I was very intrigued by Baron's writing about well writing. I found it interesting how he says that "the written language takes on a life of its own, and it even begins to influence how the spoken language is used." (p.75) Writing is very important for people and I liked how he connected the advances in technology and how it has not hindered our writing but added to its advancement. His explanation of how even the pencil we first used to write was an advancement in technology much like the computer or the telephone. I was interested in the attention needed to create a simple wooden pencil. Making a pencil is a lot like writing itself a very detailed process that produces an unimaginably gratifying reward in the end. I'm sure their will be more advances in technology in the future that will lead the way to easier ways to write.
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I too found it interesting how Baron related the advancements of technology to the invention of the pencil and eventually the computer. I never really thought about how writing was at one point in time non existent. Baron really drew my attention in as he described the different stages that writing and literacy have taken. I agree with you that everything that has been invented in order to make writing easier, everything from pencils to computers, has tremendously advanced the ways in which we write. I thought it was funny that his story about being unable to draft with pencil and paper is a direct result of using the computer, because I too struggle without my computer. Even though this essay is a little dated, and there have been so many advancements made since its publishing (the iPhone, the iPad to read text books on), I too am interested in the advancement in technology that will lead to an easier way to read and write.
ReplyDeleteI got out of this essay the same ideas that both of you had. I was really interested in the idea of creating the pencil and the amount of detail that goes into it. I like how it is so much work to make a simple object like that and now has evolved into an advanced computer. I also could really connect at the beginning where he struggles with writing with just pencil and paper. I can't do it anymore. I struggle with the idea that my misspelled words are not underlined with a red line automatically. I really feel like I am addicted to new technology and the ease of using my computer as Baron admitted in his essay as well. I can't wait to see what comes out next to ease my ways of reading, writing, and researching. Soon I feel like all I'll have to do is think my paper and the computer will write it for me.
ReplyDeleteI found this article fascinating. It is so true. I know i do not look a a wood pencil or even a mechanical pencil and think of it as technology. I also really loved how he gave background on some of the modern and older ways of communication. I thought is was amusing reading what he wrote about the telephone. It is odd to think that people thought that the telephone would replace a lot of things that we still use, all the examples i am talking about are on page 78 and they are just amusing now. But i suppose, it is not to far off in my mind that we could soon have the technology to speak to our computer and it would type for us, they have that technology for certain special education teaching methods, so i could see how they could have all these expectations for the telephone...Crazy how technology changes life.
ReplyDeleteI found this article interesting too. The part on the pencil as a piece of technology was particularly interesting. What caught my attention the most was the resistance to new technology in writing was consistant throughout history. Every time a new piece of technology, whether it be writing itself or the computer, there was great concern that it could be used to deceive. However, once the technology is made more readily available, and understood, it diseminates through the rest of society.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Dennis Baron very interestingly describes the different forms of technology and how they advance writing (for the good or bad) in his cleverly titled article From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technology. He explores these advancements including the typewriter, telephone, etc. He even cites the pencil as being a source of writing technology in one of its earliest form, which I would have never thought to be technology, being that it is so simple in its structure.
ReplyDeleteBaron says that writing itself is a form of technology. "...[W]hether it consists of energized particles on a screen or ink embedded in paper or lines gouged into clay tablets, writing itself is always first and foremost a technology" (Baron, 71). Before reading this article I would have found it hard to believe that statement but now I can see why such a simple everyday task is considered so.