Will Handwriting Skills In Children Be Replaced By Technology?

Alistair Owens MD www.keen2learn.co.uk

The growth in the use of computers in education will have profound effect on our children's handwriting skills. The ability to type is becoming the first parameter in communication over any cursive script skill. But there is a device that turns handwriting into a word document. Can this have any real benefit in our technological world?

When I was a lad at school I was taught Italic handwriting. Really got the hang of it and won a school prize. My brother, two years older, received the same tuition and equally mastered the skill. Then a change of location from South of the river to north London meant a change of school. My elder brother entered the fourth form, year 9, and I was in year 7. He was allowed to maintain his handwriting skill, I was to be restructured. The aim; to replace my 'œarchaic Italic script' with a prescribed form.

The restyling lessons totally destroyed my handwriting skills ( my excuse). Within six months the 'award winning' script had become scrawl. I was confused, devastated and demoralised. I never recovered; to this day my infamous scrawl is testament to a botched job at school. My chagrin heightened each time I receive a letter from my brother whose handwriting is legendary.

Perhaps indicative of the damage that can occur with any needless change in educational curriculum. So are we seeing a sea-change in handwriting skills through the advent of typing computer keyboards? Being able to type efficiently is vital, should this therefore be the focus of learning, leaving handwriting to decay? The real problem is there is no choice. To excel in school with the growth in computer learning, Qwerty trumps all. Texting, typing, data entry, pin numbers and telephoning it is possible to go for days or weeks without writing anything. With the dear old cheque being superseded by debit and credit card payment with pin security you rarely even get to sign anything - apart from the back of your credit card once every two years. And tell me you don't practice the signature with a few dry runs!

Is handwriting becoming superseded and unnecessary for the future? Apart from what to do when the power fails or your battery is flat the one measure that will herald the ultimate demise of script - will probably coincide with the last post-it note. But there is one technological gadget that may yet save cursive script. A special pen, looking identical to a conventional pen, sends a radio signal to a mini receiver clipped to the top of a sheet of paper. As you write the receiver tracks the pen to record an accurate image of your handwriting. Upload the receivers' memory to a PC and the software converts the handwritten script to a Word document. Two huge benefits; you don't need a PC or dictation machine to record your notes. There's a huge saving in size and weight, all that's required in a sheet of A4 paper the pen and receiver. Taking notes and diagrams in class at a meeting or on the train is a doodle. But there is a catch; after some training sessions the software is very good at deciphering your handwriting but to work efficiently you need to write clearly and consistently- it's a computer after all. So no off days allowed and to get the full benefit of the system you need to improve your handwriting style and legibility. Hang on isn't that where we came in.