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Spellcheck is not like a handheld electronic calculator. It doesn’t write for you. It’s more like a system that would let you practice doing arithmetic with pe
by jacobolus 7y ago
Spellcheck is not like a handheld electronic calculator. It doesn’t write for you.
It’s more like a system that would let you practice doing arithmetic with pen and paper but then immediately show errors.
Look at how people practice board games nowadays: they try making their own moves but get a precise computer analysis to reveal when they have made a blunder on the spot, for real-time feedback. This is not the same as just watching the computer play against itself.
- OnlineGladiator 7y agoYou're thinking of it as a pedagological tool. I'm thinking of it as a crutch. The truth is in-between and will vary from person to person, but I'd bet money most people lean on it more than they learn from it.
- ses1984 7y agoBut does developing your spelling actually matter? Maybe being able to spell perfectly is about as useful a skill as putting shoes on a horse or chipping a piece of stone into an arrowhead. What if 100% of the time that s devoted to spelling was devoted to something else, like just reading?
- OnlineGladiator 7y ago> But does developing your spelling actually matter? I don't think it does. I think it's similar to how people used to lament the loss of the bard who'd memorize songs/stories as reading became increasingly popular. I was just responding on how it changes how we think. I do think mental math matters, but most people disagree so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Mirioron 7y agoI also think mental math matters, but I think that people who end up using simple math a lot will simply pick up the ability to do mental math as necessary.
- imron 7y ago> It doesn’t write for you. Modern ones kind of do - for example, gmail's spell checker now comes with predictive input.