I’m old enough to remember when cursive writing was part of the elementary school curriculum. Now my kids are in elementary school, it’s not even in the curriculum. But they can type way faster then I did as a kid, of course they’re leaning on iPads and laptops. We live in strange days.
I never understood why schools dumped handwriting and cursive instruction, but didn't replace it with keyboarding (or typing, as we called it). My high school freshmen can't do either one satisfactorily. Just because kids can text at warp speed doesn't mean that translates to a keyboard.
Sustained reading is a discipline and takes years to develop. My fear is that if people don't develop that discipline, their understanding will become a mile wide and an inch deep. I HATE listening to things. I don't do audiobooks, and please don't ask me to listen to a podcast or watch a help video. Just give me the transcript and let me be. I can read a lot faster than I can listen, and I retain very little of what I hear, but lots of what I read. If people don't choose to read difficult texts, what will they miss out on? Will we become a society of the recent, with no understanding or appreciation of the past? Will we trade the wisdom of the ages for whatever pablum is churned out these days?
Like you, I get annoyed when I have to watch a video to get news. It's a lot faster to read. And I retain more of what I read than what I hear. But I have students who are the opposite. I do wonder how the balance between these skills will change in the future.
Thank you for the fascinating article! The scenario you're envisioning may seem apocalyptic, but back in ancient times, many stories were not transcribed in books. They were passed down orally from generation to generation such as the Iliad. If the trend you're noticing comes true, we could be reverting back to our ancient selves in a way.
As an author, I have often considered that point. More and more of my readers are actually listeners (to audio versions), and so I've taken a close look at Homer to see how stories that were composed to be heard were constructed. I've gained a greater appreciation for poetry, including epic poetry, which is easier to remember than prose.
I’m old enough to remember when cursive writing was part of the elementary school curriculum. Now my kids are in elementary school, it’s not even in the curriculum. But they can type way faster then I did as a kid, of course they’re leaning on iPads and laptops. We live in strange days.
My two cents...
I never understood why schools dumped handwriting and cursive instruction, but didn't replace it with keyboarding (or typing, as we called it). My high school freshmen can't do either one satisfactorily. Just because kids can text at warp speed doesn't mean that translates to a keyboard.
Sustained reading is a discipline and takes years to develop. My fear is that if people don't develop that discipline, their understanding will become a mile wide and an inch deep. I HATE listening to things. I don't do audiobooks, and please don't ask me to listen to a podcast or watch a help video. Just give me the transcript and let me be. I can read a lot faster than I can listen, and I retain very little of what I hear, but lots of what I read. If people don't choose to read difficult texts, what will they miss out on? Will we become a society of the recent, with no understanding or appreciation of the past? Will we trade the wisdom of the ages for whatever pablum is churned out these days?
Like you, I get annoyed when I have to watch a video to get news. It's a lot faster to read. And I retain more of what I read than what I hear. But I have students who are the opposite. I do wonder how the balance between these skills will change in the future.
Thank you for the fascinating article! The scenario you're envisioning may seem apocalyptic, but back in ancient times, many stories were not transcribed in books. They were passed down orally from generation to generation such as the Iliad. If the trend you're noticing comes true, we could be reverting back to our ancient selves in a way.
As an author, I have often considered that point. More and more of my readers are actually listeners (to audio versions), and so I've taken a close look at Homer to see how stories that were composed to be heard were constructed. I've gained a greater appreciation for poetry, including epic poetry, which is easier to remember than prose.