MERLOT Evaluation (811)

I have chosen a presentation with multiple examples of the negatives of using Spell Check and Grammar Check in Microsoft Word titled A Demonstration of the Futility of Using Microsoft Word’s Spelling and Grammar Check.  The author is a professor at the University of Washington named Sandeep Krishnamurthy.  I chose this because my students depend upon these tools in MS Word to complete work and do not understand that the tool is often faulty.  This is a battle I have faced for many years now with my students and had no good examples to show them. 

Quality of Content

This presentation is of high content quality.  The author provides significant concepts, models, and skills.  The concept that MS Word can correct spelling and grammar concerns of an author completely is false.  However, students and adults alike often believe this misconception.  It is educationally relevant.  Students need to be taught that they cannot rely on a computer tool to be effective users of their language.  There are multiple examples of pieces of writing that, when checked in MS Word, are full of errors even though the Spell Check and Grammar Check have been completed.     

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool

This presentation could be used in both the explanation and demonstration stages of the learning process.  By the end of the session, students should understand that they cannot rely on a MS tool to correctly gauge the effectiveness of their language usage.  The targeted group of learners rely heavily on technology in many aspects of their lives including their education and work products.  However, this misconception of tools being able to "fix" some one's writing needs to be addressed.  The amount of examples the author provides will enhance a teacher's ability to show students exactly what this presentation addresses.  They are also an excellent visual for the students to view in a classroom setting.  This presentation has the ability to be added into the current curriculum and pedagogy of any teacher struggling with this concept.  The only downfall is that the teacher would have to recreate in a different format to present to a class.  However, this would be easily incorporated into any Smart Board presentation with a few clicks of copy and paste.  The teaching/learning goals in this presentation are clearly stated.  Learning assignments for students could be easily created from this presentation and would permit the instructor to have quickly created assessments. 

Ease of Use

The general layout of this presentation is basic.  The author tries to make it appealing, but I found it to be a little on the bland side.  However, the content provided outweighs the not-so-appealing look of the presentation.  I do not think the reader could get easily trapped or lost in the material.  The layout follows such a basic pattern, I would think it difficult to get trapped or lost within the material.  The module provides feedback from users as well as a section the author has called "Hate Mail."  The author has received this "hate mail" because, in my opinion, the reader did not comprehend what the author was really trying to say.  I am not sure how this could be because the author makes very clear and concise statements and backs them up with excellent examples.  The learning material does not require a lot of documentation, technical support, and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software.  Students are already very comfortable with MS Word and most of the examples are in this format.  The material is presented in MS Word which with the students are very knowledgeable.  I do not think, however, that the presentation of the material would be visually appealing to students.  In order to use this, I would have to incorporate the material into a presentation of my own to make it more visually appealing for my students.