Privileges of the Parents

Cierra Boyd

September 19, 2016

ENG1020

Professor Vodicka

Privileges of the Parents

Is the pen more ferocious than the keyboard? Technology has begun to take over and many people are beginning to wonder about the future of handwriting. Most high school and college students are taught to type instead of handwrite their essays so it is expected of them, but asking a student as young as nine or ten to type a couple of paragraphs would be difficult for them. There was once a point in time when pen and paper was the only option for anyone who wanted to write. Now pen and paper is in competition with technology such as computers, cell phones, and tablets. Although technology is faster and more advanced, survey data reveals that students learn better writing things down.

I conducted sixteen surveys using eight females and eight males. The questions that were asked are as followed:

1. Do you prefer to use pen and paper or typing when completing academic work?
2. In which way do you believe you learn better, typing or handwriting? Explain.
3. Which do you use the most on a daily basis? Pen and paper or a form of technology?

Fourteen out of sixteen people that I surveyed stated that they would rather write down anything that they have to complete mainly because when using a computer or tablet they are easily distracted. They sometimes tend to stop what they are doing while working on a technical device and engage in different activities other than typing their assignment. As for those who preferred writing, they are able to stay focused and develop their thoughts. There was also someone who stated that they prefer to write because of bad experiences they have had while trying to save an assignment to a computer and it did not work. That can be a problem for many people who use technology all of the time.

Using technology as a form of writing has its benefits. I observed a Sociology lecture class and watched the students take notes. The professor talked so quickly that some of the students who were writing with a pen could not get anything down because they were writing verbatim. “One of the principal advantages is the possibility to intervene ... on the position of sentences and paragraphs within the text, in real time. This allows a gradual preparation of the final text, which does not happen normally in writing by pen (writing the “draft” and a fair copy of transcript)” as A. Dillon stated in Telematics and Informatics (39-51). Typing academic assignments seem more professional. Another benefit of typing is when someone types a paper it does not cause pain in the fingers. In fact, researcher Johan Andersen quoted “The occurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome is lower than what many people expect among heavy computer users. (WebMD.com)”. A study suggests that typing on a keyboard does not increase the risk of tingling, numbness and pain in the hands that may be associated with arthritis. Sometimes when professors assign an academic paper they assign a specific word count also usually ranging from 1,000-1700 words or more depending on the course. Getting an essay to its word count would not be a problem to a student working on a laptop because it is not as time consuming as it would be handwriting an essay. Technology has an advantage over writing an assignment.