End of Paper Exams for Digital Generation

After reading up on multiliteracies last week, I wondered if the rise in digital literacy would eventually lead to the demise of pen and paper in the classroom.  I browsed online and found the following article entitled, End of Paper Exams for Digital Generation . Having completed my secondary education in HK in a school which followed the British curriculum, I am familiar with the UK's examination system. Overall, I think that introducing an electronic examination system is a natural progression. British exams still rely heavily on handwritten papers which is an outdated method of assessment for any country/school. Plus, it's such a waste of paper! In addition, factors such as a students' handwriting have been known to affect final grades. My handwriting is far from perfect and after turning out multiple essays being sat in a string of three hours long examinations and over a period of two weeks or more, my handwriting looked pretty dismal by the end of it...I apologise to those who had to mark my papers and decipher my writing! I believe that in exams, people should be judged by the quality of the content written and not handwriting as well.

However, despite an increasing reliance on modern technology, I think there is still a place for pen and paper in the classroom. Firstly, technology is not 100% reliable. Second, handwriting is still an essential tool for communication in the classroom and assists young children with fine motor development. Finally, students should be taught and encouraged to maintain good handwriting as handwriting is regarded as a personal reflection of oneself and people are still judged by it both in and out of school.