Does Handwriting Have A Place In Today's Tech-Driven Classrooms?

That's the question recently posed by the Huffington Post.

From the story...

The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a chalkboard is a thing of the past. Teaching perfect strokes and proper curves in cursive writing is no longer at the top of a teacher's lesson plan.

With the advent of new technologies like tablets and smartphones, writing by hand has become something of a nostalgic skill.

However, while today's educators are incorporating more and more technology into their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful — both in school and in life.

Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington in Seattle, says it's important to help children acquire the skill of writing by hand almost as they would a second language.

"I think it is wise to continue teaching handwriting," Berninger said. "We need to continue to help kids be 'bilingual' by hand."