Different Learning Styles?
In response to Ping’s detailed and thoughtful insights on the Manual Script assignment I commented on her post as follows:
Hi Ping,
I really enjoyed reading your post and I think it was quite brave of you to type up your handwritten text and to allow the software to identify the mistakes that were made. I wondered about this with my own manual script but didn’t do it so I am impressed you did.
One point I found quite interesting is that you felt that your spelling accuracy has declined with the aid of spelling correction functions. I have found the opposite with my own spelling. Mainly because when I misspell a word electronically the software offers suggestions and shows me the correct spelling in real-time. The reminders (some too frequent) help me to see the correct spelling repeatedly and I feel I have been able to correct my spelling quicker (maybe I am a visual learner). This is far less likely to happen with me if I were to rely on a physical dictionary. You also mention that “technology frees us from worrying about the writing basics” but I think I have become more aware of the conventions of writing because of the use of technology (for the same reasons mentioned in relation to spell check).
I am still far from perfect when it comes to writing flawlessly but I am thankful that I have technology to help me improve. I’m curious if you have identified specifically why you feel your spelling has declined because of spell check?
Reason for linking: I found myself identifying with the majority of what Ping wrote about in terms of her emotional response to the task. Specifically, I related to her feelings of shame for the mistakes made in the manual text. She states “I am ashamed of the many spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes I have made” and I can relate to this as we are not accustomed to publishing our texts in this format. But I also found it interesting that we varied in our feelings towards how technology impacted our spelling ability. I felt this was worth exploring further.