In “Why technology matters to writing: A cyberwriter’s tale” Jim Porter reflects on his journey from “pencils-to-pixels” in the form of a personal narrative; an “odyssey” from writing longhand to writing on a typewriter and then the computer. He discusses its effect on his style as it relates to writing, composition, education, and pedagogy.
Although I grew up in the 90s, around technology, computers, and the internet, I could relate to Porter’s initial reflection about learning to write in the second grade in the 60s: “We did a lot of writing—not to express ideas but to form beautiful letter” (376). I recall my father having me write my homework assignments on separate piece of paper before transferring the correct assignment into the workbook or my class notebook. He was vigilant about my penmanship, but to no avail. As I became older, my penmanship became worst. (It may have been my way of rebelling because I certainly could not protest or whine about the process.) This practice of writing it on scrap paper is probably because he was from that generation concerned as much with “beauty” as with substance. Still, this process has impacted my writing, in terms of “official documents.” I sometimes find myself writing responses to applications on scrap paper and then transferring them to the document once I was certain about what was being asked.
Another aspect of his narrative that was interesting was his recollection of the investment needed to purchase a personal computer. I found it comical that someone who did this was either “serious” about the purchase or “foolhardy.” I still think a computer is an investment, although not as costly. I also liked his keen identification of his first “social network,” via the Purdue network, established after “one-by-one, faculty and then eventually graduate students purchased computers and gradually dropped out of the learning community that had been established after hours in the public lab” (382). A new virtual community had emerged because of this social shift from using publish labs to having access to this technology at home.
This entire process from writing longhand to using the typewriter and, now, the computer has impacted (and is still impacting) a generation of “traditional” writers as well as future writers. Although this doesn't exactly relate to "why technology matters to writing," I began to consider the affect this change has had on our brain. From this article and my own writing journey, I am inclined to believe that because of this change our brains function differently as processes information differently. I goggled some articles about the affects on brain function and computer use and found some interesting things. One article cited an interesting study. “When 24 adults with and without computer experience had their brain activity measured while they searched the Internet for information, the experienced users’ brains were twice as lively as the others’.” I am not sure if this is propaganda but I do always feel more drained after being on the computer as opposed o reading. This could be due to the increased brain activity described in the article. Check out some of the articles below and make your own conclusion to the affects of the computer on the brain.
“Don’t Let Computer Use Harm your Brain”
“Internet 'speeds up decision making and brain function’”
Stacy-Ann,
ReplyDeleteI have a similar story regarding penmanship and the focus on writing by hand as a child. It is so different nowadays, as most of my students' handwriting is atrocious, as they are so used to typing, texting and using electronic devices that it is to the point where they are almost averse to the notion of writing out notes by hand.
I perused through one of the articles you posted ("Don't Let Computers Harm Your Brain") on the effects computers have on brain functioning, and I found it interesting that the author, Dr. Gary Small, said using computers have a similar effect to completing cross word puzzles - they can improve memory. Personally, I feel drained after a few hours in front of a computer screen (similar to you). After a while, I begin to miss the tactile sensation of using old-school paper and pencil. Great posting!
I am exhausted as well from an hour of using the computer... not to mention having a migraine to couple it with my eyes hurting. But I can read a book for hours and no side effects.
ReplyDeleteEven though I am from a different generation than Jim Porter, I also have very strong feelings about penmanship. And like Jessie and Stacy-Ann, writing by hand triggers an emotional reaction or a set of memories.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was little, I always wanted to have the same beautiful penmanship as my mother. I saw her long, graceful strokes as an extension of her grace and maturity. I thought having beautiful handwriting was a sign of a smart and beautiful person.
We didn't "officially" learn cursive (script) until 3rd grade, but even as early as first grade, I would practice in black and white marble composition books or on legal pads. I still have stacks of pads filled with line after line of my name, my first and last name, my first, middle and last name, first name, middle initial, last name and every combination I could think of.
Like the Ursuline nuns, for me, neat handwriting was the result of an orderly, sharp mind.
To this day, if I see someone with "bad" handwriting, something in my subconscious assumes that they lacked discipline as children.
And what's worse, I am often amazed at how my egalitarian, pro-feminist mind can't comprehend a *woman* with poor penmanship. I guess that embarrassing bit of sexism or chauvinism goes back to the idea that my mother was my feminine ideal and she had beautiful, enviable handwriting so I thought all women should.
WIthout a focus on handwriting, I think as a society we have lost our ability to spell (who doesn't rely on spell check nowadays?) and we have lost the connection with grammar and punctuation.
E-mails in all lowercase letters are perfectly acceptable. I've seen business correspondence with all kinds of abbreviations and the language that used to be reserved for text messages.
It is the evolution of writing and I suppose we need to accept it as such, without judgment. But there is an old-fashioned part of me that believes writing is like speaking in that it is fine to use slang, or even to prefer slang, but you also have to --are obligated to--be functional in standard English if you want to succeed and be taken seriously.
There's nothing wrong with casual writing and reliance on computers for written communication, but there's a time and a place and you have to be "bitextual" (like "bilingual").
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ReplyDeleteTeaching that focuses on Digital Rhetoric is something that is widely used at the elementary level of the New Jersey school system where I come from. Students are thought to think and write outside the box. They are taught to write stories without putting words on paper, while at the same time, their work must be visual enough that any other student may be able to follow the story plot and come to the same conclusions. That being said, what I question is, why is this a good teaching tool at the elementary level but not sophisticated enough for middle school, high school or college?
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