Do you use digital tools to improve your writing, or do your digital tools use you? How often do you stop to think about why, how, and when popular editing tools such as Grammarly should be trusted -- or not? If you're a teacher, supervisor, or manager, do you actively encourage your students and/or employees to interrogate the algorithms and assumptions behind such tools?
All of these questions, and more, were addressed during my lively conversation with Dr. Evija Trofimova, creator and curator of the playful Digital Writing Tools resource site, on April 13.
In the first hour of this two-hour event, Evija and I discussed the affordances, flaws, and redeeming features of various digital writing and editing tools, and Evija gave us a guided tour of her charming-yet-critical, stylish-yet-serious website. In the second hour, Evija and I facilitated a hands-on workshop focusing on the pros and cons of five well-known algorithmic tools: Microsoft Editor, Grammarly, ProWritingAid, the Hemingway App, and my very own Writer's Diet test. (We skipped Ginger, which now sits mostly behind a not-very-friendly paywall).
In the second half of the session, we had an opportunity to move into break-out rooms and explore the free version of each writing tools to test their idiosyncrasies, functionality, and usefulness. Our aim was to find out which features worked, which were limiting, which were surprising, and what changed in the results. We then regrouped to share our experiences and what we had discovered.
Some participants noted that the tools can increase curiosity about language and that some surface-level grammatical corrections can be helpful. Other participants pointed to lesser-known features such as “inclusiveness,” which may register different conventions when filters were changed from formal to casual. One group stressed that these are awareness-raising tools, not didactic “answers,” so it’s important to issue a warning to students about the pitfalls of relying on them solely as ‘correction’ tools. A few people mentioned that usability relies on who is using a tool and for what purposes: for example, a naive student using it for a surface level scan as opposed to a professional copy editor revising a monograph. Comparing the tools brought into relief the sensitivity, scope and utility of each tool - for example, one tool might pick up a certain issue, whereas another did not register it at all. We also considered developer changes over time, the impact of “software rot,” and the differences between free, basic, and premium versions.
A few participants mentioned that users need to be judicious in accepting changes, remaining aware of what the tool can do and how to use it. (No tool is a cure-all!). Also, some tools (such as ProWritingAid) have a huge range of options which might be useful for some writers but overwhelming for others. Although these tools identify problem areas and flag issues, the degree to which each tool actually helps writers put to work the results and statistics generated was challenged; writers need to learn to integrate and improve their expression as part of their writing process when not using the tool. Several teachers who took part in the discussion highlighted the importance of using these tools critically rather than encouraging students to take up the corrections indiscriminately. When used well, these tools can be invaluable in building confidence as well as criticality.
You may wish to have a play with the free versions of these tools, which you can access using the links above. In several cases, it could be worth your while to download a free app (e.g. the Writer's Diet add-in for MS Word), sign up for a free trial to test a more advanced version of the tool (e.g. ProWritingAid's Microsoft integration), or check whether your university or company has an institutional subscription (e.g. for Grammarly).
Participants also recommended the following tools:
Perfect English Grammar (Grammar checker)
PerfectIt - (paid Editing software)
Readability Statistics (part of Microsoft Word package)
A video of my conversation with Evija is now available in the WriteSPACE Library.
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