Spelin Corektly

It is amazing to me, how much we depend on technology in every area of our lives, especially writing. We expect our computers to do all the work for us by catching all spelling errors. However, computers are not people! Like O'Conner mentions in chapter 6 of Woe is I, computers can not think the way humans can. Yet, we get upset when they do not catch a spelling mistake that would be clear to the human eye.

Our generation has lost interest in the importance of spelling correctly. I can testify to this myself. I was a much better speller in elementary and junior high school when we were forced to take spelling tests. I think this is a very beneficial asset of the schooling system. The moment I began writing all of my assignments on the computer, I began to depend on my spell check. I have become so accustomed to using the spell check that my brain no longer thinks through what to do when a red squiggly line shows up under a word. Instead, I automatically retrace and fix it or right click and choose what seems to be the best substitute. It makes me wonder how many people could write a paper with proper spelling if a spell checker was not available.

Although O'Conner made me think about this issue in her chapter, the issue she presents is that the spell checker can actually be an enemy to us. Because it does not have a human brain, it may not catch certain errors. Examples of this are often words that are spelt right but used in the wrong context. It is important that we are able/willing to spell check the spell checker. We must have the knowledge so that we are not dependent. The spell checker can be a great asset as long as it is not abused.