Is Digital Technology Helpful for Writing Skills?

Old-school teachers are almost always against the use of technology in education. They regard them as unnecessary distractions that prevent students from normal memorizing and knowledge retention. It is easier to mistype the word in Google Docs or Grammarly, see the correct spelling in hints and click it to activate auto-correction. Is everything really so bad with writing skills and the use of technology?

Charles Rose, a qualified academic writer from cheap essay service AffordablePapers, asserts the indisputable value of technology usage in students’ lives. “Absent-minded use of technology will hurt. It is necessary to know the tricks that turn a writing tool into a powerful weapon for the improvement of writing skills”, an essay writer says. She decided to share her experience with students in this article.

1. Technology Lets Us Work Faster and More Productively

Source: pexels.com

Many students hate reading authentic texts because of the excessive number of new words. It is so boring to open a dictionary and search for the required word. What if the text has over 40 new words per page? Previously, it took hours to read and translate foreign literature. Today, one can install apps for reading. When an unknown word or expression occurs, students need to click it to see the translation together with the right pronunciation.

They can jot new words down quickly and go on reading. The results of such reading have positive impacts:

  • students do not distract from reading and getting the main idea of the text;
  • they understand each word and can write them down in their handwriting vocabulary in a couple of seconds;
  • learners do not get tired from constant word search and manage to do the whole assignment at once.

Trick. Such apps will not improve writing skills if students do keep filling in their vocabularies (copying words with translation either using a digital device or a pen and a notebook). Besides, experienced learners recommend reading the text without the use of vocabulary for the first type to develop the guessing skills (text understanding based on the already learned words).

2. Use Grammar Checkers to Enhance Language Level

Even the best essay writers utilize Grammarly, ProWritingAid, and similar software to write papers. Professional writers spend many hours writing and can miss silly typos, commas, or full stops. Such programs identify them quickly, and their paid versions explain the mistakes. Due to such interactive learning, a person can comprehend grammar better.

Trick. If a learner wants to master writing skills, one should proofread it first without software and apps. Learners should not do it after writing (unless it is an exam). The best variant is to rest a bit and start proofreading slowly and carefully. After that, one should copy and paste the text into the software to see what is wrong. Such an approach lets a person notice typical mistakes and avoid them in the next writings. The main rule is not to type directly in software because a student will omit mistakes and will not improve writing skills at all.

3. Dictionaries May Be Different

Source: news.uchicago.edu

Except for translations, various dictionaries can help to comprehend other essential things. For example, Thesaurus explains the meaning of the word and provides examples of sentences with their usage. Most students have various language problems. Their essays are full of repetitions that indicate poor vocabulary and a lack of writing practice. WordHippo is a perfect source of synonyms and antonyms.

Trick. One should not use new words and expressions if a person does not understand their meaning and proper use. It is important to pay attention to the use of particles, verb forms, and prepositions. The best variant is to look for sentence samples and analyze the situation. For example, recommend + smth or V-ing something (I recommend a book or reading a book) and advise someone to do smth (I advise you to read a book).

4. Transcription Tools

Academic essay writing services hire those who are aware of the formatting, discipline, and can write without mistakes by following instructions. Free essay writers use transcription tools to save time. They speak, and software types. How does it help in writing? A student can do the same and read the text after. One should not be surprised to read irrational things.

People often do not notice their oral speech mistakes, repetitions, and mispronounced words. Computers type what they ‘hear’. So, it is an excellent chance for students to improve pronunciation, learn words that sound different, and get used to structure sentences correctly on the spot. Later, it will be easier to write an essay with fewer structural mistakes and the need to rewrite illogical parts.

5. Readability and Overused Phrases

Source: unsplash.com

Many tools help to find overused phrases and sentences that are hard to read and comprehend. For example, Cliche Finder is a good tool to identify words and expressions that are met too often. The program offers analogs to improve the sounding and lexical level of the text. Hemingway Editor is a simple app that colors overused adverbs and complex sentences. A student can rewrite sentences and delete unnecessary adverbs to make the text readable and understandable.

Trick. Students should scan the text via software, but do not click the hints. First, it will be necessary to try to improve the text independently and understand the choice of the app. If a student fails or wants to test the writing, he or she will apply the tool and check the text again.

Final Thoughts of Academic Essay Writing Service

Highly qualified writers often use technology to improve their writing skills. Pretty many apps teach spelling, sentence structuring, selection of synonyms and antonyms, etc. Nevertheless, one should keep in mind that computers remain computers. They cannot completely predict the context and may suggest corrections that do not fit. That is why it is essential to proofread papers and verify corrections by using grammar books or websites, college notes, and consultation of experts (teachers, advanced students, custom editors).