Handwriting instruction obsolete?

I found myself wondering last night how many generations it will take before schools no longer teach handwriting, focusing instead on typing/keyboarding skills.

What do y'all think? Will it happen?

that's an interesting theory

before that, some other form of human to computer input will be developed (like controling your computer with your voice, or even witho your mind).

so i don't think that will happen the way you are describin it..

telepathy did enter my mind, at first. but. the act of writing is a proven (and very efficient) memory helper, so when people are learning the alphabet i doubt they'd ever replace it with anything but the old pen and paper.

unless of course we become cyborganic to the point we can download knowledge.

Is handwriting more of a memory aid than typing or some other form of repetition of information? Plus (aside from script recognition mechanisms like Graffitti on the Palm) anything you write has to be keyed in before it becomes useful from a computer stand point.

I'm betting 3 generations before handwriting is dropped from mainstream curricula in the US.

what about tablet pc's? are you saying that you think that invention was a step BACKwards?

Well, I'd lump tablets into the 'script recognition' category and frankly I've never had good luck with any of them.

While certainly not a step backward, until recognition systems can do their work with greater accuracy and less necessary customization than they currently can, I don't think they accomplish much in the way of moving the field forward.

I'll grant you though that if someone can come out with a handwriting recognition system that can achieve accuracy without user-customization, my theory that handwriting will fade is blown.

Even if some handwriting system is 100% accurate, I think typing is faster than writing for most people.

yes it is faster and alot easier and legible no matter how you type.

But the need for written notes will never go away as you're always going to need to jot down someones phone number, or scribble a quick post-it note.

I cant see every school getting funding to give each student a laptop/tablet (which is what they'd need if they're not taught good handwriting skills!)

I don't acually know how many schools teach typing skills - which perhaps should now be taught from an early age!

Craig

Good point. I hadn't considered how the lack of funding to acquire alternatives to pencils and paper could hold up the transition away from handwriting.

I have a feeling that the funding saved by using electronic textbooks rather than paper textbooks could cover a reasonable laptop computer for students. From what I understand (and I don't want to get into a codebear-type of flame), there is a lot of politics/monopoly involved in textbook contracts; I have a feeling that that, more than any technological, logistical, or monetary hurdles, is what would stop such electronic tablets/books from infiltrating the public school system.

The constant lose/destruction of textbooks wouldn't be such a problem at least. I imagine there would still be the same politics issues there are now, though. The only diffence would be that the medium would be cd's and interner sites rather than boxes of books.

Unfourtunatly, it'd be the constant loss/destruction of Laptops! My college bought a load of Student loan laptops 2 years ago, the ICT Workshop now looks like a graveyard for them... at least half have been nicked, dropped or just died!

I have noticed that there's been an increase in online courses - I'm studying both Oracle & Cisco, both of which provide all my content, exams etc online from which I can log on and work from anywhere.

Other courses lower down the school such as GNVQ IT & Science are also taught online - and we're planning on administrating the exams online in the near future.

I still don't think typing will take over handwriting - (as you're always going to need to scribble a quick note down, and no matter how far technology progresses, the quickest/easiest way of doing that is with a post-it note!) - but I can well believe that schools will continue to move across to digital classrooms.

Remember handwriting also teaches you how to draw shapes etc - rudimentary mouse skills!

to stop destruction you could leave the tablet pc/laptop in the premisis of the school/colleage and each pupil/student have a username and password which they can ftp or transfer files across the the server which will add the data to the tablet pc/laptop but it would be alot of hassle