Writing and Technology
"The fact that we do not commonly feel the influence of writing on our thoughts shows that we have interiorized the technology of writing so deeply that without tremendous effort we cannot separate it from ourselves or even recognize its presence and influence (Ong, 317)."
In this modern age of computers, disposable pens, and mechanical pencils, it is easy to forget that at one time writing was not so simple or convenient. Most of us have ". . . become so used to composing virtual prose at a keyboard . . . (Baron 36)," that the thought of writing anything out by hand with a pencil, or any other implement, would not even cross our minds. The experience of trying to invent my own writing implements has given
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My first idea came up short, so I decided to try a different approach. Instead of using a rock as my paper, I thought I would find one I could use as a pencil. It did not take too long before I found a rock with some good edges I could use to cut and scrape with. I then proceeded to look for a piece of wood I could record some very deep and profound thoughts on ("This pen sucks. I miss my keyboard."). After a while I located a suitable branch, big enough to write on and small enough to carry around. With my primitive version of the pencil and paper in hand, I set out to work.
It was very hard. Etching words into the branch was a slow and tedious process. I had not finished three letters before I started getting painful blisters on my hand. It is difficult to write in a straight line and with even spacing and letter height when you are scraping a branch with a rock. I ended up cutting my writing short after my hand started to bleed. I don't think that my rock and branch idea is going to replace the P.C. in American homes anytime soon.
This assignment has definitely made me realize that like many people today, I ". . . take word processing as a given (Baron 36)." The first writers must have had a very difficult time. Crude tools are cumbersome and messy. The process is slow, tiresome, frustrating and worst of all, it can be painful. It is a testament to human perseverance that any strides in original writing
Writing is a powerful tool for communication and connection. As an extension and expression of the mind, writing is as much about the mental processes of the author as it is about the final marks laid to paper. As we write, we hold in mind our own thoughts on the work, anticipate the reader’s thoughts, and think both in concrete and abstract ways in order to accomplish the task at hand. Whether an academic research paper, a novel, or text message to friends, writing seeks to engage, persuade, or impress concepts upon an audience. Like language and other art forms in general, the practice of writing is ever-evolving and is subject to cultural and contextual influence, expectations, and conventions. Each writer holds a theory
In recent years, the rushing tide of typing has overwhelmed the once necessary skill of handwriting. As the days pass by computers and other 21st century electronics are becoming more and more a part human lives. Gone are the constant needs for pen and paper, often times all that is needed for notetaking is a laptop and working fingers. A recent article published by Anne Trubek titled “Handwriting Just Doesn’t Matter” analyzes the importance of handwriting in the computerized world that is lived in today, as well as through a discussion on the teaching of cursive and other handwriting exercises in schools. Using a mix of pathos, logos, and minor amounts of ethos, Trubek is able to comprehensively convince her audience that handwriting is not as important or useful a skill as it used to be.
Leslie Slater is a handwriting enthuses who believes that the future of technology is crippling our art of writing and her strong evidence suggest that she might be on to something. The tone in opinion piece is pure and evidential, Leslie mention a substantial amount of studies and she really worry about good old fashion ink writing.
Carr uses the example of Friedrich Nietzsche, who became blind while in the middle of his writing career. Carr states that Nietzsche was able to keep writing and sharing his ideas by using the typewriter, but his writing changed to be more straightforward in style and more “telegraphic” than his normal poetic prose (153). The example of Nietzsche demonstrates that although technology seems to have many advantages, it also hinders a writer’s style. This example adds to Carr’s argument that technology is not always beneficial; the example of Nietzsche is more objective than a personal anecdote, so it shows the direct consequences of relying on technology. Nietzsche’s writing changed drastically after using the typewriter, which implies that technology can influence any aspect of life.
Voice is the key to getting the reader involved in an essay. Without it, the
Developments in digital technology are expanding our understanding of “writing.” To the extent that technology is available and appropriate, by the end of their first
All people of the tribe wrote in pictures and symbols. They’re conveying their ideas by covering the walls with them. The activity is usually done in a home. The activity is completed when the person writing feels they are satisfied. They do this
In today’s society one would not be able to communicate effectively with the world if writing was not involved. People all around the world send emails, texts, and letter to numerous amounts of individuals each second. Talking on the phone is slowly becoming a thing of the past while the writing side of technology is taking over. The meaning of writing is changing in society. Writing used to be specifically for academics or the occasional letter to a loved one. As time has passed writing has taken more forms and more meanings. In the world we live in now writing is classified as texting, emailing, instant messaging, and even comments or tweets on social media. Although writing has these multiple new forms, it still holds its academic side strongly. Everything with meaning in turn affects a person’s day to day life. Writing has the effect of making one more intellectual. Writing has become a bridge between communication and the cultures and people of today’s society. It gives way for different options in stating sentences or phrases. (Olson). Each affect should change with age. As a person grows older, their writing styles should mature and take on a more professional aspect.
Rachel Wisner Prof. Nyland ENGL-102-75A December 8, 2014 Three Years of Permanent Ink I struggle with opening up my emotions when reading a story or poem. I stay bottled up because if I feel something for it, it just makes me think of a time when I felt worthless. The poem “The World Is in Pencil,” by Todd Boss opened me up and allowed me to feel vulnerable. Its length is only sixteen short lines, but those lines mean a great deal.
Every Christmas, Emma’s father gave her a composition book as a gift and by the month of February it was filled to overflowing. Because money was very tight, Emma made her own writing tablets from loose pieces of paper that she would collect, fold, and sew together. Her homemade journals were crude but usable. She had collected stacks of them in a wooden box she kept in the rafters of her attic room. Emma could not afford a pen and ink well of her own. Even thought money was tight, Emma asked for a writing set of her very own each year at Christmas but she never found one under the Christmas tree. All year long, Emma saved the pennies that she earned doing odd jobs for neighbors so that she could by pencils and paper at Hoffpaur’s General Store. Because she bought most of them herself, Emma cherished her writing tools and treated them with the care that a master artist would show toward the tools of his trade.
Imagine a world where the craft of writing did not exist, where each text had no white space, no syntax or meaning, no emotional connection to the reader--just random words. This project will put forth every effort to show the value of making tangible text from the conversion of imaginative concepts onto paper by the craft of a writer to make use of the written word.
Catholic schools tend to emphasize teaching cursive to their students for its historical roots and its fluidity. As a result, in third grade, my teachers spent weeks teaching my peers and I to write in cursive. Today I write in script properly, if not often, unlike many of my classmates from public schools. Although I rarely think of this superfluous skill as an asset, it comes in handy when I need to write under a time restraint. My cursive letters are quick and slanted; ink flowing in fast loops and lines as I hurry to get out my message, the side of my hand never leaving the page in my rush. I feel personally responsible for the uncorking of hundreds of bottles of red wine and the undue exhalation of gallons of CO2 as my teachers struggle
Using technology in the classroom is a sensitive issue. It is the teacher?s responsibility to
Writing has always played a huge role in my life. I’ve been reading writing for as long as I can remember as I have an immense love of reading. This love would grow into a love for writing as well; I still stumble upon journals and writings from my five-year-old self about the happenings in my kindergarten class. As time would go on I would discover academic writing, and how to convey my thoughts on what was the topic of student that particular year or semester in my schooling. Later, writing would become a constant for me, and a comfort; I was known to my friends as always having a journal, and a pen on my person. I learned to write down my feelings and my thoughts, song lyrics that were in my head, reflections for the day. I learned how
There is a growing trend in the use of technology in the classroom. As a teacher, I am always looking for ways to use manipulatives in my lessons to increase meaning and authenticity for students. I would love to keep my students engaged, motivated and interactive in the classroom and still be able to get through the content each day. In order to achieve this, I need to have an arsenal of tools to draw from. That is why I agree with (Tataroglu & Erduran, 2010) as stated in the International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education (IEJEE) that “The use of technologies like IWBs in the classroom can provide teachers and students convenience and variety. “