In the article “From Pencils to
Pixels” Dennis Baron discusses the development of different
technologies used for writing over time, how these technologies came
to be accepted, and how the computer fits in with other writing
technologies. In examining the development of different methods of
communication, he disputes the claim that computers are “the
gateway to literacy”.
A center-point of Baron's article is
the history of the pencil. Although the pencil is now considered a
“natural” way to write, it was not always, and two hundred years
ago it was very difficult and expensive to find a good pencil. When
pencils were more readily available to the public, teachers did not
allow students to use erasers, fearing that it would cause them to
put less thought into their work. However, eventually the use of
erasers became common practice.
The next developments were the
telephone and telegraph. When the telegraph was first use to
communicate from Maine to Texas, Thoreu questioned what Maine could
have to say to Texas. Telephone presented new challenges because
people did not know how to speak on it and could not see gestures and
body language. Phone conversations were monitored and use was
originally restricted to the person who was paying the bill.
Although this changed with the invention of the pay phone.
When the computer was first developed,
it was not intended to be a word processor, but and programmers
actually preferred to write code on paper rather than on the computer
because of its clumsiness. But before long, word processing became
one of the primary functions of the computer and lower prices meant
more people could afford computers. With the spread of word
processing technology, teachers insisted that no one use spell check,
but later changed their stance and required spell checks.
This article was an interesting read
because of the similarities it drew between different forms of
communication in their development, and how it showed the affect each
of these advances had on the way we actually communicate. Do you
think that the computer is the solution to illiteracy and the
pinnacle of writing technology? Or do you think that even better
developments are just around the corner? How can we overcome the
issue of determining what information on the web is reliable and what
information is not? How has the computer affected your writing?
Do you think that the computer is the solution to illiteracy and the pinnacle of writing technology? Or do you think that even better developments are just around the corner?
ReplyDeleteI believe it can be safely said that the computer is currently the pinnacle of writing technology, but it would be short-sighted to assume it will remain that way. As far as being the solution to illiteracy, I think computers definitely have the ability to spread language to all parts of the world, but it would be foolish to say computers are the only solution to a global problem.
How can we overcome the issue of determining what information on the web is reliable and what information is not?
I'm not really sure what power an individual would have in differentiating between fact and fiction online, but resources do exist to provide reliable information.
How has the computer affected your writing?
The primary difference I've found is how quickly it can be done. Typing a paper is much more efficient, which leaves more time to proofread and edit.
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ReplyDeleteIt becomes important to look into each individual source before you judge if it's valid. The internet is a near-infinite source, but it's important for each individual person to take responsibility when finding sources. Don't just click on a random link and find a quote within. Find their sources, and the the sources' sources. You'll find exponentially more information that way and validate all your sources. Most people are terrified to use Wikipedia because it's not a "real" source, but it's important to know how to use Wikipedia. While it's true that quoting directly from Wikipedia is akin to quoting from any given Youtube comment, if you scroll down to the bottom of each page, you'll find dozens of perfectly good links to sources that you CAN use.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think the computer has sped up and smoothed over my writing, though it has made me rather lazy when it comes to grammar and spelling. Because of spell-check it seems like spelling in general has become obsolete to know. However, the benefit of having so much information at your fingertips, in my opinion, vastly outweighs the negatives.
"How can we overcome the issue of determining what information on the web is reliable and what information is not? "
ReplyDeleteI'm really interested in this question you posed. I feel as if determining what information on the web is reliable or not is the same as if we had to tackle the same issue with traditional print. When it comes to media or print, the "two sides of a coin" statement will remain constant: draw from different points, evaluate the arguments for and against a topic, and in this lies reliability from one's own understanding.
First of all, I think that computer is definitely a development of human communication. It links the world as a global village. For my own experience, though my parents and I are apart in both ends of the world，we can still talk to each other face to face through new technology like Skype. However, I doubt it is the solution to illiteracy and the pinnacle of writing technology. For illiteracy, I do not think that computer can improve their reading or writing capacity. Instead, since there are many videos and image data online. People can get the information they want through these vision data. Therefore, the computer seems increase the inertia of people to actually learn reading and writing. In addition, I do not think it is the pinnacle of writing technology. From my own experience, since the software like Office, Word and so on all have the autocorrect capabilities.They actually make people loss their writing skills gradually. When I used to regard my life or do my assignment on the computer through typing, I realize that I cannot writing when I hold my pencil again. I cannot spell out many words when I use hand writing, because I used to the computer, which can always come up with the word I want, even I type the wrong word or half word. In a word, computer does increase the technology of communication, but it somehow decrease our writing capacity. We should use it wisely, instead of rely on it completely.
ReplyDelete