Students in Ruth McQuirter Scott's junior/intermediate language arts class develop gamis, customizable digital characters, on iPads.

A Brock education professor has teamed up with a Burlington software developer to help children mind their p’s and q’s.

Ruth McQuirter Scott in the Department of Teacher Education is working with MirthWerx to create a video game that will help students in grades 2 and 3 learn to spell.

As she comes up with ways to teach primary students to be better spellers, McQuirter Scott said she’s getting schooled on the technical side of educational apps, which she also reviews for AppoLearning, a website that curates teaching and learning applications for children.

“Most educational apps for spelling are very limited in interest and sophistication,” she said. “We are excited to be developing a video game that actually teaches important concepts about spelling and, at the same time, is engaging for children.”

McQuirter Scott has written more than 30 books on spelling and vocabulary. She also teaches aspiring educators the best way to nurture future masters of the English language.

Ruth McQuirter Scott

And much like she’ll do with her app and young spellers, McQuirter Scott is using technology to get her points across to her Brock students. She recently introduced herself to her latest crop of students in her junior/intermediate language arts class as a customizable digital character called a gami that she created with her iPad.

“I want my teacher candidates to see that there are multiple ways to convey a message,” she said. “This week they will be drafting reviews of products in their everyday lives and promoting them through a 30-second gami they create with the 10 iPads we have in our classroom. IPads are becoming almost commonplace in today’s classrooms and our teacher candidates need to be prepared with solid ways of using them.”