Keyboard vs Pen?

Just when it seems we could be creating a generation of non-writers (keyboarders) a recent study performed by Virginia Berninger, a University of Washington Professor of Educational Psychology, discovered that children write better and longer essays at a faster pace when using a pen.  The purpose of this study was to compare methods of transcription (the process of translating thought and ideas into written form).  Read the article to find out whether the keyboard or pen was more useful while writing the alphabet and how the results of this study could affect disabled children.  Berninger declares “We need to help children become bilingual writers so they can write by both the pen and the computer. So don’t throw away your pen or your keyboard. We need them both.”

codonnell|September 30th, 2009|Categories: 21st Century Skills, Professional Development, Student Achievement, T+L|

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  1. Xavier M says:
    November 4, 2009 at 9:43 pm

    In the article, “The pen may be mightier than the keyboard” by Joel Schwarz, he reviews a study conducted to determine which is better, keyboard or pen. The study concludes that students write longer, better essays faster when using a pen than with a keyboard. The students tested were in second, fourth, and sixth grade. I do not believe this conclusion is true because most of these students probably haven’t had nearly as much experience typing as they have writing. To me this is unfair to students because if educators listen to studies like these then we, as students, will be forced to used pens and paper forever. I personally like using a keyboard because, unlike a pen and paper, it is very easy to correct mistakes and make cleaner looking assignments. When I make an error on a keyboard I don’t have to flip over my pencil and erase it, when I revise drafts I don’t have to rewrite the entire paper. This study is, in my opinion, invalid because of the testing methods.

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