Spell-check
has changed since it was first introduced to the world of word processing.
Everyone has fallen victim to depending on spell check. For myself I type
freely. I never have a fear of hitting the incorrect key, because in the end
spell-check will fix my mistakes. As a future educator I know modern technology
is making spelling easier to be corrected. Phones, email, and word processors
all come equipped with “autocorrect”. Students need to feel comfort when away
from this advance in technology. Spell-check only fixes misspelled words. At
times it may even assume the word was another word. In the middle and high
school level students need to be able to proofread their assignments.
As
any student finishes a paper he or she clicks the “spelling & grammar” key.
Once all these corrections are made he or she is satisfied with the finished
product. We all have fallen into this trap. For graduation to my community
college we needed to type an essay. Spell-check was turned off. This made me
slow my thoughts. I proofread carefully. I made sure that each word was
properly chosen. The process for writing became much more natural at this
point.
As
an aspiring educator I want build the importance of proofreading. I want my
students to use spell-check, not abuse it. I want them to feel spell-check is
only the first step of proofreading his or her own text. I don’t want them to
take their first draft and hit spell-check and call that a revision. It is
important for any class. I will be responsible for the English class. This does
not mean I wont take responsibility how my future students proofread work in
any and all other classes. Professional emails, acceptance letters, and
mid-term essays should all be given more respect than a simple click of a
computer key.
My
goal will be to have my students want to produce a stronger essay. I want them
to take pride in what they create. If they won’t take the time to read it more
than once then why should anyone else?
I like that you bring up this topic of spell-check. I agree with you in that we have all fallen under this trap and tend to hit that spell-check and call that a revision. Students nowadays fall under that trap too often and do not take the time to thoroughly spell-check their work. I like the idea of having students write an essay with the spell-check button being disabled. When this was put into effect, it worked for you. I think that if we try to incorporate that into our classrooms, students will slow their writing down and take the time to fully proofread and edit their work. Like you said, if they won't take the time to read it more than once why should anyone else?
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