I have become Incredibly addicted to Spell Check which is a cliche' thing to say. Seems like every one I talk to about writing papers has the same lament. Sell Check has infiltrated every facet of my digital life except when I'm on face book at the library. The RDB Library here in Auburn uses Internet Explorer which for some reason lack spell check for typing on the Internet. Combined with my clumsy typing, grammatical and vocabulary disaster.
But is it so bad that I depend on spell check? I like to think my Brain power is spent on more important things now that spell check has eased the burden of actually having to know how to spell words such as "socioeconomic" or Electrification". Both being words I do know how to spell because they are fun to say.
Back to whatever point I think I was going to make... Spell check is just one way machines, devices, Technology, have made it easier for us to work and process information. The problem lies in the mental laziness we have allowed seep into our society.
Just look at the impact calculators have had on society. It seems like people born before the microprocessor are mathematical genesis. I think it is not that society is less intelligent (which in mass, society is far from intelligent, more like an amoeba searching for food) society has just come to rely on tech because it is fast, and widespread. And what is wrong with allowing technology to do for man what it is best at, computation and memory. This allows man to focus on creation and Idea synthesis, two things computers cannot do.
So, Spell Check is good as long as you don't allow it to make you mentally lazy.
It's funny that you post this because just the other day an English education major and I discussed this very topic. She still holds on to the idea that we are becoming too dependent on things like spell-check. She is actually saddened by the route our society is taking...
ReplyDeleteThis is a good point. Should we still educate our kids in the traditional way we taught English, or do we educate them on new systems? I think English education of the future will be showing kids all the ways they can create using the internet.
For me, I need spell-check. Totally dependent. But, I'm extremely self conscious about my lack of knowing correct grammar and spelling. I don't want people to think I'm dumb. I don't want people to disregard what I'm saying. Because, somewhere still in society we consider the unintelligent as not knowing proper grammar and the intelligent as being able to use it.
So, (with the computer's help) our society has gotten away from an area our mindset still holds onto as important...
Like I was telling Josh one day, there are some people that can spell naturally. I'm one of those people, well, I can't spell aloud, but on paper-I'm a whiz. With the people that CAN spell are those that CAN'T spell. Josh is one of those people. No matter what he does, he will not be able to spell. It doesn't matter if he has spell check or doesn't have spell check, he won't be able to spell. Spell check is just making a person who can't spell look like they can. I don't think that it's making us mentally lazy because for people that can spell- it's not helping. I hardly ever rely on spell check, with an exception here and there, of course.
ReplyDeleteI can, on the other hand, see what you are talking about with calculators. When we were just learning multiplication tables and long division, I could do those things. I had my multiplication tables memorized, but now that we're not required to think about those skills, we've lost them. I could spout off a few math problems, but not much more than maybe 6 times 5. I'm completely dependent on my calc.