Paperless homework will affect students' handwriting
A growing number of primary schools in Shanghai are now encouraging "paperless" homework. Instead of writing with a pen, children can finish their homework simply by "surfing and typing" on their iPad screens.
Many people welcome the use of this new technology in schools. And it isn't difficult to understand why digital homework could be the next big thing in education; it reduces waste; makes it easier for teachers to collect homework; and now that everything else is digitalized, homework should too.
But there's an overlooked downside to online homework, as it shows an alarming trend(趋势); how technology is affecting physical handwriting.
In today's digital age, handwriting is already a weakening skill. Can you remember the last time you used a pen? For me, it was when I had to fill out a form at work. To be honest, I couldn't write quite a few characters and had to type them on my iPhone to remind me of how to write them correctly. I know I'm not alone. There are more saying they share similar embarrassment (尴尬) when asked to write by hand.
In a time when computers, smart phones and keyboards are widely used in the world, is handwriting even important？ The answer is yes. Handwriting plays an important role in the learning process. Writing a character is more difficult than typing. It requires the body and mind work together actively. So for school﹣age children, writing not only allows them to memorize characters, but also trains their brains the way typing can't.
Too many children, lost in technology, lie on a sofa or in bed with their smartphones or iPads a seldom mentioned side effect of modern technology, which may lead to physical problems later.
All said, I'm not saying that digital homework should be canceled. Digitalization is an unstoppable trend. But for courses such as Chinese and English language, I hope to see digital homework introduced later into the courses, at least after children have had the ability to write characters and spell words well.
