What if there were no keyboards?

Very true, as the i scroll down till the hand written text was visible, i left reading paragraph and read what was written by hand first.
It has it own drawbacks, people are leaving writing by pen, even i find it hard as usually i only use pen when i got to sign on check and it never matches twice.

Hi,
I just want to say thanks for the information. You have made me realise why I dislike computer keyboards especially when doing assignments. I prefer hand written work, although my handwriting is not as appealing.

I believe hand written work gives you a full picture of someone’s effort and psyche. You can even get to know the mood of a person writting his /her work.

I know I cannot change my handwriting but I now must embrace it and be proud of it.

Thats a great concern to me, as now i only use pen when i need to sign on a check or credit card slips. my hand starts trembling. and whenever i used to sit to write by pen, can’t write more than a page, due to “exhausted”. Its really terrible but unless you really need it its not going to harm.

Hi,
one thing that i am very proud of in life is my good handwriting.

Although very many people have a better handwriting, mine remains very unique in its own way.

I don’t want to change it any time soon because as I hear, one’s handwriting stays the same for all his life.

When printing came out it was argued that this would be a disaster for scholarship, as the monk no longer had to read the books as he inscribed a copy.

All technology has good points and bad points. It is easier to edit a computer-generated text, harder to annotate it. A computer costs several hundred pounds and needs an electricity supply, pen and paper cost next to nothing. However you can put a computer generated text on the web for all to see, whilst children’s independent imaginative writing used to just gather dust.

There is a time and place for both the keyboard and handwriting, I think. I don’t know about the rest of the world but I do appreciate handwritten notes in cards and invitations and of course authentic snail mail. In taking down notes from readings or summarising lecture notes, you do absorb it more when writing it down rather than typing it down. And I still remember the thrill of mastering cursive writing more than touch typing.

On the other hand, in formulating sentences for essay writing and assignments, sitting in front of a computer was easier because the ideas flowed more quickly onto the screen instead of waiting for the ink to get onto the paper (unless one knew shorthand).

When in university, I took notes (including those from professors who never seemed to run out of breath) by hand.  I often had half-sentences, or maybe just one word to remind me of an idea.  I often used symbols to replace whole words, such as a triangle for trinity or an equal sign to mean one idea meant the same as the next, or three dots in the form of a triangle meant therefore.  I suppose some people have the luxury of a laptop for taking notes, I did not.

However, I much prefer the computer for writing.  I do not understand people who handwrite things first then transfer.  This would be a waste of time for me.  My thoughts flow when I write at the computer.  If I think of something else I want to add, I can insert it in the middle without it looking messy. Some of my best thinking as been at the computer.  Perversely, I hate reading off the computer.  I don’t read e-novels.  I prefer books on paper.

I agree, for a personal touch, paper cards and handwriting are better on occasion.  However, a typewritten letter is no less personal to me than a handwritten one.  If it comes from my sister with tiny, tiny handwriting, I prefer it typed. That way I can actually read it. The content itself is personal.  What she writes betrays who she is, that in itself is personal enough.  A handwritten signature at the bottom is always a nice touch though.

Joanna, wonderful insight--thank you.  How often we need to be reminded that the simplest tasks are not as simple as we think. Writing imprints the brain in a manner not offered by typing. For my own speeches, I do write out my primary points despite having a typed version. I find that I am then able to deliver a speech with far less need to refer to notes.

But enough of technicalities...please send your mother’s treacle tart recipe!

I normally take down notes using a portable keyboard (for my pda) and I find it more efficient specially with professors who speak faster than lightning, but when it comes to reviewing, preparing outlines for exams, concept maps… pen and paper are indispensable. Writing with your hand allows you to think more and absorb the ideas you are putting on paper.

In this tech-revolutionized world, yes, we should convince our students of the importance of the basics: writing (and that includes organizing ideas, connecting apparently-separated “thought”, putting them on paper in order, etc) speaking and reading well.  Encourage creativity and originality, and always dis-cover as much as possible the “value-added” in every project the student is required to undertake.  Put disincentives to copy-pasters.  And to facilitate punctuality in submission of reports, of course, give them the necessary tools: know-hows for the software, hardware and those in relation to manual skills, ie, typing with 10 fingers without looking at the keyboard, etc.

I commend the author for the very interesting and thought-provoking article, but would like to point out to the in-charge of layout that the lower portion of the article (with the handwritten part) needs reformatting.  Thank you.

I whole heartedly agree that learning to write well in copperplate script should be mandatory for all, let us not undervalue the good ol’ keyboard. With a keyboard I can get ideas out much faster, i can edit a sentence if it comes out funny, altho I symphathise with Joanna’s semtiments about how the act of writing canfoster deeper thinking.

As for txting, the Spectator reviewed a book called “Short and sweet” Andrew Roberts that argues that texting doesn’t imperil language at all.

To my surprise Ms Bogle tells us her hand writing is the apple shape. Sitting down firmly on the plate. Indicates “Down to earth,” in my basic graphology. Firmly held by gravity.
I’d have expected her imaginative mind, in hand writing, to show more “lift.” Longer letters and perhaps slant to the right.
The hand writing that Joanna describes expresses the practical mind.
Not that you can’t have a touch of both, but practical and imaginative peak apart.
Stay steady, JB!
M C C Ryan

Sure there is a time and place for handwritten messages. Typically these will be very short messages, as per your example of a condolence message. However it is simply an inefficient use of time to write by hand when typing is a much faster option for a vast range of messages.

The decline in the quality of handwriting is so sad.  Part of the problem is that students are no longer taught how to hold a pencil, biro or other writing implement properly.  Such a basic skill was once taught to children by their teachers.

The photo that accompanies this article clearly shows what is wrong.  The young girl is holding the pen incorrectly.  The pen should be held by resting it near the tip of the second finger.  The tip of the thumb should hold it there, while the tip of the index finger should be on top of the pen where it can carefully guide the pen in the writing process.

The girl in the picture is holding the pen at the base of the thumb and the index finger, which allows no dexterity at all.  This incorrect hold is widely evident today amongst most people under the age of 35. Next time you’re in a bank, watch the teller use a pen (if indeed they still do because they tend to have keyboards) and see how they hold it.  Invariably, it will be like the girl in the picture.  You’ll see it it in most offices, too. This is an incorrect hold and does not allow for proper handwriting.  It comes out a little bit like simple printing.

And that is another story in itself.  Kids from about the 1980s were taught a strange script that was merely printing in disguise.  The letters were simply printing, joined by little lines.  It was the end of copperplate and cord cursive and hence we have the problems of today in regard to the structure of handwriting.

As for the deeper benefits of handwriting in terms of creativity and expressing ideas, there is a lot of truth in the article.

Lance Morrow summed it up in a brilliant essay in the February 24, 1986, issue of Time Magazine.  The essay was entitled “Scribble, Scribble, Eh, Mr. Toad?” The essay was published to coincide with National Handwriting Day in the United States.  I wonder if that day is still recognised?

I find that when I’m preparing to give a Powerpoint presentation, I do much better if I write out my “speaker’s notes” by hand rather than typing them up. There really is something about the process of putting pen to paper, and creating the words with one’s own hand, that helps the brain absorb the message and think things through more clearly. When I’ve hand-written my notes, I feel much more in command of the material and of my talk. Thanks for your article --- it helped understand why.

The notion that a handwritten letter sent in the mail has greater ‘authenticity’ than a typed letter transmitted digitally, is merely an illusion created by the writer’s social and cultural background. Perhaps the next generation will get that same feeling of authenticity when they see than an email they receive is digitally signed with their friend’s RSA encryption key. In an age where all information of value is being stored digitally, doesn’t it make more sense to focus on teaching children good practices in typing, email etiquette, and how to recognise if a digital document is authentic, rather than focusing on age old practises that may soon be all but gone?