I have to apologize for any part of this blog that seems trite, sophomoric, or otherwise unintelligible. My wife and I contracted some nasty cold or flu or something that's bed-ridden us for most of the day.
I found a website that, in the opinion of an English teacher, is a reasonable facsimile of the antichrist. It is an online "thesis builder." I'm really going to try to be positive on this one....
In SOME situations, perhaps for struggling writers, this "thesis builder" could be a decent tool to help students draft a PRELIMINARY thesis statement. It would allow them to be concerned with the content of their argument rather than the initial writing of it. It could feasibly be used to "get students going," as it is often quite the ordeal for some students to begin writing: I have seen many cases where it has taken students an exorbitant amount of time to start writing an essay, though once they actually start writing they have some wonderful things to say. The problem is -- for timed writings -- the clock would run out.
I have my 10th grade students write argumentative research papers; they speak with me throughout the process, and we edit their papers together (along with some peer-editing as well). This "thesis builder" could provide students a starting point; my red pen would immediately bleed itself onto the student's paper, but at least we would have a place to begin talking about her ideas.
One could, however, conceivably encounter students who rely on these types of "editors" to get them through middle school, high school, and even some college courses. I have already seen some of my colleagues allow their students' writing to become watered-down 5-paragraph-FCAT-Writes-essay-driven versions. Other techno-editors exist on the internet (some which require only a nominal fee for their services). One such techno-editor, Criterion, boasts that its services -- which check for grammar, spelling, and organization errors -- allow the teacher to focus on voice, style, and tone.
While I appreciate how these types of programs might help struggling writers, I worry that students who could become beautiful writers will miss out on learning the intricacies of grammar, spelling and organization. Could you imagine if Mark Twain had put Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through such a techno-editor? All the colloquialisms Twain used to recreate the time period would be washed away with the click of a button. Scary. Also, students need to learn when it is necessary to use standard English, and when it is not; students need only read the first chapter of Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms to find a butchering of standard grammar that leads to beautiful, natural story-telling.
I think such techno-editors have their place, but educators should be wary. The last thing we want is waves of students who have become automatons as writers as a result of technology that does their thinking for them.
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3 comments:
First of all, I hope you and your wife make a speedy recovery.
Now...on to the good stuff....
I totally agree with you. Sure, I do. After my last comment, I am sure you think I'm a nut. Well, I am, but that fact is irrelevant.
My students are allowed to publish their papers on the computer, only after they have had a peer review it, and they have revised and edited it. As I have stated before, my students have actually let spell-check correct their name. Here is a fairly recent conversation with a female student.
Me: Why did you change your name?
Student: (Quizzical look on face)Huh?
Me: Your report now says Jacques.
Student: (Still a quizzical look on face) What?
Me: (Pointing to new name on printed paper)See.
Student: (Eyes light up) Oh, that. I spelled my name wrong, Mrs. Crozier.
Me: Pardon me.
Student: I spelled my name wrong.
Me: Who told you that? We've been spelling it the same way all year.
Student: Nobody told me. The computer did. It was all underlined and red, so I changed it to the right spelling.
What occurred next was a discussion on spell check and how most names and even a lot of common words are not available and how we shouldn't rely on it. She has yet to turn in another paper with "Jacques" on it.
I also found this article and thought you might enjoy it: http://education.calumet.purdue.
edu/Vockell/CAI/Cai6/cai6negative.htm.It discusses the negative effects of technology on education, namely "a debilitating reliance upon technology".
I agree with your position regarding the thesis builder. There may be a time and a place for a struggling writer now and again, but putting this practice to use in the mainstream detracts from many of the thinking elements of writing.
This actually made me think of the Son of Citation website that many of us use to properly cite sources (I just used it for the first time). Granted, citing sources requires no creativity, but it does require us to follow specific formatting. If we rely on some machine to fit pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle, how can we learn how to properly cite? Don't get me wrong- I can absolutely see the site as an assistant to writers, yet sometimes I feel like the fun comes when putting things together on my own- even if it is only a reference list.
By the way, I hope you and your wife are now feeling better!
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