Commentary on manual script:
Normally, I type. The only time I write by hand is when I am taking notes for school, writing cards, or maybe making a grocery list (but usually my grocery list is on an app, on my phone). Communication technology has definitely altered my writing and communication habits. As Lamb & McCormick (2020) explain in their podcast, written words become an extension of the human brain being able to store more than we can recall, such as the items on my grocery list!
I did find this task difficult. The most challenging aspects were time and thought. I had to determine how many lines 500 handwritten words would take, which took time and thought to plan out. Then I found myself thinking a lot harder before putting the pencil to the paper because I knew any edits would be complicated to fix.
Spelling mistakes were corrected by erasing or writing over top, more boldly. If I forgot a word I went back and squished it in. I didn’t do a lot of editing. I didn’t even re-read what I had written before scanning it. The only major edit I made was omitting a paragraph. I did this by crossing it out. The media I used definitely impacted the lack of editing in my work. If I had double spaced my writing, that would have made editing easier. I can’t imagine having to prepare letter tiles, like those featured in the short film, Upside Down, Left To Right: A Letterpress Film (2012). Using a printing press would be particularly difficult for those of us with dyslexia!
The biggest difference between writing by hand and typing were time and accuracy. The only thing I find handwriting is more helpful for remembering and processing information. Here is a table I created using Canva, outlining why I prefer typing.
Reference:
Cooke, D. (2012, January 26). Upside Down, Left To Right: A Letterpress Film [Video]. YouTube. Upside Down, Left To Right: A Letterpress Film
Lamb, R., & McCormick, J. (Hosts). (2020, May 26). From the vault: Invention of the book, part 1Links to an external site. [Audio podcast episode]. In Stuff to blow your mind. iHeart Radio.
