DocAndersen
I want to thank everyone that responded to my post yesterday personally. I am honored by your words, your thoughts, and your comments.
I have admitted before that I love pen and paper. I have also chased a good pen that converts to digital and has played with a number of them. When the iPhone was first released, Steve Jobs said, “you don’t need a stylus,” and for the most part, I agree with that. But when you are doing a, for my software architectural drawing on an iPad, honestly, the finger doesn’t work. So the Apple Pencil was born. Now the Microsoft world has also answered that, including a system with most windows PC’s that have touch screens for a long time.
The new thing in this space is the growing reality of multi-purpose devices. The Microsoft Surface PCs have pens, the Apple Ipads have pencils, and those are locked to the platform. But some of the new ones can be used on multiple platforms. Some are also pens so that you can still use them with paper. I have a couple that people have given me over the past few months.
That did get me thinking about the good old days and pencils. Do you remember having a stack of new crayons at the start of school? That first day, with 3 or 5 new pencils?
The reason is that came up is that kids don’t have the same experience. Kids still use crayons in the early grades, but even that is fading. The iPad and Android tablets have changed the interaction of kids. The cool thing is you can carry an entire library with you (Kindle, or Nook). You have a device that allows you to interact with the world outside the classroom. In the case of schools, they would need to have the cellular data shut off. That is easily accomplished. The teacher has a 4g signal receiver at their desk. When they shut off their phone, that sensor should also shut off. If it doesn’t, then one of the students has a data connection via cellular.
The reason for that is the safety of the kids, not to be draconian.
It does, however, make me wonder when will children no longer know how to sharpen a pencil?
This work is Copyright DocAndersen. Any resemblance to people real or fictional in this piece is accidental (unless explicitly mentioned by name.)
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Question of
do you remember number 2 pencils?
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Yes
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Question of
Do you think they will still use pencils in 20 years?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Or do you think tablets will replace pencils.
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Yes
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No
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I did not vote because I really do not want to see pens and pencils disappear. I still use them to this day to write post notes everywhere. I also often start my own posts in writing just for the pleasure of using a pen instead of my fingers or a keyboard… But one pen I never use is a felt or gliding pen. I hate the feeling of those. I enjoy a good old fashioned ink pen…
so do I, love the feel of pen on paper. But my kids, don’t often use them except for art.
Not sure if children will still use pencils in 20years, but if they train in classical art you have to use a pencil, from HB to B , 2B, and upwards,,there is an art of drawing that was taught by classical art schools for centuries.
Put it this way, anyone can do this modern art but not just anyone can master fine classical art, it has to be learnt and taught properly. Most modern art schools are not teaching it, but Warwick and I teach classical art.
i suspect the pencil will become a niche thing used by artists. many people never have the skill to draw (like me i can’t draw at all).
thanks, Pam, interesting thoughts.
You can be taught to draw the easy way or in instalments..Learning to draw is an acquired skill, like anything else.
i agree to a level, i can draw to a very basic level. but beyond that, it requires an understanding of what could be there and how things work.
I see software architecture drawings in my head. I can very quickly draw them on a whiteboard and share them.
i can’t draw the shadows striking wine glass as you can.
ALl of us can do basic drawing I agree. but the artist see more than what is there!
Q: DO YOU REMEMBER NUMBER 2 PENCILS?
Yes (4 votes) – 100%
Q: DO YOU THINK THEY WILL STILL USE PENCILS IN 20 YEARS?
Yes (2 votes) – 50%
No (2 votes) – 50%
Q: OR DO YOU THINK TABLETS WILL REPLACE PENCILS.
Yes (3 votes) – 75%
No (1 votes) – 25%
I suspect there is a line (age) that this 2nd question would get a different response. Thanks for reading and answering the poll!!!
I am sure pensils are already a thing of the past but soon, especially with online learning, it will be extinct
i suspect you are right, I wonder what age today is the transition line. 40? over 40 will continue to use Pencils, under 40 will stop?
that line is interesting to me.
Hey! If I had a huge pencil I would write it everywhere! My brother made it through heart surgery. He has all new valves and he’s off the machines. We have a long way to go but I will celebrate tonight.
I will always keep a pencil and paper around even if I am the only one who uses it.
i still love writing notes on paper, and I still edit documents by printing them and marking them up from time to time.
based on last weekend, I should have written by blogs down first, I was error city! Lots and lots of errors
Ghostwriter, i am so happy to hear about your brother!!!
I still you #2 pencils and Bic pens. Nothing is going to change for me I have to always make notes and jot things down to remember. I certainly hope it will be the same for students.
I still like them. I think there is value in handwriting things.
i still send my mother handwritten notes, then I have to read it to her when she gets it in the mail because my handwriting is bad!
I love pencils but i wonder how much longer schools will require them. Standardized tests are one of the last things that require pencils now…
I think lead will always stick, dear friend
i think pencils will last for many more years, but will they be as important that is I suspect will change.
Probably something will change as everything changes but they will just stay for that purpose
I suspect we will slowly see fewer and fewer pencils.
but, we shall see, time is the one thing we do not have a chance to control
That’s true and all things are changing so fast that I can barely keep up with all these changes
i can relate to that – it is hard sometimes for me to keep up
I guess kids are using pencils less and less. I know the hardness of pencils very well. In high school I had a subject – shorthand where we used ordinary pencils.
i never took shorthand, i had to take typing. I learned to type really fast!
I also never used shorthand. Unfortunately, it was a compulsory subject in school.
Typing was not in our school but it was compulsory for me because my dad told me to take typing.
Today, typing skills are very useful to you.
they are, in high school i was around 100 wpm. (words per minute) now, with a computer i can get well past 120 wpm!!!
You are really good at typing. I haven’t measured my speed in a long time.
when I was learning, i typed in the evenings (poetry journals would not accept submissions in handwriting).
But now, i type all day long!
I have been writing much less since I retired.
I will retire myself in a few years
I hope you are looking forward to retirement.
we really are, but there are a few years yet to go
Trying to catch up Doc. I think it has already started with no pencils unfortunately.
i do wonder about that, i still have pencils in my office and a pencil sharpener!
I do as well and will keep them.
but my kids don’t have pencils except for drawing pencils