"Writing and Technology"

Writing, Technology, and Teens: Summary of Finding is an article solely about the facts of teens and writing. Many teens today do not believe that communication over the computer or texting is writing. As a "texter" and an "E-Mailer", I believe that all writing we do is writing. Whether it is texting, posting something on Facebook, or tweeting, I believe that it is all writing because usually you write for entertainment. As a "Facebooker", "Tweeter", and "Texter" I read these things for entertainment. Many teens also find themselves enjoying out of school writing. The reason for this is that they can express themselves through writing, which is a skill not just any writer can have. To me, this is very important because every teen has to find things they can do to express themselves. Some teens sing, some teens dance, some teens draw, some teens write, and the list goes on and on. Interestingly enough, most parents are more positive than their teens about the effect that computers and texting have on their writing skills. As a semi-teenager, I find that texting and computer messaging is not all that cracked up to what people think it is. To me, it is actually kind of burdening on myself with constantly texting people back or e-mailing people back. Something I found very important was the fact that today's teens are motivated to write by relevant topics, high expectations, an interested audience and opportunities to write creatively. This to me is so important because writing is something that can keep your imagination alive and help it grow more and more. Books like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games were inspired by the author's imagination. I strongly believe this article was written well for the audience it was intended for. This article covers a lot of topics concerning writing in and out of school, as-well-as the ties to writing and texting. These authors have a very strong argument that all writing is writing because not only do they have percentages, but they also have supporting evidence. These are all the things i picked up on this interesting article.

Word Count: 357

Michaela Cullington "Texting and Writing"

In Michaela Cullington's Texting and Writing, she discusses her view, as well as other scholars, of texting. Texting is something most of today's teenagers do on a regular basis. Cullington says that texting has a minimal effect on student-writing, whereas Ream, Walsh, and Carey find that texting is the most horrible and damaging thing on student-writing. To Ream, the use of acronyms and shorthand in text messaging is the cause for students' inability to spell and write. She also finds that texting nullifies the ability to convey emotion in their writing because they are used to using "sideways smiley faces." Walsh drops points from her students' papers for using text slang and abbreviations in writing. Carey says that text language has become "second nature" to students. As a "texter" myself, I find myself agreeing more with Cullington because she says, "They recognize the difference between texting friends and writing formally and know what is appropriate in each situation." Most High school students can see the difference between texting their friends and writing a formal paper for a grade in school. What I found most important is that in this article, some students were interviewed and admitted to using abbreviations like gtg for "got to go" and hbu for "how about you"; yet they still believe they are not acceptable for formal writing. I myself rarely use abbreviations, so that I continue to write in a formal manner. This leads me to my next point. There are students that text and don't use abbreviations. I find myself texting more formally because I choose not to use abbreviations and shorthand so that my messages can be longer and worded out so there is no confusion in the message that I send. Even though I disagree with some of the passage and agree with the rest, I can honestly say that this argument is a very strong and is interesting to people like myself who want to learn more about the thought of, "Can texting actually nullify my literacy skills?" This article is written well for the audience it is meant for, as well as readers outside of the audience it is meant for.
Word Count: 364

D. Baron "From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies" Review

"From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies," is Baron's argument that computers have changed peoples' literacy skills for better or for worse, and that word processing made writing easier than ever before, and better than any machine used for typing. What I found the most important about Baron's Article is when he says that writing technologies become more and more popular when they begin to surpass popularity of the previous writing technologies. It truly showed that the United States is constantly developing technologically. His comparison between writing and speech spoke out to me because writing does not offer any form of tone to other readers, but it does allows communication over time and distance. Something new that I learned was the fact that today's pencils used to not be meant for writing, but in fact used for marking lines for woodwork. Today's computers were not originally meant for writing technology. These two examples that Baron gave interested me because it shows yet again another thing developed for more than one purpose. Baron's main focus on this article is to explain writing technologies and how they have developed to how they apply to us today. I feel that this writing article definitely appeals to the audience Baron wrote this for. I am a very curious person, and reading this article teaches me about writing technologies. Audiences who are similar to me, that have no knowledge prior to reading this article, would be glued to reading into this because It starts off from the very beginning of writing technologies to modern day writing technologies. To me, it seems that the way this article was written was really simplified to about a tenth grade level so that I, as well as other readers, could easily understand the information provided. Baron wrote this in an excellent way for readers to understand.
From chisel and stone, to pencil and paper; Writing technology has constantly changed throughout history. Things like pencils and computers, originally used for a separate purpose, have developed so widely since they started out, show how writing technology has transformed over history.
Word Count: 353

"My Writing Process"

My writing process can be really simple depending on what I am writing for and about. For an Academic Paper I usually write about the facts or I write with a lot of “fluff” depending on what class I am writing for. But that’s beside the point. To start off my writing process I read more into what it is I will soon be writing about.  I will usually read through books or the internet and write down key points to help the flow of my paper. After I do that, I brainstorm. I write down what I know about the topic and I start my outline. The outline, to me, is the hardest part; I will work on an outline for hours at a time to find the almost perfect flow for my paper. Then, I begin to write. The thesis is the second longest part of my writing process because I spend my time erasing and re-wording or re-constructing sentences to successfully piece it together. Then, I write my paper. For an English paper, I usually start off my writing with a short story about myself (usually comedic) to entertain and “hook” the reader so that they do not get bored of it. I will include all of my readings and all of my knowledge of the topic to my highest extent. After I finish my writing, I usually get a friend or family member to revise it. I expect the revision process for the person to take about thirty minutes. If they do not, then I take my paper to another person to successfully get a long and thought out revision because I am an absolute perfectionist. After all they finish, I revise it myself to come up with a sense of closure because I feel that my writing is never perfect. Finally, I type up my paper. After finishing my rough draft (depending how long it is); typing up my paper takes me no longer than ten minutes. This is my writing process that I have used since I started writing papers for school.