Wordtune – Review

I was recently asked to try out Wordtune and share my thoughts about it.

I have tried the free version and the premium version. It is an extension that you add for free on the Chrome browser. They even show a video on how to use it.

The free version includes suggestions for words and phrases. If you highlight a sentence and then click on “rewrite” it will provide you with suggestions on how to write that sentence differently. I believe that this feature has enhanced my writing tremendously. I have used it a lot when writing in Google Docs for my blog posts.

The premium version gives you the same features as the free version and a lot more. It can make your sentences longer or shorter. It can also change the tone of your sentence and make it more formal or casual. It can also give you other examples of your sentence or find words you can’t quite think about. The premium version is $9.99 per month. If you write professionally or do a lot of writing for your business, I believe this is well worth the money.

They offer a 50% discount to students and educators with a .edu email. There is also a 50% discount for non-profit and NGOs.

I think that students will benefit greatly from this program. My husband hated to write and once he learned how to use the spellcheck feature on the computer, he felt more comfortable doing it. Wordtune will make students feel more comfortable with their writing and less hesitant to start.

If you haven’t given Wordtune a try, I suggest you head over there and add it to your Chrome browser.

The Importance of Proofreading

Recently I had several complaints from students (who are teachers) about how I count off for spelling and grammar errors on their work. I ask them to spell correctly and write in complete sentences.

I have stated in my syllabus, which they get at the beginning of our class and during our class meeting about how correct spelling and grammar are important. They also get a rubric that I use which clearly states how I grade their work and one of the items is how they use spelling and grammar appropriately.

Each week, the teachers (my students) write up a weekly report that is sent home to the parents. This report has to be submitted to me for approval before it can be sent home. I’m always amazed how spellcheck is not used before they send this to me for a grade. I can easily see the misspelled words when I open up the document because the red squiggly lines are under the words. I don’t understand why the teachers don’t correct this before it is submitted for a grade. Then they are upset when this affects their grades.

They also don’t seem to proofread their work. I have gotten reports with sentences that don’t make sense or aren’t even complete sentences. Sometimes they cut and paste and even have the wrong child’s name in part of the report. I don’t understand why they don’t proofread their work. It irritates me that I’m expected to proofread their work and require them to correct the work. They get graded on the original work they submit but the report still needs to be corrected before it is sent home.

The only reasons I can see why they make these mistakes are:

1.     They are lazy.

2.     They wait for the last minute and are rushed.

3.     They don’t take pride in their work.

4.     They don’t care about their grade and want me to proofread their work.

I really don’t see a valid reason for a teacher to send home written notices home to parents with an abundance of errors on a consistent basis, especially if they are being graded on it.

How would these teachers feel if their own students turned in work like this? What kind of impression are they giving to the parents?

How do you feel about teachers using correct spelling and grammar? Please share.