Computer Literated: Writing Preliterated?

Handwriting is a sign of the inner personality, is a very old conviction. One of the very first works in this respect seems to have been that of Camillo Baldi, an Italian scholar, who published a book on the subject of writing in 1622. As the literacy spread by the time, handwriting became popular and in that era was being practiced as an art form by many famous literacy figures of European continent. Almost a century after, technology started to implicit the art of handwriting with the invent of typewriters in 1714. Now, after 38 decades technology affected in different ways human use to write and once which was practiced as an art form is now totally transcend by the advent of computers. Typing skills are befitting to that of handwriting and this is also being enhanced in the students learning part. As computers have dominated our lives in all domains, handwriting is also now considered as an irrelevant skill.

The influence of good old-fashioned handwriting seems to be in waning, as we spend our working days tapping into computers. We communicate with each other via email, text messages rather then letters. In practical life after school, the skill which used to be a necessity is now considered as impertinent. Employers have standardized the visual appearance of most forms, so there is no need to worry about the neatness of one’s handwriting. However, they want the applicants to draft the answers carefully and in a neat way. Computers have turned cursive handwriting into an archaic and unnecessary form of writing.

Computers have created such a strong impact in our lives that even students of today have forgotten how to write. Most students also prefer the use of computer for fear of misspelled words and because of having terrible handwriting. In a recent survey conducted by Toronto Star, the majority of University of Toronto and Ryerson students considered writing is irrelevant. Undergraduate students from different programs couldn’t remember how to write the letter “w” properly. Most of them used the cursive scripting in middle school and after that they didn’t needed to use cursive script. “I print out or type the majority of my school work”, says 18-year-old Kris Tofer Baker. Another student Fatima Nuzhat, 19 expressed her views emphasising on the computer technology saying that, “Every thing we do is on the computer”. The journalists of Toronto Star concluded from the survey they did in two prominent universities in downtown Toronto that only few students were able to handwrite naturally. From high schools to Universities, handwriting is not mandatory. Just so long as one’s writing is legible, it’s fine.

Conversely, on the other hand educationalists believe that there should be more work needed to be done in order to improve these skills at an early stage. The imminent end of cursive writing, however, is not all typing and computer’s fault. “Penmanship skills are not being taught properly, “says Sargur Srihari, professor of computer science at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Young people, he says, aren’t even holding their pens correctly. Education system is a key factor for these lacking of cursive writing skills in young students. Instead of improving the handwriting skills at an early age, schools are spending more teaching something more practical, keyboarding. Today majority of students sit in class with their laptops, but some educationalists still believe that taking handwritten notes at school is an important step in human information processing.

Along with the education systems, Governments and politicians also have to play a positive role in the development of efficient handwriting skills in the youth of their nations. But unfortunately, it is not happening as presumed to be as in France an ideological row over handwriting reputed in 2002 when the education minister, Jack Lang, decided to stop teaching French children the traditional baroque handwriting because he claimed it had resulted in loss of legibility at speed and the failure of some disadvantaged secondary students to write at all. Lang said, “it was time France had a clearer; more business like handwriting for the 21st century”.


Not long before, people when using a pen or type writer usually used to think out the entire sentence before committing it to paper. But on a computer, the practice is changed, and the composing process has become very flexible. “Writing on a computer has altered the process of composition”, says Leslie C. Perelman, director of writing across the curriculum and an associate dean of undergraduate education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Many students have become so unused to the physical act of writing with pen and paper. Because of that factor, MIT has now changed the process of producing writing samples on paper, now students submit the writing samples infact typed samples over the Web before arriving on the campus. The technology has definitely changed the way people write.

The invention of the century, the Internet has revolutionized communication and our access to information. It also provided a new source for written language to change rapidly due to the ability to communicate with others in real time. People started to begin experimenting with language and writing methods in terms of style and formatting with services such as e-mail, online blogging and instant messaging. Especially, Instant Messengers like msn, yahoo became the popular way to communicate crossing the line between speech and writing.

Text messaging using cell phones is becoming popular and is believed to be eliminating the traditional way of writing. Text messaging also known as SMS is far more popular in Europe and Asia than it is in the United States. In 2003, according to The Mobile Data Association, users in England alone sent 20.5 billion text messages and this number is expected to rise to 23 billion in coming years. According to the Economist, the global average for text messaging is 30 messages a month, the average in parts of Asia is as high as 200 messages a month, and the average in America is 7. These growing numbers are affecting the natural writing methods all over the globe. People sending text messages are experimenting with written language, manipulating it to fit the technological limitation of space and style.

In this age of technology, leaving handwriting aside even signatures are becoming obsolete by the new advents of biometric devices for authentication purposes. What then is the future of handwriting in a world when one in three children has a computer in the bedroom, according to a new Lloyds TSB Insurance survey. Today most writing can be word processed and voice recognition technology can turn speech into text. It is being observed that quality of handwriting become poorer as people come to depend on computers. From note taking in school and at jobs to grocery lists, typing and then printing seems adequate to the task.

Even in this stage of computer technology, handwriting is an essential skill for everyone and handwritten communication will always be important. We usually don’t save e-mails from loved ones but most of time we the save the handwritten cards, letters from different occasions because handwriting is a reflection of that person on the paper. Imagine writing poetry on a computer. Poets feel the need of the pen in their hands and to touch it paper to write poetry. Certainly this has to do with the rhythm, sound and image of poetry and the integration of all these features somewhere in the brain that is just incompatible with the keyboard.

Handwriting in the earliest grades in linked to basic reading and spelling achievement. Attention to the linkages among handwriting, reading and spelling skills can help to reinforce early achievement across these areas. Handwriting is a basic tool used in many subjects from taking notes, taking tests, and doing classroom work and homework for almost every content area as well as in language art classes. Our handwriting is as individual to us as our DNA. It is a direct expression of our personality. In fact graphologists say that our handwriting is the key to who we are. At this peak of technology, handwriting might be considered as an antedate, but still lacking this skill would be an acrid sacrifice in the digital age.


References:

[1] Gerson, Jen.”Handwriting Is Irrelevant.” Toronto Star 5 December.2006:9-4.

[2] Backman, Robert .” Handwriting-L - Handwriting Analysis Archive (Camillo Baldi - Biography). “Handwriting Analysis Research Library. 4 Dec.2006

[3] Pearson, Kay. “Leal Week Student.” Legal Week Student.
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[4] BBC NEWS | UK | Education | Concern over handwriting lessons.” BBC NEWS.
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[5] Knauss, Dan.” Writing in the Arts & Sciences at Marquette.” Marquette University. 5 Dec.2006

[6]Kermode, Jennie.” Business Writing - Why is Writing Important in Business.” Suite101.4 Dec.2006

[7]National Literacy Trust. “Television and literacy .“ National Literacy Trust. 5 Dec.2066

[8]News Digest.” University of Toronto -- News@UofT -- News Digest --.” University of Toronto. 5 Dec.2006

[9] BCC NewsRound.” CBBC Newsround | SCI TECH | Txting heads for 1 billion a day.”BBC NEWSROUND. 4 Dec. 2006.