"An Over Reliance on Technology" by Mike Schaffner is an informative piece that really got me to question how much we rely on technology. We rely on technology such as spell and grammar check when we write a paper but are we really checking our work when we use this computer function. Obviously, Mike Schaffner’s own experiences as well as our own have proven the inability of spell check to properly check our work. Even after I have performed these functions, I seem to find several errors where my writing may not make any sense or may convey a different meaning then I intended. Plus, there is always the difference in American spelling versus Canadian spelling. Mr. Schaffner relates our reliance on technology to pilots who also rely on technology to fly planes. How scary is that tidbit of knowledge?
Mr. Schaffner’s comment about how the spell check incident he had “reminded [him] to use technology but not to forget who is responsible.” I thought this remark had great sentiment because when we hand in work, as students or as teachers, it is OUR name that appears on the cover page and, therefore, the work inside is OUR responsibility. We have to be aware that technology can fail us and we should follow certain proof-reading methods to ensure accuracy in our posts.
As teachers, we should also make our students aware that proof-reading is more than just using the spell and grammar check on our computer. We don’t want the focus of students’ papers to be on spelling and grammar (“grammar police”) but we do want them to be able to produce high-quality work. University as well as future employers expect high-quality work and it is our job as teachers to help our students learn how to produce that kind of work.
From various statistics and experience, we know how much students rely on technology. Using cell phones as alarm clocks has been referred to as this generation's "flat tire." Assignments have been accidentally erased due to a malfunction on a computer or an error that occurred with the technology. By making ourselves and our students aware of the flaws in technology, we create awareness that a backup is required to ensure that high-quality work is produced.
Excuse me now while I complete a spell and grammar check on Word....
I agree with you on this point. I was never taught about good grammar and how to proof read properly. I feel like I rely to much on technology to fix my mistakes because I do not know how to myself. I do know that I can't rely on word to catch all my mistakes though. It is something we need to spend time on as teachers and not just brush it aside.
ReplyDeletewas lucky to have some teachers that focused on grammar because they were passionate about it. I picked up a few basic pointers but still feel that I am lacking in a lot of areas when it comes to grammar. I found Mike Schaffner's idea about reading the paper in reverse order to check for spelling errors was extremely time consuming especially if you had a twenty page paper. I prefer our professor's idea of reading the paper out loud to check for any errors.
ReplyDeleteI also am guilty of relying on word. I have however learned the importance of re-reading a lot of my work because I am prone to awkward wording within my work. However, I agree with you Angela, it is extremely time consuming and while at the beginning of the re-reading I seem to have the best intentions, about half way through I am most definitely skimming. I also feel as though there are things I need to improve on for when I am teaching grammar to my future students!
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