Sep
21
Will technology kill writing?
September 21, 2009 | Tagged 21st century students, cursive writing | 1 Comment
Cursive writing killed by technology?
As I was catching up on some of my tweets on Twitter tonight, one caught my attention, a post by EdTechSandyK. It read “Cursive Writing: IMHO it’s still needed…” and it lead to an article found on yahoo.com called “Cursive writing may be fading skill, but so what?”
The reason her tweet and the article caught my attention is because during the summer while I was conducting the districts 11th annual (my 2nd) Summer Technology Integration Program I spoke a lot about how technology is in my everyday life whether its at work, home or play. While I preached how great technology is, and I do believe its great, I would tell each session on the first day of the training that I use technology so much for almost every aspect in my life that I can actually go weeks without picking up a pen or pencil.
Why would I? I have desktop computer, a laptop and a Blackberry phone at work that all allow me to enter information via a keyboard at anytime and anywhere I want and are all snyched to each other. At home, its almost the same thing, I have a desktop, a laptop, a netbook and a Palm Centro phone that are all synched with the same information. At the stores I use my debit card to pay, no writing. If I need cash I make an ATM withdrawal, no writing. To conduct my online course that I am teaching at Our Lady of the Lake University I use any of my computers and logon to the Blackboard system, again, no writing.
In all honestly the only time I do write is when I need to sign something or when I need to pay the one lone monthly bill that does not accept online payments. Like I said, I can literally go weeks without picking up a pen or a pencil.
However, like I mentioned to those who attended my training during the summer, is my “ability” to go without picking up a pen or pencil a good thing or a bad thing? Sometimes I struggle to answer this question because I love technology so much to the point that I would be perfectly fine doing everything via a computer, Internet, the Cloud, etc. Besides, reading someones writing via a word processor is usually a lot easier to read than that of someone who used cursive or even print writing to write the same article, essay, book, etc.
The article really only talks about cursive writing being a fading skill and describes that it is a skill that is no longer really taught or emphasized but that most people are switching to a hybrid cursive and print style. However, I don’t think it goes quite far enough into considering some of the possibilities of the further future. It may be just me and my “post apocalyptic” way of thinking, but what happens if technology is pushed down to the Pre-K and Kinder levels so much so that writing altogether is no longer emphasized or taught? What happens if our grand kids grand kids no longer know how to write in a time when something catastrophic occurs and comes in and wipes out technology altogether?
I may be jumping the gun here and looking way too far into the future, but I think its something we really need to think about not only as teachers, principals, and leaders, but as human beings. Maybe we shouldn’t be so caught up in teaching 21st Century Skills, but teaching 22nd and 23rd Century Skills, whatever that may be! Fun to think about! :0)
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Wow! Who knew a little tweet could stir so many thoughts? It is amazing how far I can go through a day without a pen or pencil – but I don’t think I’m as far on the spectrum as you. I still remember things better if I actually write them; typing doesn’t make them stick in my brain; it’s why I still have a note pad where I write down my phone messages!
But, we’re talking digital learners, not my generation. Still and all, although technology SEEMS to be everywhere, there are a great number of people who don’t have the 24/7 ubiquitous access necessary to get rid of writing all together. And I also say that until they get retinal scan technolgy attached to every legal document out there, we’re all going to need to make some kind of signature, lest we return to the days where unschooled people made an “X” to sign legal agreements.
We don’t have 1:1 access in schools yet, either, which means the kiddos are still going to have to write for a while.
Also been reading recently about a new thought that we don’t need to teach keyboarding any more; that it’s a waste of time. I think I’m going to have to disagree with that one as well! Below are a couple of links for those interested:
http://scottsfloyd.com/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/
http://www.utechtips.com/when-or-do-we-teach-typing/
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