D. Baron

     Writing itself was the first significant technology. Baron believes that computers will soon replace these books. Although he praises how fast the technology has advanced and helped us, he does not completely support the new world of literacy. Nothing is as good as the physical effort of handwriting crossing out, revising, cutting, and pasting. He then goes into the stages of the literacy technology. It begins with great restrictions and only available to a few number of people. Then the technology spreads, lowering the cost. Many replications of this technology are created but with further advancements. He then goes into the importance of how authentic handwriting actually is and how great the creation of the pencil was. Baron gets deep into the invention of writing and how it triggered a "cognitive revolution" in human development. He then talks about how writing cannot replace speech functions such as the tone in your voice. The written language has a life of its own. For example writing can be considered a more formal way of speaking.
    The pencil was not originally for writing. It was used in ancient times to make the measurement markings. They were created by wood workers because they could mark where they wanted to cut the wood without making a permanent dent in the wood. Pencils were soon used by artists. The word pencil means little tail, referring to something similar to a paintbrush. Wooden pencils are modernly sold for nothing but a few pennies. Back in the day, the price could be as high as todays fifty dollars.
    In conclusion, researchers tend to examine how technology affects literacy and often find that it leads to a decrease in literacy and an increase in political issues.