Discussion: Proofreading

This week's discussion instructions:

Welcome back from Facebook (or Twitter or other social media), which is where I am sure you just were, sharing the link to the Taylor Mali video you watched on the previous page of this lesson. This week we are discussing the importance of proofreading to the writing process. If you have not already done so, you need to read the previous page and view the video (or read the transcript) posted on that page in order to participate in this discussion.

For your initial discussion posting, which is due by Aug. 30 at 11:59 p.m., please write 100-150 words. This week, you have to make your initial post before you will be able to see any of your classmates' postings.

You will also need to return to the discussion to write a 25-50 word reply with something substantive to say (not "I agree with you!") to at least THREE of your classmates' discussion posts by Sept. 3 at 11:59 p.m.

Of course, the best scenario would be if you checked the discussion board several times during the week and engaged in an organic back-and-forth of replies, similar to the comment thread conversations that most of us are familiar with engaging in on social media.

This week's discussion topic: Proofreading

You can think about these questions to help you get started with writing your initial discussion post. You may choose to answer a couple of the questions (you might pick one from each group), or you may have an inspiration to address this week's topic in a way that does not start with these questions.

Questions about proofreading:

Have you been relying exclusively upon spell checker to proofread your papers and documents for you?

Have you had personal experience with technology such as spell checker and auto-correction on word processing programs causing more problems for you than they solved? (If so, describe the experience.)

How does effective proofreading, or the lack thereof, affect your ethos (term from rhetoric meaning "character or credibility") as a writer?

Do you have any tips and tricks that you use to improve your proficiency at proofreading, and if so, what are these tips?

Questions about the video:

Taylor Mali originally published "The the impotence of proofreading" in 2002, and the video we viewed was recorded in 2005. Incidentally, if you happen to be inspired to learn more about Taylor Mali and read or view more of his intriguing and often hilarious work, his website is https://taylormali.com/ and you can search for him on YouTube by name.

Does it surprise you to learn that he wrote the poem before the first Smartphone came onto the market and at a time when very few people had computers with voice-dictation software? What do you think are the ramifications of this fact?

How has the proliferation of voice dictation technology affected the relevance of Mali's poem and his thoughts about the limitations of spell checking technology?

Examining Mali's poem from a writing viewpoint, how long do you think it might have taken Mali to write this particular poem? How many drafts and revisions might it have taken to perfect? What does this say about the craft of writing?

Helpful tip: Do you remember the tips for earning the maximum points from your discussion board postings? Reread "Discussion Board Tips" in the first module if you need a refresher.