Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/06/24

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Subject: [Leica] RE: While it is happening (B. D. Colen)writing goingdwnhll
From: bdcolen at earthlink.net (B. D. Colen)
Date: Thu Jun 24 06:49:28 2004

I can't disagree with the premise that the skills we value change - but
- by any measure I've seen, our society is scientifically illiterate
when compared to others in which there is universal schooling. And I'm
not bemoaning the decline of writing skills from the perspective of a
journalist, but rather from that of a citizen who believes that if we
cannot communicate clearly, we are ultimately doomed as a society. The
brilliant scientist who cannot convey his brilliance to others is far
less likely to find sufficient funding for his work than the scientist
who can communicate clearly - in writing and verbally.

I tell the students in my undergrad science news writing class that I
know full well very few of them will ever write a news story after
leaving the class, and the few who do - because they work on the school
paper - won't after graduating because they'll be headed for careers in
the sciences. However, the skills they acquire in reducing a scientific
journal report to a 350 word news story will help them in whatever they
do in the future.

B. D.

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
Doug Herr
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2004 12:47 AM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: Re: [Leica] RE: While it is happening (B. D. Colen)writing
goingdwnhll


on 6/23/04 4:37 PM, B. D. Colen at bdcolen@earthlink.net wrote:

> The Civil War letters are a perfect example - albeit 100 years older -

> of what I've been talking about. Every day people, with basic 
> educations, were able to write clear, concise, well constructed prose.
> 
> B. D.
>

OTOH how many people during the civil war era knew much about particle
physics or the chemistry that has led to Tri-X or the CCD chip.  What
I'm attempting to say is that we all have our strengths anw weaknesses
and the a lack of writing skills by itself does not indicate that the
sky is falling in our educational system.  I don't know about anyone
else but when quantum mechanics got shoved into my head there wasn't
room for everything and the space in my head allocated to penmanship and
typing skills is one of those things that shrunk.

Someone with a journalists background will bemoan the demise of writing
skills such as were preserved from the Civil War era (presuming that
this was the norm) while a 50-something computer professional will
likewise be frustrated with the dearth of college graduates who can
format a floppy disk from the command line.  Technology changes and the
skills we value will change or we get left in the dust of history.

Doug Herr
Birdman of Sacramento
http://www.wildlightphoto.com


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Replies: Reply from leicaman at sympatico.ca (Dan C) ([Leica] RE: While it is happening (B. D. Colen)writing goingdwnhll)
Reply from ljkapner at cox.net (Leonard J Kapner) ([Leica] RE: While it is happening (B. D. Colen)writing goingdwnhll)
In reply to: Message from telyt at earthlink.net (Doug Herr) ([Leica] RE: While it is happening (B. D. Colen)writing goingdwnhll)