DOES DIGITAL MEDIA
MAKE US BAD WRITERS?
Quote: “…the writing we produce
is not getting worse. Instead, it is simply adapting to the modern world.”
This is an accurate picture when
it comes to writing in today’s society.
Humans tend to adapt to their environment. Overtime, the adaptation can lead to evolving
from the past. Writing is no
different. As technology grows, our
writing adapts and evolves. One thing
that is becoming extinct is Cursive Handwriting. I learned it, but now it is not being
taught. This change has occurred within
years.
LITERACY DEBATE:
ONLINE, R U REALLY READING?
Quote: “Some Web evangelists say
children should be evaluated for their proficiency on the Internet just as they
are tested on their print reading comprehension.”
I agree. With times changing and our human race
adapting, our critiques and assessments should change as well. If we change the way we teach our kids, then
we need to change the way we assess their understanding of the knowledge. I know the information hasn’t “changed” but
it is has evolved. To expect kids to
learn the same way people did a long time ago is covering up the fact that we
have changed overtime.
Overall, I believe I would be more of a Web
Evangelist. However, there can be good
views from the other side as well. As I mentioned
earlier, we as humans adapt to our surroundings of technology. If we adapt in a positive way, then the way
we read and write should evolve in a positive trend. However, experience can support the idea that
children are losing the ability to read and write.
Supporting Source: Reading
in a Whole New Way by Kevin Kelly
The beginning of the
article describes the history of how writing has changed, evolved,
overtime. This is a perfect source to
support that Technology has changed the way people read and write. The author continues to say that we are now a
“Screen Culture.” We as humans are
starting to read and write using screens rather than pen/paper.
Resources:
Karp, J. (2010, January). Does digital media make us bad
writers?. Retrieved from http://spotlight.macfound.org/featured-stories/entry/does-digital-media-make-us-bad-writers
Rich, M. (2008, July). Literacy debate: Online, r u really
reading? . Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/books/27reading.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Kevin, K. (2010, July). Reading in a whole new way . Retrieved
from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/40th-anniversary/Reading-in-a-Whole-New-Way.html
Do you mean loosing the ability to read and write in paper-based texts? The National Assessment for Educational Progress report shows that there has been no change in literacy achievement in the last 20 years.It's disconcerting that literacy achievement has not improved but at least it is not getting worse! :)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your point about cursive handwriting. My students ask me what cursive letters look like. I can't help but think that it's been a lot longer since my second grade year than yours! Hardly any of them know it.
ReplyDeleteThe article you shared put a positive spin on something I had considered a bit of a negative.
ReplyDelete"Screens encourage more utilitarian thinking. A new idea or unfamiliar fact will provoke a reflex to do something: to research the term, to query your screen “friends” for their opinions, to find alternative views, to create a bookmark, to interact with or tweet the thing rather than simply contemplate it."
I used to think of that as getting distracted, but maybe it is a form of follow up thinking and research.