Almost everyone uses software to create texts these days, and we all find the ‘spellcheck’ type features useful. However, it would be unwise for people to completely ignore learning how to spell properly by themselves, for reasons explained here.
Firstly, although we mostly use typing devices, there will always be occasions when we need to write manually or without the support of software. This may be in examinations, which are still mostly handwritten, when writing letters or notes on paper, or filling in forms. It is essential, for example, that police records or medical notes, which are often quickly completed by hand, are accurately and clearly composed. Secondly, understanding spelling is an integral part of learning a 30 language and the various ways that it can be used. Most educators would agree, for example, that it is impossible to divorce spelling from grammar and syntax as part of a rigorous approach to literacy.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the whole process of learning and distinguishing different sounds and spellings is a vital part of a child’s mental development, involving the complex relationship between hearing, sight, thought and the writing process itself. To say that this relationship is ‘unnecessary’ is to neglect some of the most fundamental stages in human development which have driven our progress for the past five thousand years, since the era of hieroglyphics and primitive inscriptions.
It is true that the use of software is an invaluable tool, and may well have a role in the process of teaching children to use computers and improving their work accordingly. However, this means that is a supporting facility, not a replacement for human thought.
In conclusion, I feel that a knowledge of spelling is essential, both for practical reasons and to support the development of a person’s mind as they learn to read and write, with all the mental benefits which stem from that. It seems that software is highly unlikely to replace the human mind in this very important respect.