Posted by codonnell, at 3:24 pm | 21st Century Learning, Educational Programming, Learning and Teaching | Comments (101)
Just when it seems we could be creating a generation of non-writers (keyboarders) a recent study performed by Virginia Berninger, a University of Washington Professor of Educational Psychology, discovered that children write better and longer essays at a faster pace when using a pen. The purpose of this study was to compare methods of transcription (the process of translating thought and ideas into written form). Read the article to find out whether the keyboard or pen was more useful while writing the alphabet and how the results of this study could affect disabled children. Berninger declares “We need to help children become bilingual writers so they can write by both the pen and the computer. So don’t throw away your pen or your keyboard. We need them both.”
In the article “The pen may be mightier than the keyboard” September 16th, 2009 by Joel Schwarz, they talked about how in elementary school, kids write better with a pen and don’t do as well with the keyboard. In my experience, writing with a pen or pencil takes a long time and a lot more labor than typing on a keyboard. Personally, I like using a computer more than a pencil because it is easier. And, the reason I think it is easier because over the years in school, we have slowly gone from pencils to using technology like computers. Now that we do it even more, it has gotten a lot easier for me to use a computer, so I wonder if the kids at the elementary school use computers very often or even know how to type. I think this would make things more difficult. In time the research would show the kids comfortable with computers and would chose them more often than pen and paper.
When I came to this blog i was mainly trying to find a percentage of students who prefer typing to writing, but as to weather each method should be used, i belive that it is up to the teacher, school district, and/or parent. I believe that eventually the keyboard might replace the pen, with the growing population of computer literate people. As technology affects our lives more and more, we find that people become more dependent on technology than ever before. Seeing eight year olds and younger carrying cell phones amazes me, and i’m a senior in high school. even when I was in elementary no one had cell phones society is changing rapidly, and becoming more and more immersed in technology. I do believe that there are advantages to the pen as well as the keyboard. Most of the advantages have been mentioned earlier though, the pen has its speed, and the keyboard its spell check. Though the keyboard also has another useful feature, if you erase there is no annoying mark left behind. I am looking for some reasons why a program that I am writing will be helpful to elementary children. The main idea is for a spelling test on the computer. It has the option of practice test which will have the student spell each misspelled word five times correctly, and it will also show you the grade you made instantly, no more need to wait for someone to grade it, that may not be able to read your hand writing, the computer can read your typing, and the computer is a fast grader. I figured that with the rising number of computer users that this program will come in handy, though since I am still in high school, and still learning programing, and writing the program by myself, it will take time to perfect, I have a working program, just need to perfect it and add all the nice little user friendly options that may come in handy.
C.J. Thomas, senior at Lovejoy High School
The results of the study were extremely interesting, but I hope that there will be further studies completed, as the initial sample size was fairly small and the results opened up many avenues for further study. As an Occupational Therapist, I have thought for a long time that there are two different processes for writing and keyboarding and it was great to see that idea referenced in your article. My current concern is that students are handwriting and keyboarding sentences without suffient and systematic instruction in letter formation and keyboarding. I believe that K-2nd graders should have time to explore the computer, but not be generating sentences. I believe that the bulk of writing will be on computers or laptops, but I think basic handwriting abilities are still needed.
Technology can be a wonderful support in multiple ways to help a student through all steps of writing, but I worry that it is introduced too early in a child’s learning career and some professionals outside of school see that handing a child a laptop is the magical solution.
[...] Technology Leadership Network is thrilled to see the “Keyboard vs. Pen” blog storm continue to brew! Thanks to a handful of innovative teachers in Colorado, our T+L Blog [...]
This is an endless debate that does not have a “right” answer. This day and age it is imperitive that children are exposed to both methods. The debate ends when handwriting is interfering in the content of a students writing. Handwriting can be an intense cognitive task when a child is experiencing difficulty, cognition is not being used for creative or technical content. Technology, including keyboarding can be a liberating experience for a struggling writer.
Dear NSBA,
When I saw this post I thought that I would use both pen and keyboard. I enjoy using the keyboard because on the computer when you are writing if you make a mistake the spell check will underline it in red to tell you that you spelled the word wrong. Second, if you know what you are going to type you can type it faster and if you type faster you can get more work done. Third, you can change the text size and the color of the text even if you did finish and you want you can change the language also. I also recommend pen because you can write it faster then having to look at the computer keyboard and looking around for the letter you’re looking for and that happens to me so much and it gets annoying. I do like both methods because they are both easy and fast to write with.
I wish there were a lot of trees and computer technology so that we can all have laptops and pen and paper. I also think that we should make the preschoolers & 1st graders write with pen and paper so that they also know how to write with their hands. I hope all preschool & 1st grade know how to write with their hands instead of keyboards because when they grow up they will know how to write in cursive too. That is why I think they should use pen and paper. That is why I think that is why we can use both pen and paper and computers.
Most people prefer to use pen and paper but I prefer both ways because they both help you a lot with your work and that is with me because the same way if I misspell a word or if that pen and paper help me write better so I like both methods even if my friends don’t like both methods I like both of them. During school the computers help me better and at home pen and paper help me better so I would like to use both methods at school. Not that many people use computers and pen and paper because they usually like either pen and paper or computers. My friend Triston who commented on the blog too likes keyboards better and I like them too so we have one thing in common. I hope you liked my comment!
Sincerely,
Brenden, 5th Grade Student
Dear NSBA,
I like to write on the computer because when I type a paragraph and I am finished there is a spell check instead of having to ask the teacher when she is working on the computer. Also I like to use computers because they have things like learning games that we need to learn about multiplication facts. I like to use the computers because when you try to write a paragraph like a long one your hands would start to hurt and when you type it does not hurt.
I don’t like to use paper because when I write for a long time my hands feel like they were going to melt. Although I like to type, little kids need to learn to write or they will not what to do the homework that the teachers give them. Also in college you would have to know how to write and get a better job or get a scholarship.
I think that a laptop would be awesome because the laptop has a spell check. Also when you have a pencil you would not be able to have a spell check. When you have paper you had to ask the teacher how to spell a word. What would you think? Would like to use a pencil and paper or a computer?
Sincerely,
Larissa, 5th grade student
Dear NSBA,
I think that for kids in kindergarten it is better to write with a pencil because they need to know how to write with there hand. If it were my decision to choose in between a pencil and a key board if I were a kindergarten student I would choose a pencil. I would choose a pencil because first I would need to know my letters of the alphabet to write. You don’t just all of a sudden know your alphabet and type right away. Another thing is that little kids would get to excited about computers and I mean the not so good excited.
My opinion on the keyboards is that it’s easier. I think that typing on a keyboard is easier because you don’t have to make the figures of the letters and keep writing like manually. For some other students or adults all this technology is new to them. Also they might not know where the letters are as fast when they type. So I think writing is much easier for everybody. I agree with the study from the University of Washington.
I think that high school students should use keyboards. Because I think that high school students should get to experience more technology. Also I think that it’s better for high school students to use keyboards because their minds know their letters and the mind can function the hands faster. Maybe other high school students don’t know the keyboard as well.
Now to tell you about adults. My mom uses the computer more than she uses a pen or pencil. She is very into technology and that is why she uses the keyboard more than a pen. For my mom it’s easier to type. It’s easier for her to type because she has had experience on the computer. I’ve seen many adults that type on a keyboard (besides my teachers and parents). Also some other adults aren’t too familiar with the technology. For example my dad. He has very nice handwriting because he usually uses pen or pencil. I have different opinion and so do other people. We’re all different and that’s what’s stellar about keyboards, pens, and pencils.
Thank You,
5th grade student Marylou
Dear NSBA,
I think that computer and pen, pencil, paper are both good to use because when I use the computer I type fast. If you even read my writing I have a lot of my typing done. When I’m writing on paper I also write fast and write a lot. When I’m typing my brain feels like it’s slower than my hands. But when I write on paper my hands are really working fast too like when I do my writing on paper with a pencil or pen.
It is important to use the computer because if you don’t have any pencil, pen or paper to write on or to write with then you would have a computer to type on. Computers are also useful because they have spell check to check your spelling if they are wrong. You can also use the Internet to Google information about specific people, places, or things. You can also study for a test on the computer if you know the website to study on like spelling city to study your spelling test or maybe any other websites you can study on. Middle and High schoolers should use the computers because they might faster at typing then writing and it can be useful to them. Now here are some reasons why pen, pencil, and paper is also important.
It is important to use pen, pencils, and paper because you might not have anything to write with and to write on so you have to use pen, pencils, and paper. Pens, pencils, and paper is useful to people who don’t have computers to write on. Kids would need to learn there alphabets so that they can write. We should use pens, pencils, and paper sometimes because people might be faster at writing but others might be fast at computers.
It really doesn’t matter what you use to write on and to write with fast because some might be fast at writing on the computer but some others write fast with pen or pencil. My parents use paper, pen, and pencil more then on the computers but sometimes they type on the computer so my mom and dad use both. So I don’t think it matters what you use to write on or to write with.
Sincerely,
Kathy
Dear NSBA,
I think writing with keyboard is better for these few reasons. First, I think writing with keyboard is better because when I write with pen, my bone that is in my finger always hurts. Second, I think it is better to use a keyboard because when you type something wrong, you can click the spell check button and you can know if you wrote it correctly. If you write with keyboards, you can save your work on the computer, but if you write with pencils and pens, you can loose your work because it is not safe; for example, people can take your folder and all your work will be lost. Another reason that I think writing with keyboards is better is because you can log off the computer and you would need a password to open it this keeps your work safe.
I also think pens or pencils are better because if you write with pens or pencils, you don’t need battery or electricity. Next, if you write with a keyboard, most keyboards are not portable (not including mini laptops). I think pens or pencils are good too because when you write with pencils or pens, you can’t just write and all of a sudden it froze. But when you write with keyboards, your work can freeze and you might lose all of the work you did. If you write with pens or pencils you can write normally without any viruses. If you were writing on a computer, there might be viruses in the computer. If you have a pens or pencils, you don’t need to spend a lot of money, but if you use keyboards, you need to spend a lot of money.
That is why I think pens and pencils or keyboards are about the same for writing. I think from 3rd grade until Kindergarten should write with pencils. I don’t think it is a great idea for kindergarten to 3rd grade to write with pens because they are too little and they can break the computers. I suggest that starting from 4th grade, they should use keyboards because they are old enough. I am a 5th grader and I think that I will stick to using keyboards better than pencils or pens because when I write with keyboards, I can write faster and my hand won’t hurt.
Sincerely,
Raymond
Dear NSBA,
I think that writing with a keyboard is better then writing with pens. I think this because if some people are not that good at spelling, and you write with a computer if you misspell a word it might underline it. That way you know you misspelled a word. A pen or a paper can’t tell you if you misspelled a word. If you put something on the computer that you don’t want you just press back space or delete. If you write something with a pen and you don’t want it you have to cross out the word or through the piece of paper away. Sometimes when I write a lot my hands hurt. When I write a lot with a keyboard my hands don’t get tired.
It might be really hard for younger kids to use the keyboards. It might take them a long time to get something typed because they might not know all the letters. Even if they know all the letters of the alphabet the letters are all over the place, and numbers periods and other symbols are all over the place too. But when you use the computer for a while, you can type words faster with a keyboard than you can write a with a pen. I type with a keyboard faster than a pen or a pencil. We still should use pens and pencils, but I think keyboards are better because of this reason.
If you are writing a lot it’s easier to have the writing in your computer. With a pen or a pencil you would write on paper. If you write a lot you would use a lot of paper, and if you need to take the writing somewhere you would have to bring all the writing which is on paper. If your doing the writing on a computer you can put it in a document. Then if you need to take the writing some where you just have to take your computer. In school I usually write on the computer not on a piece of paper so it’s easier for me to write with a computer. This is why I think keyboards are better then pens and pencils.
Sincerely,
Vlad – 5th grade student
Dear National School Board Association,
The experiences that I have had in my fifth grade year so far have made me think that I can type faster then I can write. When I type a document it only takes me a day or two to finish it but if I were to write it then it might take me a few days. But I think that is wrong, maybe it is just because we use computers more than we write with a pen and paper. I am pretty sure that I can write faster that anything that I can type. But the more I use the computers the faster I can type. I have typed and written in the same day and the pen and pencil was better. I noticed that when I wrote I could get something down in a couple of seconds but I have not memorized the keyboard yet.
I can get more things down when I type. I don’t know why I hate the feeling of the pencil on my fingers. It is crazy! The paper feels like a rough surface poking my hands especially after I wash my hands. But the weird thing is, is that I will write with a mechanical pencil and I don’t care. Isn’t that weird? There are benefits to writing and you can do more when you write and you can do different things when you write but I like the keyboard because you don’t have to get cramps or worry about pushing so hard that it feels like you are going to break your hand.
I don’t know why I don’t like the feeling of my hands on the paper but I just don’t. But the younger children that are in kindergarten need to use a pen and pencil. They are developing skills that they will need later on in their lives. You can’t just use a computer your whole life. You are going to have to use pen and pencil at some point in your life. And I am not just talking about the kindergarteners for that.
Sincerely,
Anna, 5th grade student
Dear NSBA,
From my point of view I think the keyboards are better. For example a kindergarten student can use a EEE to get a head start on life because they will learn about the internet and how it works. Yes, I still know that the kindergarten students still have to write on paper but what I’m saying is they don’t need to write every day they can write and have fun on the EEEs. High school and college students use laptops all day long. As a kid (I’m in 5th grade) I don’t like to write and/or use a pen to do any thing with pen on paper. I was introduced to laptops back in 4th grade and I thought they were not all that – but look at me now I use them every day and I am now talking to the NSBA! Just think about how many people work and play on computers. Us kids have parents that work on computers every time they go to work.
For pen and pencil I think we the people should write sometimes but not everyday. I know it helps the mind and arm and so on but some people get hurt by using the pens and pencils by getting arm and hand cramps. I went home the other day and I asked my sister about the keyboard and pen. She chose pen I asked her the question I’m going to ask you. I asked her why do you think that people should use pens instead of keyboards? She still has not answered me yet. What do you think?
I would go for keyboards because they are faster than pens at everything and you can’t have spell check on a pen and/or pencil. I should say which do you think? Pen or keyboards?
Sincerely,
Triston
5th Grade Student
Dear NSBA,
I think the keyboard is better, because we can modify the keyboard so blind people can type. As for pen or pencils if your handwriting is terrible like mine other people can’t read your handwriting. If you are a freshmen all the way to senior you must keep lots of things that can be saved on a computer. But the paper work can get ruined or lost.
Kindergarten students can use both keyboard and pencils which some kids can use a desk top PC or they can use laptop computers. I recommend kindergartens use a desk top PC because desk tops seem to be more durable. If we just take away the pencils people will not know how to hold things, like if kindergarten students are using things that are sharp they might hurt themselves.
Keyboards also have another use. First, it makes work faster then paper and pen. Like you are a senior college student and you have a 5 hard written assignments due tomorrow – you can type your work on the computer and print the work after you have checked it over. If your work is private nobody can see what you’re writing only if the work is in a document if your work is on PB works or an 1other online work space. Another opinion is that if adults work with computers it makes work a lot easier, like taking attendance in our classroom – it is faster than paper.
From,
Jonathan, 5th Grade Student
[...] to us that there are quite a few students out there in cyber world who are reading the blog. The blog item centered around whether or not the keyboard or the pen produced better writing — and the [...]
Thank you for the thoughtful and insightful comments responding to “Keyboard vs Pen”, we love to hear the student viewpoint. I will be posting another blog today responding to your comments, be sure to check it out, and we would love to hear more from you! Storm on!
In the article, “The pen may be mightier than the keyboard” by Joel Schwarz, he states that kids writing with a pen and paper are better than those writing with a keyboard. I personally do not agree with this study. I believe that it is a total personal preference. Writing when I was younger was bad because I would spend too much time trying to be neat instead of making sense of what I was writing. I would get confused and then end up erasing and re-erasing to edit what I had written. With typing, I can type out whatever I am thinking at the time and then go back as many times as I need to to edit. I also don’t have to worry about trying to read my own writing and figure out what I was trying to say. I think it is important to be able to write with a pen, whatever it may be and not totally rely on the computer, but I prefer the computer because it is easier to do just about everything that goes along with the writing process.
The article “Keyboard vs. Pen” by the NSBA talks about how today’s generation has adapted to using keyboards instead of pen and paper. A recent study at the University of Washington found that kids write better, longer and at a faster pace when using a pen. This presents an interesting a quandary. The study suggests the old school method of writng with a pen is still as important as mastering the computer keyboard.
[...] Smith’s students (and others) weighed in on Berninger’s study as well. Their reviews and comments were mixed. [...]
(Cross posted on http://plethoratech.blogspot.com)
Last year I blogged about things in education that should continue to be taught. The item that generated the most comments (and controversy) was the issue of handwriting.
Dean Shareski, Ken Rodoff, and Carolyn Foote had weighed in, among others sharing that overall, they felt that handwriting should not be emphasized in school in this age of keyboarding.
I aired out the question of handwriting to members of my Dodge Research team from my district. They are all technology savvy teachers who use it frequently for personal use as well as in their classrooms. They felt that handwriting needs to be taught, and even remediated, especially on the high school level. The source of their claim: standardized tests.
Think about it: New Jersey standardized tests (ASK, GEPA, HSPA), SAT’s, ACTs, and Advanced Placement tests…they all require students to write essays or short answer responses that are scored. One of the teachers who was a reader for the SAT’s told me that they were instructed to not score a writing passage that could not be decifered or was illegible.
In colleges, the blue book essay on exams is still a staple.
It goes even further: For graduate school, students have to take GRE’s, GMAT, LSATs, and MCAT’s…all of which require a writing sample.
Further still: Licensure exams, like the one I had to take to become a school administrator have a writing portion.
While I agree that handwriting doesn’t have to be artistic, is does have to be legible and expeditious. If a student can’t make time limits on tests… or is illegible and loses points as a result, they will not get a true assessment and potentially be penalized for it.
Until ETS, colleges, and other testing companies go to laptops or keyboarded writing responses for all tests, handwriting needs to be taught and remediated or the kids will suffer.
From my own personal experience, I write better and faster when I use pen and paper. Although, now I use the computer more, I am becoming more proficient at creating good writing with the technology. So, I both agree and disagree with the study by the NSBA conducted by Virginia Berninger, because I do write well with a pen, but can do just as well with a keyboard. I know for a fact that my spelling isn’t very good, which is why I prefer the computer because of spell check. Though, when I use pen and paper I write much better essays and paragraphs. For this reason I am going to agree with the study. I do write better with a pen, but I like writing on the computer more. It makes me feel technologically advanced and I enjoy feeling superior to apes.
The post states that children tend to do better when they write in pen instead of typing. I believe that is partially true because when I write with pen I do not have to look for letters on the keyboards and all my focus is between my pen and paper which is good because I do not ave any distractions. Although writing may be very helpful, typing also helps me write better because I can revise my work when I finish typing to correct my mistakes. Also typing is helpful with looking at other resources and comparing similar ideas with others. Writing is faster and more controlling, but typing is more accurate and correct which is better because when you turn in an assignment, you want it to be good quality and get a good grade. When you write you tend to rush and then writing does not make sense when it is rushed. Overall, this is why typing would be a better way to write because it is clear and the most accurate way to do an assignment which is better than rushing.
Read this post made me think that some students would rather write paragraphs with a keyboard instead of a pen. The reasons that make me think this is that some students have very bad had writing and get graded for it and that’s not right in any way to grade a person for something that they aren’t neat at. The thing about writing with a computer is that if they spell something wrong they can correct it and make it better to get a good grade. So the main thing is that most students right longer better essay with a pen because there good at it then there’s the kids that are not good at writing with pen so that’s when the use the computers to help them.
Although it’s faster to type an essay, I prefer to write out my essay then type it after proofreading.I think writing it out makes it easier to check for mistakes and I usually get a better grade than if I were to type it out. I can see where I made my mistakes rather than having a computer do the work for me. Plus, reading off the computer usually makes people tired. I think kids should be more focused on the work rather than what will be faster to get it done.
I disagree with this article. I write better and faster on a computer, not with a pen. Plus my handwriting is close to horrible, so some people can’t even read what I write out. My hands hurt after writing for even a fairly short time, but when I type only my wrists hurt only if I leave them in one position for an hour or two.
In my experiences with technology and typing I think it’s much more difficult than traditional writing. From my point of view I write much more and use better wording when writing with a pen/pencil, this year my English class started using computers and I have been struggling to keep up my grades. Last year I had to do everything in hand and I made honor role with stellar grades in that class. What my belief is on typing papers is that students spend more time focusing on typing than word choice or spelling, maybe in future generations typing will become like writing with a pen/pencil, unfourtunintaly my generation is not that lucky. We are bound to flounder with typing until we finally grasp it through very hard work. Typing will most likely evolve through the generations, as for mine we will have to grasp it firmly to proceed to the professions of the future.
Technology, I use it every day but has it affected my righting in school? In my opinion it has. Technology allows me to edit and proofread quickly easily and definitely more accurately it can tell me how to spell words I don’t know how to spell it can tell me if I have a fragment sentence or I can bold and underline things to emphasize them. using technology to wright my papers allows me to be flexible with my wrighting because I can go back after I’m done and change things and correct mistakes were as with pen and paper I would have to get a new piece of paper and completely re-wright my paper. Another way technology has helped me with my wrighting is how I am able to save my work on the computer and then I can’t lose it in the time it takes me to get to school and to class. Clearly technology has drastically helped me with my wrighting.
For me I disagree with the study headed by Virginia Berninger about whether kids write better with paper and pen or typing. I know for me I like to type on a computer. Since I write left handed when I write my hand rubs over the words I just wrote and is smeared on my hand and on the paper. Because of this the bottom of my hand turns black and my writing is smeared. Also when using a computer to write I can easily delete words without scribbling or using my eraser. When using a computer to type you can use spell check and proof read with ease. With writing on a computer you do not have to worry about a teacher giving you a zero on a paper because they couldn’t read your handwriting. In conclusion I do not agree with the article “The Pen Might be Mightier Than the Keyboard” by Joel Schwarz because I like typing better.
I do believe that writing with a pen and paper is a faster way of writing but it is not more efficient than a keyboard and computer. For example if somebody makes a mistake with pen a paper, they either have to start over or leave a bad scribble mark. However, if you make a mistake with a computer, it either fixes it right away or it shows you that it is wrong and you can easily fix it. Also, kids won’t have the excuse of my dog ate my homework or showing up to class with a crumpled paper because they can print the paper off in class and hand it to the teacher with no problem.
In the article Keyboard vs. Pen by Virginia Beringer I agree with the results of that article. When writing on the computer I tend to be more lazy with spelling and grammar because I know that the computer will check it and I can go back and fix it when I’m done. While writing I am more careful especially when writing in pen because if I mess up then I have to restart. Since I usually don’t use a keyboard to write, I write I go pretty fast and don’t usually have a lot of mistakes.
Being in an all boys L.A. class that uses laptops all the time has made me a different writer. I think it is easier to write with a pen and paper but everybody is a different writer, some people might think it is easier to write using the laptops. Computers are somewhat complicated having to save move all the time is annoying. Also I am used to writing by hand so I am a better writer that way but I am willing to learn to be a better writer on the computer. The computer can be a very useful tool though searching things and spell check is a life saver and the writing reviser gives you almost instant feedback on what you should improve in your writing. Even though I like writing by hand I can become a good writer by keyboard if I keep using the computer and that could benefit me in the future.
I feel that I do much better when I can write with a pen instead of on the computer because it is easier. I feel like there are too many ways to lose your work, there are a lot of ways to make mistakes, and if someone does not know where all the keys are or where certain keys are then it could be even worse for them. I think that writing with pen is much better. You have to do more drafts with pen but I still think it gets the job done better. I know that with me I am much better at writing a paragraph with a pen than I am when using a computer. You cannot erase with pen like you can on a computer and it is not as easy to read when you write it with pen but I still think it is better.
I think that writing with a pen goes much faster then typing up a paper on a computer. The reason I think that it’s faster is because more than half of the classes you take you half to write with a pen and paper so kids get used to writing with pen and paper. If I could chose to write up a paper with pen and paper or type one up I would definitely chose pen and paper because it is more accessible than a computer .
After reading this post, “Keyboard vs Pen?” which seemed to be posted by the user, codonnell, I do not agree with what the study and the school board said. I have noticed a major change, for the positive in my writing when I use a computer. For example, I am one of those people who have very poor handwriting, reading what I write with paper and pencil, well, it’s a nightmare for most. But obviously with a computer, this is not something to worry about. With that said, there is also the point that typing is much neater also. When you have to erase something you have wrote, what do you have left? A gross black blotch of where the word used to be. When I type, I can also listen to music, which is almost used as a motivator to me. But even more important, it’s faster than writing, with typing you can save your document, and when you need to go back for a final draft and you can easily edit and repost or reprint this document you have just typed. With all that said, that is my argument I will put out for what I believe in this article.
I feel like writing with a pen is way better than typing, the words flow out so much faster and you can be more efficient in your writing. Although I think pen is a better way to write a computer is a great tool and from this year using computers it has made me a better writer. I like how I have the opportunity to use both tools in class. I think using a pen is great especially for the kids that are not the best at typing they don’t have to search for keys and waste there time worried about spelling.
While I was reading the article “Keyboard vs Pen” I was trying to decide which method I liked better, writing with a pen and paper or on the computer, and I decided it is a lot easier to write on the computer for me because I can just put down a bunch of ideas and delete them if I need to but I could not do that with a pen and paper. It is just a lot easier for me to get it looking like A quality work on the computer since I have all of this technology and it will spell check it and I can edit my work without erasing all the time and having to get new paper and start over which also makes me want to write it longer than I would with a pen because typing does not start to hurt your hand and wrist if you write as much as you would with a pencil and about the quality of writing you do or how good of a writer you are really does not depend on what materials you use. Clearly, I like writing with technology more than on paper but it also really depends on what you like better and what is easier for you.
Typing on a keyboard rather than writing with a pen has made me a different writer. It has improved my writing because when I type I can check my spelling and grammar. Also typing helps me think about what I am writing because I have to write slower and I have to think about what I am typing rather than just rushing through it. So in conclusion, typing on a computer has made me a slower but better writer.
I think that the study is wrong. The study states that students write better when they write with a pen then when they type up the essay. It’s wrong because when you type up the essay you can see the mistakes that you made a lot better then if you were to hand write with a pen. When you type, it will tell you if you spelled a word wrong. If you hand write then you won’t know if you spelled it wrong. Typing in my opinion has made me a better and different writer. When I hand wrote something I wouldn’t use a large form of vocabulary because I was afraid of spelling it wrong. Now as I type I use more vocabulary words, and spell them right. This may just be for me, but I think that the study Keyboard vs.Pen is wrong.
I disagree with this article “Key Board Vs. Pen” by Virginia Berninger because when I write with pen and paper I turn in horrible work, but if I were to do my work on a computer I do a lot better work. Also my work is sloppy and messy with pen and paper so I get graded down on that but on a computer your work is neat and nice looking. I do not spell things well and so a computer helps me with that and also to look up words on the internet. With a computer you can email your work or put it on a jump drive which makes your work easier to transport so it does not get crumpled or ripped until I need to print it. It is also very helpful for revisions because on paper there is just a bunch of stuff thrown onto the page with computers you can just go through erase and put in new stuff.
I disagree with Virginia Berninger because I write better on a computer and I think it is a lot faster. I like to write with pencil and paper but I like to be able to delete my thoughts and try again on the computer. With pencil and paper you have to erase and it makes the paper look informal and messy. But it is also not good to only rely on one form of writing. Both computers and traditional pencil and paper have pros and cons but I believe the computer would be better. I believe it is faster, and easier to look at your thoughts and delete them if you don’t like them. Another thing I like is being able to proof read very easily. Word has lots of tools like word search, spell check, and it tells you when something is spelled wrong or grammar is incorrect. With pencil and paper it is much harder to proof read and little mistakes that were made are not seen and fixed. My writing is better and faster on a computer because of all the tools computers have.
I write better when I use a pen and paper but when I use a computer it helps me with punctuation spelling and format. When I write I take more time but when I use a computer I don’t take a lot of time but I prefer the computer over pen and paper. I like it better because I have Word to help me when I don’t know how to spell a word or when I miss punctuation or my formatting is wrong. Also I can go to the internet for information when I need help or I can call my teacher or email her using Skype or an email server. I think overall the computer is better than pen and paper because it is what we know how to use. The old ways won’t serve us with today’s technology after we have already been taught how to use today’s technology.
The article actually says “Children consistently did better writing with a pen when they wrote essays. They wrote more and they wrote faster.” said Berninger. I would point out that “more and faster” do not necessarily mean “better.”
Also, the article fails to mention whether these students had had any keyboarding instruction, or instruction on how to compose/write on a computer. If the research didn’t address that, that seems to be a major oversight in the methodology. If these students didn’t have keyboarding skills and were hunting and pecking, and if they had rarely (if ever) used computers to write and had never been instructed on how to use a computer to write, then they *should* do better with pen and paper which they presumably have had plenty of practice using in this manner.
I’m not sure this research – at least as much as we know from what was reported – really says much at all.
More lengthy thoughts at http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2009/10/is-pen-mightier-than-keyboard.html
Reading this post I have to say that I do not agree with what the professor has found out. All kids have different forms of getting their ideas out on paper whether it’s by typing or writing. I personally prefer typing essays and papers because it’s faster and doesn’t hurt my wrists or hands. It’s also helpful to type out my work because I can take it with me wherever I go and not worry about getting mypaper crumpled or destroyed. Also I can correct mistakes without using another sheet of paper.
In different schools kids either have to write reports by hand or by keyboard and for some kids doing it by hand gets their ideas on the page crystal clear. For others however it’s harder to compose a paper because of the slow pace that writing takes on. I do not think that because recent studies have shown that kids write better essays, papers, etc. that it applies to all kids in general but to only some of the percentage.
Students should use both a pen and a keyboard. Personally, I find it just as easy to write an essay with a keyboard and can write just as efficiently with a computer screen in front of me. There are many positives to writing with a keyboard. Microsoft word automatically helps edit your sentence structure and spelling. Plus, storing info on your computer is more efficient than ever because you can carry it in a flash drive and transfer your writing between computers. Using a keyboard may be distracting because of all the other things your computer has to offer, so a pen should be used just as often. Writing with a pen helps you remember what you are writing better than just clicking buttons on a keyboard. Also, we should practice writing daily because so many things, like writing a check or taking a test, require hand-written work. We should use both a pen and a keyboard daily.
Saying that students who use computers rather than paper and pen are “non-writers” is a huge stereotype. Just because a person uses a computer to write instead of paper and a pen does not make that person a “non-writer.” Writing is the same whether you use a pen or a computer. Personally, I write much better with a computer. Like Dan Maas said, I am far too impatient to rewrite a piece of writing over and over, and my handwriting is terrible. I write faster and better with a computer. Plus, computers help edit writing. I mix up letters in words all the time when I type too fast and I rely on my computer to alert me when I do it. Berninger was partially right when he declared that students need to be “bilingual” writers. I believe it is important to still be able to write pieces of writing by hand so people do not depend completely on computers, but computers are much more efficient and more helpful. In the English class I am presently enrolled in, I fully depend on my computer for everything I do. I write papers and look up information I need on the computer. We are in the 21st century and humans are depending on technology more and more. Using computers to write papers is necessary and incredibly helpful.
First off, the fact that anyone could think that we were entering a generation of non writers (keyboarders) is complete insanity. Writing is like reading, everyone does it and it will never be something that is not around. Yes, there are probably many people who only use laptops for their work but there are over 1.5 billion people on this planet but writing with pens and pencils is such a common activity that is used every day that it will never cease to be an option of communication. To continue, the way that this study was drawn out, by having people write the alphabet then type the alphabet, is completely irrelevant to the point. It says that Virginia Berninger discovered that students can write better and longer essays at a faster pace while writing it with a pen. In order to write a well thought out essay, depending on the prompt, a person would be required to use analytical thinking and critical thought. In my opinion, writing a 26 letter sequence of symbols that people have been rehearsing throughout your entire life, does not really apply to this type of thinking.
This is my second or third month of high school and for my freshmen year I was lucky enough to be allowed to be placed into an honors English class. The motto in our classroom is “This is not education as usual” One of my teacher’s ways to display this point is by making our classroom a classroom of technology. Everything we do is on a computer. This year I can honestly say that I think my writing has increased dramatically. This year I have done most of my work on a computer and typing it out. Evidently, since my writing has increased in its value, writing everything in pen doesn’t apply to everyone when looking at essay writing speed or quality.
We live in a world where people have almost become reliant on the all powerful keyboard. The true question that is posed to the world at this time is this; do we let ourselves become a keyboard controlled world or do we make the pen just as important. To me I believe we need both. We need the ability to write using a pen and a keyboard. We need the keyboard to connect to the world. It is an overwhelming fact that if a person has any hope of thriving or even surviving in the new world created by Silicon Valley they must have some aptitude of the computer and its keyboard. But the pen is just as important in the new world. If we become dependent on the keyboard what happens when the power goes out? What happens when you have no access to the keyboard? What happens when you are left with nothing but your hands and a pen? Although the new world is a sheltered one it does not mean we will all be sheltered. There is also the fact of pride you get from be able to write an essay with nothing but your brain, a paper, and your own two hands. The last reason is the fact of being able to write and use your hands. When kids are first learning to write they are getting one of their first tastes of coordinated motor function. The new world is here and for those who don’t believe it I would say goodbye to you because we are moving forward and you will be left behind. But as we are moving forward we need to keep in mind we must not become computers ourselves, when the power goes out we will be left in the dark.
When I go to write a paper I always turn to the keyboard. So I disagree that students will write better with pen then a keyboard. When you with a pen you are limited by your ink because when you write with ink you can’t change it, while when you write with a keyboard you can constantly change and develop your ideas further. Keyboards allow quicker access to other tools like the internet you can cite sources with ease. Using a keyboard and computer you also can go much faster if you are good without the hassle of trying to decode your own writing and it eliminates most grammatical and spelling mistakes. On the other hand you can’t be totally dependent on computers because power outages happen and people still need to know how to write when there is no computer or power.
Personally, I believe that students type longer when using a laptop or computer. They may not be better but they may just be longer, typing on a computer when knowing the keyboard by memory does allow the pace of writing to increase. However, I do believe that all students should learn how to write with a pen and type. There are times when a computer is not accessible and all you have a pen and paper to write your ideas. Other times all you might have is a computer to type your ideas. Either way you never know what you have at hand. Knowing that, you should be familiar with whatever you are given. Nevertheless, many times students prefer writing because when writing with a pen it feels like you are given more freedom and it is easier to write ideas. They are usually the people that have a harder time typing, most likely, because they have not yet memorized the keyboard and need to keep looking down to see what letter or number to type, which takes up a lot of time and students do lose their train of thought. I have an easier time typing up my ideas and coming up with essays easier on the laptop; years ago I had already memorized the keyboard and now I have no need to look down to see what I am typing. I also prefer typing because I do not personally like revising long writings in my handwriting. I at times have a hard time reading my handwriting. Typing for students may help revise long writing, as it is often easier to see and move around something that is typed, opposed to something written. Additionally, when writing a paper on the computers it becomes easier to edit them, as you do not need re-write the whole paper just to fix small grammar and spelling mistakes.
After 6 weeks of my high school experience, I have learned who using the technology we have to write is much better. My handwriting is so bad that sometimes even I can’t understand what I’m saying. When we use laptops it gets rid of that factor. Plus on computers I can write about three times as fast than when I an am writing with a pen and paper. Outside of school I am writing a book too. It would have taken my much longer to write it all and even longer to edit it all. The computer gives you the ability to change and fix your writing as your working on it. Can you do that with a pen and paper? No. Plus your hands don’t get all cramped up when using a computer. In writing that happens. And it hurts; therefore it puts a hold on any further writing for at least 30 minutes. You can go to any school and they will have a different view and test results on this idea. The idea of everyone in this world resorting back to a pen and paper strategy in writing is not likely in this day and age. In fact it’s silly to even try and write with a pen and paper anymore. We have much better resources and it waste trees to writing things on paper. I think the obvious answer to this is to really see what’s going on. No writing papers in pen is not better. Yes computer generated writing is better. It’s as simple as that.