• Is hand writing really needed anymore?
    235 replies, posted
I can only write in cursive. I don't see how can you write faster using printed than cursive letters, which are joined together, are curved (hence cursive) and generally more fit for the human hand. [editline]21st March 2012[/editline] Also, jotting down math equations will take a lot of time on a computer if you don't know how to use LaTeX.
Today I received a fine for driving my scooter. The reasons given were idiotic but what bothers me the most is I can't even read the officer's handwriting because it's just a big mess. And I'm not the only one, nobody I know can read it. The important thing about handwriting is if you can't do it properly when doing it stylish then don't do it stylish, I'd rather want something I can read than something that looks good.
[QUOTE=VistaPOWA;35234524]I can only write in cursive. I don't see how can you write faster using printed than cursive letters, which are joined together, are curved (hence cursive) and generally more fit for the human hand. [editline]21st March 2012[/editline] Also, jotting down math equations will take a lot of time on a computer if you don't know how to use LaTeX.[/QUOTE] Even if you do know it, \displaystyle \sum _{i=0} ^N \frac{\partial Q}{\partial x_i} isn't faster than [IMG]http://quicklatex.com/cache3/ql_5f190e462324cd048e4d733a92ac892c_l3.png[/IMG] in handwriting
People still need to sign stuff and by your [B]OWN[/B] handwriting, nobody can copy it. A good reason to keep it.
It sounds really silly to ask if we need handwriting. It's definitely a necessity. Handwriting is almost like someone's identity. They all have their own uniqueness to it and people could identify that it's yours. I'd always prefer reading my own notes on paper than something off a computer honestly. What I fear the most is how reliant we are in technology. Using it for practically anything in our daily lives. We store all our documents, music, videos, etc. in one single hard drive that if it were to break, all those files would be lost forever.
[QUOTE=Cushie;35225113] I do hate cursive writing though, we were forced to practice it when I was in first school, I went back to my messy non-joined handwriting as soon as we left.[/QUOTE] I completely agree with you about that. Back when I had to take the ACT test for college, the hardest part for me is where we had to write and sign a contract. In all cursive. I swear it took me an hour to remember. Hahaha.
[QUOTE=imMonkeyGOD;35291525] What I fear the most is how reliant we are in technology. Using it for practically anything in our daily lives. We store all our documents, music, videos, etc. in one single hard drive that if it were to break, all those files would be lost forever.[/QUOTE] Countless books and historical records have been lost and damaged by fire, aging, and other corruption. It's true that storing your data electronically may also be vulnerable to some corruption, but you have more convenient options (cloud storage, ease of backups) than you do with paper. It's also a good thing that our technology is moving forward, and it's not something to be afraid of, it's something humanity should be proud of. I really think it's ridiculous to be afraid of technological progress which will increase our efficiency exponentially.
Typing is much better for formal communication. Handwriting can be much harder to read, even if it's not sloppy writing. Sometimes people loop their e's like o's, a's, or l's, and I spend more time trying to figure out the letters than reading the text. Handwriting is okay for taking notes for your own reading. [editline]26th March 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Torjuz;35291188]People still need to sign stuff and by your [B]OWN[/B] handwriting, nobody can copy it. A good reason to keep it.[/QUOTE] It's easier to forge a handwritten signature than it is to forge a cryptographically secure digital signature. Hopefully digital signatures become the norm in the future.
[QUOTE=PvtCupcakes;35304977]Typing is much better for formal communication. Handwriting can be much harder to read, even if it's not sloppy writing. Sometimes people loop their e's like o's, a's, or l's, and I spend more time trying to figure out the letters than reading the text. Handwriting is okay for taking notes for your own reading.[/QUOTE] Well done cursive handwriting is a marvel to behold, and is really nice and easy to read. Scrawled, messy, disorganised left-handed cursive (mine) is illegible to any but me. I write faster in cursive than print, so I pretty much go for cursive. Learning to write cursive isn't really necessary, but everyone should be able to read it, and everyone should at least be able to print, but typing is the best solution on a day-to-day basis. Reading and writing in print should be mandatory, and the ability to read (reasonably neat) cursive should be, too, (though not writing in it) but typing should be the norm outside of maths.
I think cursive should still be taught, if anything it just makes the brain work in a different way, perhaps in a more creative way when it comes to the technical aspect of writing. It surely doesn't hurt a kid to learn it. However, it shouldn't be mandatory after grade 5.
For 13 years of my life I held a pen funny, so now I can't write proper. I personally think we still should use handwriting. Cursive or not it's still needed.
[QUOTE=Number-41;35286974]Even if you do know it, \displaystyle \sum _{i=0} ^N \frac{\partial Q}{\partial x_i} isn't faster than [IMG]http://quicklatex.com/cache3/ql_5f190e462324cd048e4d733a92ac892c_l3.png[/IMG] in handwriting[/QUOTE] Eh, I come pretty close to my handwriting speed with LaTeX
[QUOTE=JohnnyMo1;35412340]Eh, I come pretty close to my handwriting speed with LaTeX[/QUOTE] Even if I could write in LaTeX as fast as I can by hand, I still find manipulating equations way easier on paper by hand than when looking at a computer screen.
The question you must ask yourself is, what will we do if all computers fail? So lets say Y2K happened, and we forgot calligraphy. How would we communicate long distances across the world? Especially in a disaster like this. If you need messages without the aid of electronics you will have to use your amazing calligraphy skills.
It's nice to know, but hardly a requirement. Calligraphy can be quite beautiful, indeed a form of art, but an absolute necessity it is not. It's merely an aesthetic addition, it does not matter in actual work (indeed, one's handwriting might be more legible if not done in cursive, at least for some people I know) or for things that are mostly done by computer now. There are some businesses still hooked on the bullshit idea that you can determine a person's likely behaviour and personality from their handwriting, but that's something that needs to be rectified by either legal measures or merely showing people it's utter rubbish, rather than teaching them cursive. I'm not against the idea of teaching kids cursive, but it can't really be justified on the basis of it being a useful skill.
Nope, unless signatures count.
I am studying for my engineer degree and I can't think of using Latex for calculations when I am faster on the paper. What about all the exams? How you wanna do exams on a computer? You dont have enough time for it.
[QUOTE=wertel;35450524]The question you must ask yourself is, what will we do if all computers fail? So lets say Y2K happened, and we forgot calligraphy. How would we communicate long distances across the world? Especially in a disaster like this. If you need messages without the aid of electronics you will have to use your amazing calligraphy skills.[/QUOTE] Its not like nobody knows how to read. People would learn how to physically write fairly quickly,due to the availability of printed documents. Also, that is incredibly unlikely.
Handwriting is still needed. Since we still write up reports. Unless you go to a online school. Although, cursive is no longer needed nor is it really used by anyone. Most people cannot even read cursive. It is not practical as writing in print.
I feel hand writing notes helps me retain information. I assume it's the same for a lot of people born before 2000.
[QUOTE=Derpmonster;35616414]Handwriting is still needed. Since we still write up reports. Unless you go to a online school. Although, cursive is no longer needed nor is it really used by anyone. Most people cannot even read cursive. It is not practical as writing in print.[/QUOTE] I find cursive quite handy when you need to write thinks up if time is a consideration, for a recent two-hour test at school I was able to get nine pages of writing done thanks to cursive, and the writing was still legible. I think it's a matter of people not bothering to sharpen their skill with cursive, rather than cursive being un-readable in general. Heh, now I know what conservatives feel like when their "old ways" are threatened by more progressive ones. I'm actually scared in regard to the number of people in this thread who want to see hand writing totally abolished.
Basic writing yes, cursive and other artsy forms of writing are completely unnecessary. Sure they look nice, but it's completely aesthetic and often hard to read. There's a hejibits comic string about this topic and it sums it up perfectly but i don't have it on hand, shouldn't be hard to find though
[QUOTE=AugustBurnsRed;35618207]Basic writing yes, cursive and other artsy forms of writing are completely unnecessary. Sure they look nice, but it's completely aesthetic and often hard to read.[/QUOTE] This pretty much sums up my opinion. I only use handwriting when I have to sign something. For everything else I use a computer or my phone.
No, only signatures.
I Have a mild case of dysgraphia (fucked up hand eye co-ordination pertaining to fine movements) The school I was In divided it's maths based and literacy based subjects as separate areas and thus had different "sets" which were classes depending on how advanced a student was, 1 being highest 4 being lowest. Now In the maths and science set I was 2, I was one of the better students in that set, I was pretty good at maths. However for the English set I was 4, i had to go to "support classes" because of this. This was all when I had to handwrite everything, and the end result looked like someone had thrown blue spaghetti at the paper. Then they let me use a laptop in class, and suddenly I got promoted in both sets when it turned out my work was really good. I think that if they were to do away with handwriting in the next few generations, nothing much would change for better or worse.
I use it from time to time because of my job. Otherwise I wouldn't write anything with my hand anymore.
I think saying you don't need to know how to write because you can use a keyboard is like saying you don't need to know how to math because you can use a calculator
I believe that people should know how to write, but writing with amazing neat-ness is not required. Having said that, I would be biased because my handwriting is ugly as shit.
[QUOTE=JohnnyMo1;35219028]Mathematics can be typed but it's difficult and I didn't learn it until the past year. Are we supposed to all be learning LaTeX from the time we start doing math in school?[/QUOTE] Maths and science are probably two key areas where it's infinitely more handy to be able to write than use like a laptop if you're taking notes in class for example. Especially if there are things like diagrams or graphs that are displayed that it's handy to copy down for reference to later on. I'm currently leaning over a calculator, some pens, and a dozen sheets of paper to type this because I'm sick and fucking tired of trying to use the god damned computer to do science reports. I can use a calculator and write down my answers five times more quickly than I can open wolfram alpha, type it all in, wait for it to load, and then copy it down.
Even though our mediums don't have as much permanence as the Mesopotamian's, it's still a good thing to note that the reason we know they started using a written language is because we can read it from their preserved clay tablets. Cursive isn't made to be fancy, it's made to be fast. Those loops and twists are turning words into single strokes, as well as not allowing ink to splatter from your fountain pen/quill. With children, writing by hand is one of the main methods by which their develop their fine motor skills, and they are made to write every day to continue bolstering this skill-set, what in writing's place, could be used to develop fine motor skills? You who complain of illegibility or hand pains just haven't learned how to write properly, it's hardly your fault you were a child, but you are in the minority and saying that everyone should just stop handwriting because you had a good experience with a computer is ridiculous. Smart phones are useful, yes you can take notes on them, but they have nothing on being able to multi-task with tangible objects; eg. a notepad and a calculator side-by-side for Maths, or writing information onto an already printed piece of paper, being able to switch between writing and drawing and Maths equations without any hindrance.
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