why not just type it for them too?
you are missing the point. even if the test is for "writing" they still need to learn how to spell correctly. any reason given for allowing this is a cop out.
Why do they need to learn how to spell correctly? Do your ancient relatives turn over in their graves when you don't go press your on papyrus each time you send a letter? Do they get upset when your email program auto-inserts a signature instead of wax-stamp sealing a letter yourself?
Here's why this is a good thing:
1. 99% of the writing they will ever do for the rest of their life will be spell-checked.
2. They will learn the correct spelling instantly.
3. This test would be to assess writing, not spelling.
4. It more accurately reflects the real world they will be entering.
The real world already has spell checking going on and young people's writing and spelling have only gotten worse. It really reflects poorly on them in the professional world; nobody takes them seriously.
This has nothing but bad idea written all over it. It only encourages stupidity and not knowing how to spell.
Agreed.The real world already has spell checking going on and young people's writing and spelling have only gotten worse. It really reflects poorly on them in the professional world; nobody takes them seriously.
This has nothing but bad idea written all over it. It only encourages stupidity and not knowing how to spell.
Agreed.
We had a woman mail a résumé to our workplace, and she misspelled half a dozen words in it. Guess where her resume went? It was filed under "G".
Sure, she should have used spell check herself, but there will come a time when your intelligence, your spelling wisdom, will be put to the test with no spell check to the rescue. Then misspellings will make you will look like your bulb isn't burning very brightly, and could cost you.
What a cynical bastard you are. :awe:Oh right, I forgot about our quarterly company spelling test! Damn! It's probably going to cost me my raise this year!
Depending on one's job, if you write/speak like a dumb ass you'll be labeled one and it will cost you.Oh right, I forgot about our quarterly company spelling test! Damn! It's probably going to cost me my raise this year!
What a cynical bastard you are. :awe:
It cost the woman I mentioned a chance at a job. I need not say more.
It's a shame we as a country can't have high standards anymore.
an opportunity to better assess students' writing skills and focus less on typos.
I don't agree with allowing spell check on writing tests, but exactly what is the goal of education? I would say the primary goal of education is to teach people to think. If you can't think then you can't communicate in writing well and, weather the computer corrects your spelling or not, you should still fail the test.
Look around these forums. With spell check, grammar check and all the endless resources of the Internet at our disposal, look how often our attempts to effectively communicate via the written word fails.
I was going to say that it sort of makes sense in that they can better test for a student's ability to create a rational argument, but then I remembered peer-review in ENG 101/102 and that those that could not write common five-letter words correctly also tended to have no logical structure in their thoughts. The solution is to keep these idiots out of college and relegate them to menial labor for the rest of their lives. Everyone knows this.
Stop stealing TFP's mojo. Not cool, not cool.
This is probably the cheaper solution compared to giving students spelling lessons.