.

(First, the simple answer. The plethora of circles are the result of something known as center-pivot irrigation, or sometimes simply called circle irrigation. It’s a form of crop watering that allegedly works better and conserves natural resources. Long tubes roll on wheels around a center pump, creating round crops and . . . well, that’s enough about that.)

Here’s what popped into my head after reading up on this farming technique: If I was a four-year-old, I’d pester the hell out of my parents until they explained what those circles were. Four-year-olds ask WHY - along with other questions - something like 250 times a day.

A day!

In fact, we’re at our most curious at age four. After that, apparently, we pick up on the fact that mom and dad are mentally exhausted and we clam up.

But curiosity is vitally important. It’s true that we live in an age where information is so readily available (not all of it accurate, of course) that we’re almost numb to it.

We swim in a sea of minutiae, and I wonder if that diminishes our natural interest in learning. Sadly, I know how many yards rushing my favorite team had in a silly pre-season game, but I’d never bothered to find out about something that actually feeds me on a daily basis. I’d stopped asking WHY?

Perhaps you can extend the lifespan of your child’s curiosity. I know we get cranky after Question #214 - that’s usually around 5:45PM - but we should suck it up and remember what a great gift it is. We WANT curious children; shutting them down means a population of mental zombies who aren’t engaged beyond 140 characters or mindless YouTube stunts.

My pursuit of circle knowledge took two minutes. The greater awareness, though, will help me for years. Are you on board?


Dom Testa is an author, speaker, morning radio show host, and has kept a ficus tree alive for twenty-four years. He’s also the founder and president of The Big Brain Club, a non-profit student-development foundation. His new book, Smart Is Cool, is now available. More info at www.DomTesta.com.

Join my friend Dom here weekly for his series Building a Better Student, I am excited to start sharing his fabulous writing here on my blog. Leslie ~~