Handwriting is Lost in Surging Technology

This morning, the front page of the science section in the New York Times sitting on my kitchen table caught me by surprise. The issue that I had written about just a month ago turns out to be a bigger deal than I previously believed. “What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades” by Maria Konnikova pays particular attention to the difference between handwriting versus typing but also addresses cursive versus print. Through a variety of studies, Konnikova concludes that writing by hand increases the proficiency and speed of reading and the ability to retain information. Further research revealed that the messiness of handwriting, the difference of each letter you write, triggers the memory. In addition to the benefit to all people, it can particularly benefit kids with dysgraphia and alexia, diseases affecting the brain and ability to read and write. Since cursive and print affect different areas of the brain, each are beneficial in their own way.

Contrasting to the beneficial affects of handwriting are the negatives of typing. According to Konnikova, typing “may diminish our ability to process new information”. This goes to say that taking notes by hand is much more beneficial than typing them. When I tied this into New Trier, it is interesting to see how iPads are being incorporated into the school. Many kids are already using their iPads to take notes and next year, every student will have the option. While the technology advance seems to be what New Trier is striving for, is it really worth it to take away the benefits of hand writing? 

The image that Konnikova chose to put with her article (left) was very interesting because of the color changes and the overlapping. The black and white side at first seemed to be the equivalent to the keyboard but the actual keyboard in the photo over laps both the black and white side and the color side. In addition to this, the print is on the black and white side where as the cursive is on the color side. The division is clear but what is its purpose? Where do print, cursive, and typing all lie?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/science/whats-lost-as-handwriting-fades.html?_r=0