With the move to text entry on computers, some states no longer require handwriting to be taught. Is this a desirable development?
Question Dissection:
Move - Advancement, change; Text entry - Typing; Some - Not all, part; No longer - Not anymore; Require - Need, feel necessary; Handwriting - Writing out work; Desirable - Likable, wanted, necessary; Development - Advancement, change
Purpose:
To analyze whether the move to text entry on computers rather than handwriting is desirable.
Audience:
Teachers; Students
Frame/Focus:
Typing vs. Handwriting
Possible Layers:
Why typing on computers is helpful; Why writing things out if helpful; Why typing on computers is less helpful; Why writing things out is less helpful.
Question Dissection:
Move - Advancement, change; Text entry - Typing; Some - Not all, part; No longer - Not anymore; Require - Need, feel necessary; Handwriting - Writing out work; Desirable - Likable, wanted, necessary; Development - Advancement, change
Purpose:
To analyze whether the move to text entry on computers rather than handwriting is desirable.
Audience:
Teachers; Students
Frame/Focus:
Typing vs. Handwriting
Possible Layers:
Why typing on computers is helpful; Why writing things out if helpful; Why typing on computers is less helpful; Why writing things out is less helpful.
Viewpoint 1: Handwriting being more desirable Main Point 1: Writing affects your intellectual development and applies your visual, motor, and memory skills. Concrete Example 1: If a younger student is never taught any form of handwriting where they live, and they move to a place where they are taught handwriting, they will have to learn a great deal to get up to the analytical mindset of the students around him/her. Main Point 2: The more children write, the more connections they build. Concrete Example 2: If suddenly handwriting wasn't practiced anywhere, children wouldn't be able to make the connections or build creativity that they would when they actually write. Main Point 3: Exceptional handwriting can lead to higher grades overall. Concrete Example 3: Studies have shown that children that know how to write rather than type score much higher years later than students never taught handwriting. Main Point 4: The saying "write it out so it isn't forgotten" is actually quite true. Concrete Example 4: If a person wrote a note for themselves and then lost it, they would be more likely to remember something they wrote rather than typed because they took individual strokes to write it, rather than pushing a few buttons to type it. Source |
Viewpoint 2: Typing being more desirable Main Point 1: Typing is quite easier for people to learn. Concrete Example 1: If you take a classroom full of children, and teach them the basics of typing, it would be easier and faster to learn than learning all about handwriting. Main Point 2: Typing anything, an essay, an article, a paragraph, etc. is faster than writing it out. Concrete Example 2: If a student has a paper due, it would be much faster to type all their ideas out rather than writing because typing is much less time consuming if they can type well. Main Point 3: Some people don't like the style of their handwriting, but that's not a problem on the computer. Concrete Example 3: Typing programs such as Microsoft Word have a large selection of preset fonts and colors to use to match someones liking. It's easy to change them to whatever they want, while it would take much time and effort to actually change how their handwriting looks. Main Point 4: Typing programs provide many things that handwriting doesn't. Concrete Example 4: Many of the typing programs used have "spell check" to make sure all words and grammar are correct. They can sometimes also have ways to find synonyms for an endless amount of words, making it easier and more convenient. |
Introduction Points:
- Handwriting is more personal, and teaches a person more than typing would.
- Typing is easier and more efficient.
- Both handwriting and typing are good developments to be taught, but they each have their positive and negative things about them.
- Restate introduction
- Although technology is advancing, teaching handwriting to young students is more desirable, so they have it with them for the rest of their lives.