It has definitely been awhile since I’ve written something meaningful by hand that spanned over 500 words. I normally go right to my laptop and use my keyboard to create my written work. I thought I might use this opportunity to create a handwritten sample of an assignment that I want my students to do in the upcoming week. We have been learning about the truth of Residential Schools and how the country of Canada needs to be accountable. Their assignment is to write a letter to 12 year old Chanie Wenjack who died on the road home as he escaped residential school and tried to walk home in the middle of winter. I found this assignment challenging as it really showed the difference between typing and writing by hand. I had to be more thorough in the planning phase of my writing as I knew that I would not be able to shift sentences and segments of my letter around easily, if at all. In comparing this to using the computer, I missed being able to cut, paste, delete and rewrite with ease. The most significant difference between typing and mechanized writing is the ability to change my mind in the middle of writing each paragraph, sentence, word and letter. With typing, I am able to manicure my writing to exactly how I want it to sound like. Even as I am about to submit this analysis, I have reread this several times and am currently inserting this sentence to add to the context of the point that I am making. The fact that each word can be written neatly at a faster speed and erased at an even faster speed gives me the freedom to express my thoughts at a more liberated pace. I always knew typing was more efficient than mechanized writing, but it has been interesting to really break down and compare each process in such a comprehensive manner. 
Hello Johnny,
Do your students have option of how they want to deliver their assignment (typed or hand written)? If typed, do they need to print it or do they use some type of dropbox? You said that you like to type rather than hand writing, how do you grade their work? You grade their work on the computer or make comments on their paper? Do you encourage your students to type on the computer?
Yours caught my attention because you double spaced your work. Is there a reason why you chose to write it like that? I have to say that would be easier for the instructor when making comments on the student’s paper.
I also prefer to type when it comes to papers because it is easier to edit. However, I believe that when producing a hand written piece it still carries a personal touch from the author.
I have a variety of writing assignments throughout the year and for the in-depth essays, my students are required to type. They ‘submit’ their work via google docs which they share to my teacher gmail, then I highlight and make comments on their work. Eventually they need to edit their work and post it on our online Class journals. I always encourage double spacing for editing and aesthetic purposes.