• Is hand writing really needed anymore?
    235 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Nipa;36168780]My handwriting is terrible; it suffers from being slow and painful to write down. I'm a much faster typist, I articulate my thoughts better while typing, and my mind thinks faster while typing. I've been able to take notes with a laptop for a while, and my ability to retain information and keep up has dramatically improved. However, I'd have to agree with the people here who suggest that writing is much better for limited fields (mathematics, and the various sciences). I think handwriting should slowly be phased out in later education for courses with copious amounts of writing; forcing someone to churn out lower-quality work due to physical limitations is not an ideal situation. When given freedom from the building pain in my hand from writing excessively, I can concentrate on producing something of quality and not something limited by the repetitive, pain-inducing motion of handwriting.[/QUOTE] I feel your pain. My hand-writing also sucks. It almost like you are reading a transcript of a alien-ish message. But I do think it's still not the time for fancy alternatives to hand writing, not just yet.
[QUOTE=eurocracy;35672160] Here's an example of my writing position and my awful handwriting: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/XgZOO.jpg[/IMG] As you can see, by index finger has the last joint bent really far back and the pen rests on top of my ring finger's last joint. My middle finger's last joint will also bend back really far like my index. [B]They don't teach you how to hold a pen correctly last time I checked[/B], so all I end up with is this, and it's impossible to write with any stability in any other positioning because I've been doing this since forever. [/QUOTE] Well they do where I live, and yes they way you hold your pen is horrible and mabye the cause of your painproblems. Also, learning how to write improves your fine motoric skills(duno how it is called in english, but it is movement of fingers/small gestures) wich is something that needs to be developed before typing is possible.
hand writing is an essential skill - like how to read and do basic arithmetic what might be obsolete is the skill to use those speed-balls? well but of course they can come fancy when your writing a love letter :) most chicks still dig hand written love letters :D
I'm in need of clarification; are we discussing whether to abandon handwriting as a form of communication or are we discussing whether to abandon pens?
Yes because of tablets.
Handwriting is still very important, just because computers are making it a lot easier to take notes, email, and what not. You should still need to be able to print out words, what happens when you need to sign a check and you were never tought how to write, or sign a document. Maybe in 50-100 years when everything involves a computer than it would be understandable but I would still think that people should know how to write. When your history becomes something that is stored on something electronic instead of in libraries, people in the future would not have much to look back on if something catastrophic happened.
i think that handwriting should be taught in schools but not used much because while it is useful for hand coordination and communication in the case of technological failure or less ways to trace it (ie. someone cannot use a rootkit to hack the piece of paper you keep your password on) it is still not eco-friendly and an uneeded expenditure of time.
I think handwriting is necessary - there's documented neurological evidence to suggest that handwriting provides a unique stimulus to the brain. Also, I'm ambidextrous, and like showing off how I can write with both hands at the same time.
By the logic of this title, ice will not be needed any more, because we have refrigerators and freezers that keep things cold for us.
I think it is good to use handwriting. Although I think it would be easier to just type everything, because I type pretty frickin fast, and I know I will be typing everything once I am in college, I don't think it should be wiped out. How would you do your math homework without handwriting? I don't think you could do everything you do with handwriting on a computer.
For signing checks, sure. But I mean if you are talking about the whole cursive bullshit, then no. Ever in my life but in the third grade have I not seen cursive. Ever.
It'll be just as important in the future as it is today, especially in a disaster situation.
[QUOTE=Nipa;36168780]My handwriting is terrible; it suffers from being slow and painful to write down. I'm a much faster typist, I articulate my thoughts better while typing, and my mind thinks faster while typing. I've been able to take notes with a laptop for a while, and my ability to retain information and keep up has dramatically improved. However, I'd have to agree with the people here who suggest that writing is much better for limited fields (mathematics, and the various sciences). I think handwriting should slowly be phased out in later education for courses with copious amounts of writing; forcing someone to churn out lower-quality work due to physical limitations is not an ideal situation. When given freedom from the building pain in my hand from writing excessively, I can concentrate on producing something of quality and not something limited by the repetitive, pain-inducing motion of handwriting.[/QUOTE] But what about people for whom the converse is true, who much prefer hand-write rather than type?
Teach it yes, but exams and stuff were the examiner really needs to be able to read it need to be done via computers, especially considering I can potentially get a lower grade in exams because of my hand writing.
I would say to a degree, yes handwriting is needed but everything is being modernised into computers and tablets. You do have to keep in mind that we are as only good as our technology and the tools that we have created, if we are ever sent back to the stone age through a nuclear war or whatever, we are going to have to learn Hand Writing 101 all over again.
I'd say no. Handwriting is still very important in daily life, and everyone should learn how to write, and if given the chance to learn cursive. while in the modern day a lot of writing is done on the computer, it should still be taught.
[QUOTE=Vault;36332278]For signing checks, sure. But I mean if you are talking about the whole cursive bullshit, then no. Ever in my life but in the third grade have I not seen cursive. Ever.[/QUOTE] We're using it here in Estonia. Most people write cursive or some cursive/type mixture. No-one really has any problems with it as far as I know.
It is most definately required for day to day life. If you imagine a library, what is it composed of? You would say books but at the bottom of the structure of a library are[sp]letters![/sp]. You cannot learn to type if you don't know what the symbols are on the keyboard. The fastest way and possibly only way to learn to read and type is to form the very letters that you need to create larger works from words, to sentences, to paragraphs and then eventually be able to make entire books. [I](Think of a carpenter. How can you expect a carpenter to make a table if he doesn't know what his building material is?)[/I] You can't learn write [sp]bad pun[/sp] from wrong if you are always creating words and sentences with the assistance of spellcheck.
[QUOTE=Vault;36332278]For signing checks, sure. But I mean if you are talking about the whole cursive bullshit, then no. Ever in my life but in the third grade have I not seen cursive. Ever.[/QUOTE] People in your school must have a problem then. because cursive is easy.
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;36357077]Teach it yes, but exams and stuff were the examiner really needs to be able to read it need to be done via computers, especially considering I can potentially get a lower grade in exams because of my hand writing.[/QUOTE] So learn to write correctly. Being able to write stuff in a way that is readable belongs into basic skills. Presentation is an important part of any work you turn in. And I say this as a southpaw with godawfull handwriting who probably lost a few points here and there because of it. [QUOTE=Daedulas;36380604]People in your school must have a problem then. because cursive is easy.[/QUOTE] Very few people actually know true cursive. Most people have a sort of hodgepodge system of cursive|prints which tends to be fairly fast and is partially connected. But it's generally not true cursive. Of course each nation has a different cursive standard font which is generally thought in primary school. I know german cursive is quite different from ours for instance. Of course when talking about handwriting, pure cursive is only one facet of the entire thing. Those cursive|type mixes belong into the whole thing as well. And are generally faster than typing on a keyboard.
I think you're being a bit narrow minded on this, OP. There will always be a scenario when you need to write something down, and just because there is a subjectively more efficient way of expressing ideas or speaking (aka typing), you wont always have a phone. Plus, have you SEEN one of those japanese keyboards with 50+ keys just for the characters? Not quite efficient. Plus, if you're trying to draw something with dialouge, or make blueprints, or design something, (etc) having to whip out an electronic device to do so just seems like more of a hassle. I don't know about you, but I'd rather be carrying around a 50 cent pencil around than a multi hundred dollar device just so I can get to english. It'd be so difficlt because teachers would have to send files to everyone instead of just printing papers and passing them out.
Certainly I think it should be considered, however in schools you'd need a a laptop/tablet/netbook per person and as we all know they cost money. The way I see it, handwriting should be optional if a student is willing to take the risk of bringing in their own device then fair enough (exceptions in exams and stuff like that) but, the school shouldn't be expected to supply these devices because, lets face it, a lot of schools are underfunded enough as it is.
Yes, handwriting is still needed. Probably, increasingly not on paper as time goes on, but it is still an important skill to have. I don't see any advantages to completely doing away with it.
Handwriting is a better form of active note-taking in classes because it makes you think about the material as you are writing it down. If you want to have a permanent computer record for your notes you shouldn't take your notes on a computer in class. Rather you should transcribe handwritten notes in your free time after classes, probably right after that class if possible. This has the added benefit of making you go over the notes which reinforces what you wrote down.
Handwriting yes Cursive? Outside of my signature I haven't used that since 3rd grade
It's about time we just did away with paper altogether, we stopped drawing on caves a long time ago, pen and paper is now obsolete.
[QUOTE=laylay;38343066]It's about time we just did away with paper altogether, we stopped drawing on caves a long time ago, pen and paper is now obsolete.[/QUOTE] I beg to differ: I feel that having a hand written letter (or anything like that) is a lot more personalised, and requires a lot more thought and time put into it. It's not exactly obsolete, it's just 'different' compared to what the majority use today
[QUOTE=laylay;38343066]It's about time we just did away with paper altogether, we stopped drawing on caves a long time ago, pen and paper is now obsolete.[/QUOTE] this is a ridiculous statement.
I have dyslexia in a way that I can read fine but my writing is worse than a 7 year old's (I'm 16) my handwriting is that bad that I have a scribe for all of my exams, and to be honest I use my laptop in class anyway, I tend to get a lot more work done aswell as it looking quite good so I don't think it is a necessity anymore but I do understand it is more personal for letters etc.
[QUOTE=mike;38344340]this is a ridiculous statement.[/QUOTE] To our generation, probably. Like it or not, it's unavoidable.
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