« Feedback for direction-givers | Main | New Blog »
August 02, 2003
Paper or plastic
I've spent a lot of time with my kids this week. After almost 1,000 miles in the car, they've gone through every possible combination of toys, games, songs, electronics, fits and whinings. For some odd reason, I got to thinking about how my kids would feel about using electronic gadgets instead of "traditional" tools.
I learned to touch-type in sixth grade on an electric typewriter (with some required practice on a manual)--it was considered important but not required, since most likely my assistant would do all of my typing and transcription for me when I had a job. I learned word processing in ninth and tenth grades. The only homework I had to (or could) submit on computer in college--in the early 90's--was in my C.S. classes (most of my non-CS instructors didn't use email).
My oldest daughter started learning touch-typing in 2nd grade. She regularly has assignments that encourage the use of the Internet and computers. She has submitted several reports written solely on a word-processor. She does regularly use "traditional" materials such as pencil and paper, but computers are integrated into her education, where for the most part they were ancillary to mine.
I consider pen and paper a more natural writing experience. I like reading paper books and the newspaper in physical form (partly because there are a couple of places I refuse to take a laptop). I usually find reading more enjoyable when it's not on the screen. If I'm taking notes or brainstorming, I prefer a pen and notepad over a computer most of the time. (Jeremy has had similar experiences.)
So I got to wondering whether my kids would ever think that it's easier to think with pen and paper than staring at a blank Word (or maybe OpenOffice) document on the screen.
They will probably think of the computer as a much more natural reading/writing environment than I do, and will probably have much more success using the computer natively for brainstorming, thinking and reading than I do. Especially with matured versions of computers that fit those functions more naturally.
Posted by pete at August 2, 2003 11:37 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry: