Wider Horizons
Lethbridge College English and writing instructor Lance Semak has recently joined forces with two computer scientists to create smartphone applications for the classroom.

The first mission of Semak, Ben Burnett and Chris Sanden is to make the learning of grammar less dry, more likely to stick, and maybe, just maybe, more fun.

The outcome of this effort is an application called Grammarama. Unlike most grammar apps, which offer only multiple choice questions and answers, this app is interactive and allows students to slide and click their way to understanding. Students in Semak’s English 150 class last fall – a university- level writing course – tested the prototype of the Grammarama app. In addition to their textbook readings and paper assignments, Semak asked them to drag and drop phrases, clauses and punctuation to form proper sentences.

“It’s been a wonderful experience from start to finish,” says Semak. “We learned a lot during the development process, and the students were enthusiastic about the application. They responded in numbers we never would have expected. Almost all of them have smartphones and are eager to use them for learning.”

Semak, who has worked at the college since 2007, created this southern Alberta partnership with a grant from the college’s Applied Research office. He joined forces with two master’s graduates working at the University of Lethbridge to create a business – Windy Software – that has linked the love of clear communication with the love of code. All last summer, Semak turned his grammar lectures into smartphone content, and his partners, Sanden and Burnett, took care of the technology. Along the way, they brought on two more employees to help, Tarikul Sabbir and Tom Forbis.

The three partners agree that while exploring new technologies and building quality software were important aspects of the project, it was the ability to work with friends that made the experience truly memorable.

“Working closely with a small group of friends as well as highly skilled and creative people has been one of the best parts of the project,” says Burnett.

Creating an application that is both useful and innovative also brought them satisfaction.

“I was initially drawn to the idea of creating a product that could be used to help students learn outside of the classroom,” Sanden says. “Developing a platform for students to learn in an interactive setting using new technology was an exciting opportunity.”

The other partners agree.

“The technology was undeniably a draw, but most rewarding was working on something that people would actually use,” says Burnett. “The software is something that may have an appreciable and positive effect on its users.”

Once the bugs are worked out, Semak and his partners would like to see Grammarama used college-wide, perhaps as early as next fall. And they’d like their partnership to keep producing educational software. The next mission? It just may be another app – perhaps essay writing next time around.
Wider Horizons
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