Do you normally write by hand or type? Did you find this task difficult or easy? Explain.

I am definitely a pro typer and avoid doing most things by hand if possible. A little known fun fact about me is that I actually have a hypermobility syndrome which makes things like using a pen/pencil for an extended period of time more uncomfortable. Though it does not affect me as severely as others, it has altered the way I approach my academic and professional expectations. One could even argue that it may have influenced my interest and passion in ED Tech!

Overall, I found this task more frustrating than difficult. As I mention in my text, I feel like I could have written it significantly faster if I could type it or access AI to support me. I felt like I was getting distracted more as well. Hence some of the doodles on the page. Although, the doodling was quite nice and not something I typically get to enjoy when using a computer.

What did you do when you made a mistake or wanted to change your writing? How did you edit your work? Did your choice of media play a part in how you edited your work?

I wanted to do this activity without using any tech to get ideas or correct spelling. I was actually surprised how little spelling errors and mistakes that I made (or at least that I noticed). For the mistakes I did make, I either just went with it or scribbled it out if I knew I made a mistake. It does make yu realize how much you depend on functions like spell correct. In terms of editing, I read it over and added some colour to my doodles.

What do you feel is the most significant difference between writing by hand and using mechanized forms of writing? Which do you prefer and why?

One aspect I missed the most was being able to edit and change the titles, format, and restructure my ideas. For me, one of the best parts about typing is being able to write about one topic then when you run out of ideas but aren’t quite finished, you are then able to work on something else and come back to it. However, when you hand write, you may not have space to go back and add or rephrase. I like that you can brainstorm better while typing because you can get your ideas down and work from your ideas, where when you physically write it, you need to go off another page.

Regarding our readings from this week…
I believe that the ability to print and distribute text has been one of the most significant drivers of human thought and intellectual progress. By externalizing our ideas in shareable formats, print has expanded opportunities for critical thinking and problem solving. Just as the codex and printing press transformed the speed and accessibility of knowledge exchange (Innis, 2007), I would argue that AI represents a new stage in this evolution. AI accelerates the processes of generating and refining text which enables ideas to circulate more rapidly than ever before. In this sense, I believe AI should be seen as an innovation in text technologies which continues the long tradition of remediation, where each new technology redefines and expands the possibilities of the advancements that came before it (Bolter, 2001).

References:
Bolter, J. D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=9283375

Innis, H. (2007). Empire and communications. Dundurn Press. http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=8644561