Post 9

Literacy has advanced a great deal since the early Sumerian’s. The Sumerians wrote using symbols. Over time the use of words replaced symbols. With time writing does progress. “The spread of electric power, the invention of radio, and later television, all promised similar bio-cultural progress” (427). With new technologies the form of writing changes. The pencil for instance was seen as a new technology at the time. “Teacher preferred pencils without erasers, arguing that students would do better, more premeditated work if they didn’t have the option of revising” (438). With time pencil writing with erasers become the norm. The added eraser helped students improve writing because they could revise and fix errors in their text. The same concept rings very true for computers. “When we began to use computers in university writing classes, instructors didn’t tell students about the spell check programs on their word processors, fearing the students would forget how to spell” (438). Today the spell check function only aids students in learning how to spell. Teachers today encourage spell check. The shape of writing has changed over time with the new technologies being introduced to the public. Pencil writing was once an advanced form of writing. Today the computer has replaced pencil writing. More than likely the future will bring about a new form of writing.