sábado, 26 de abril de 2008

El estado de la escritura entre los adolescentes

Disculpen el inglés, pero entiendo que el tema es relevante. Acá está el enlace, al artículo original

Pew, el autor del informe, es una iniciativa del Pew Research Center, un “fact tank” estadounidense que investiga asuntos, percepciones y tendencias que tienen impacto en nuestra sociedad. Pew Internet explora el impacto de internet en niños, familias, comuniadades, el ámbito laboral, escuelas, centros de salud y en la vida cotidiana.


Teens do not consider a lot of their electronic texts as writing

They see considerable benefits to using technology in their school and non-school writing and say they would welcome even more writing instruction

4/24/2008 | ReleaseRelease

WASHINGTON – The state of writing among teens today is marked by an interesting paradox: While teens are heavily embedded in a tech-rich world and craft a significant amount of electronic text, they see a fundamental distinction between their electronic social communications and the more formal writing they do for school or for personal reasons.

  • 85% of youth ages 12-17 engage at least occasionally in some form of electronic personal communication, which includes text messaging, sending email or instant messages, or posting comments on social networking sites.
  • 60% of teens do not think of these electronic texts as "writing."

    Teens are utilitarian in their approach to technology and writing, using both computers and longhand depending on circumstances. Their use of computers for school and personal writing is often tied to the convenience of being able to edit easily. And while they do not think their use of computers or their text-based communications with friends influences their formal writing, many do admit that the informal styles that characterize their e-communications do occasionally bleed into their schoolwork.

  • 57% of teens say they revise and edit more when they write using a computer.
  • 63% of teens say using computers to write makes no difference in the quality of the writing they produce.
  • 73% of teens say their personal electronic communications (email, IM, text messaging) have no impact on the writing they do for school, and 77% said they have no impact on the writing they do for themselves.
  • 64% of teens admit that they incorporate, often accidentally, at least some informal writing styles used in personal electronic communication into their writing for school. (Some 25% have used emoticons in their school writing; 50% have used informal punctuation and grammar; 38% have used text shortcuts such as "LOL" meaning "laugh out loud.")

    All of this matters more than ever because teenagers and their parents uniformly believe that good writing is a bedrock for future success. Eight in ten parents believe that good writing skills are more important now than they were 20 years ago, and 86% of teens believe that good writing ability is an important component of guaranteeing success later in life.

    Recognizing this, 82% of teens say they think their writing would improve if teachers had them spend more class time doing writing. Blacks and those from lower-income households are the most ardent believers in the importance of writing and in the likely payoff of more class time devoted to it.

    These are among the key findings in a national phone survey of 700 youth ages 12-17 and their parents conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the National Commission on Writing. The survey was completed in mid-November and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. The report also contains findings from eight focus groups in four U.S. cities conducted in the summer of 2007.

    "There is a raging national debate about the state of writing and how high-tech communication by teens might be affecting their ability to think and write," noted Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist at Pew who co-authored a report on the findings titled Writing, Technology and Teens. "Those on both sides of the issue will see supporting data here. There is clearly a big gap in the minds of teenagers between the 'real' writing they do for school and the texts they compose for their friends. Yet, it is also clear that writing holds a central place in the lives of teens and in their vision about the skills they need for the future."

    Adds Richard Sterling, chair of the advisory board for the National Commission on Writing, executive director emeritus of the National Writing Project and senior fellow at the College Board: "We think these findings point to a critical strategy question for all educators: How can we connect the enthusiasm of young people for informal, technology-based writing with classroom experiences that illuminate the power of well-organized, well-reasoned writing?"

    This survey finds that, apart from their text-based electronic communications, teens write with some frequency inside and outside of the school environment. All teens do at least some writing for school, and 93% write for themselves outside of school at least on occasion.

    Writing is a common activity within the school environment, as 50% of teens say that they write something for school every day. However, most writing assignments are short: 82% of teens say their typical writing assignment is a paragraph to one page in length.

    Beyond using technology to facilitate their writing, teens also use the internet to research their school writing projects; 94% of teens use the internet at least occasionally to do research for their school assignments. Nearly half (48%) of teens say they use the internet to research something for school once a week or more often.

    In our focus groups, teens outlined what motivates and inspires them to write. They appreciated the opportunity to choose topics relevant to their own lives and experiences, and the chance to write for teachers and other adults who challenge them. Teens feel encouraged by opportunities to write creatively, and spoke of the motivation of having an audience for their work.

    "Today's teens know that writing is important, and know that they need to learn the skills to write well to ensure a productive future for themselves," said Sousan Arafeh, of Research Images, and head of the focus group project. "Teens understand that learning to write well is a growth process, even if sometimes it feels like the educational equivalent of 'eating your vegetables.'"

    About The Pew Internet Project: The Project is an initiative of the Pew Research Center, a nonprofit "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Pew Internet explores the impact of the internet on children, families, communities, the work place, schools, health care and civic/political life. The Project is nonpartisan and takes no position on policy issues. Support for the project is provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Project's Web site: http://www.pewinternet.org

    About the National Commission on Writing for America’s Families, Schools and Colleges: In an effort to focus national attention on the teaching and learning of writing, the College Board established the National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools, and Colleges in September 2002. The decision to create the Commission was animated in part by the Board's plans to offer a writing assessment in 2005 as part of the new SAT®, but the larger motivation lay in the growing concern within the education, business, and policy-making communities that the level of writing in the United States is not what it should be.

  • viernes, 25 de abril de 2008

    Buenas noticias

    Piglia reivindicó a la poesía en la apertura de la Feria del Libro

    El autor de Respiración artificial afirmó que el género "es uno de los pocos espacios donde se puede establecer una temporalidad propia". Y destacó la figura de Juan Gelman, recientemente galardonado con el premio Cervantes. Este año participan 1.582 expositores y hay más de 1.600 actos culturales programados. DEFINICION. "La poesía es la posibilidad de decir lo imposible", expresó Piglia. (DyN)
    1 de 1

    La Feria del Libro tuvo un estreno de lujo. Con una encendida defensa de la poesía, el escritor Ricardo Piglia inauguró una nueva edición del tradicional evento, cuyo lema este año es "El espacio del lector" y contará con 1.582 expositores en el predio de La Rural.

    Ante una sala José Hernández desbordada de público, Piglia defendió a la poesía al afirmar que frente a los tiempos acelerados que vive hoy la sociedad, "es uno de los pocos espacios donde se puede establecer una temporalidad propia".

    "Solamente la poesía ha logrado establecer ritmos lentísimos y también rápidos, tiene una relación con la velocidad que es única: la poesía está en el límite", dijo.

    Piglia, además, resaltó la figura de Juan Gelman, recientemente galardonado con el premio Cervantes. "Debemos ver el galardón como un reconocimiento a la literatura argentina. El, junto a Leónidas Lamborghini, han sabido expresar algunas de las tragedias y alegrías de este país como nadie", aseguró.

    El autor de Respiración artificial y Plata Quemada recordó que "para Theodor Adorno, después de Auschwitz es imposible escribir poseía, pero no es ése el caso de la experiencia rusa y la argentina, que a pesar de haber vivido sus pequeños Auschwitz, continuaron escribiendo poesía".

    Esa tradición, continuó Piglia, "viene del Martín Fierro de José Hernández, esta posibilidad de decir lo imposible". Y leyó un párrafo de la obra gauchesca: "Es un telar de desdichas cada gaucho que usted ve".

    "Ese tipo de emoción, ese pequeño movimiento del lenguaje, es lo que la poesía nos ha enseñado. El poeta no habla de su propia pena y si lo hace es para hablar del penar, como decía Gelman".

    (extraído de la edición digital del diario Clarín del 25 de abril)

    miércoles, 23 de abril de 2008

    Premio Cervantes a Juan Gelman

    Premio Cervantes 2007

    Gelman pide poesía contra estos "tiempos mezquinos" al recoger el Premio Cervantes 2007.
    El Rey entrega a Juan Gelman el Premio Cervantes 2007.
    La entrega del galardón es el acto central del Día del Libro23.04.08

    Juan Gelman llegaba al Paraninfo para recoger el premio Cervantes 2007 acompañado de su esposa y nietos. El Rey ha entregado el diploma y la medalla al poeta argentino ante la presencia de la Reina, el presidente del Gobierno, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, y el ministro de Cultura, César Antonio Molina. El escritor argentino Juan Gelman ha defendido la vigencia de la poesía en estos "tiempos mezquinos" y "de penuria".

    Juan Gelman: "Nadie sabe qué es la poesía"
    Un argentino perseguido por la dictadura gana el Premio Cervantes 2007
    "Ahí está la poesía: de pie contra la muerte", ha argumentado el autor tras recibir de manos del Rey el Premio Cervantes, en un discurso en el que ha destacado la importancia que tuvo para él la obra de Santa Teresa y de San Juan de la Cruz durante sus años de exilio obligado. Y es que la vida de Gelman ha estado marcada por las consecuencias de la dictadura argentina y la desparición de su hijo.

    Como autor comprometido con su tiempo, Gelman ha explicado antes de recoger el galardón que escribe su poesía "inspirado por el dolor ajeno". Tampoco ha dejado pasar la oportunidad de expresar su malestar y "desencantado por la actividad política".

    La ceremonia de entrega del Premio Cervantes 2007 comenzaba a las 12.00 horas con la presencia de los Reyes y el homenajeado, Juan Gelman. El solemne acto, que cada año se celebra el 23 de abril con motivo del Día del Libro, tiene lugar en el Paraninfo de la Universidad de Alcalá de Henares.

    Ilustres invitados

    Don Juan Carlos llegó junto a la Reina, momento en el que sonó el himno nacional. Al acto también han acudido el presidente del Gobierno, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, junto a su esposa, Sonsoles Espinosa, y el ministro de Cultura, César Antonio Molina.

    Acto central del Día del Libro

    El Premio está dotado con 90.430 euros. Otros literatos en los que ha recaído este galardón en años anteriores han sido Gamoneda en 2006, Francisco Umbral en 2000 o Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio en 2004. El Premio Cervantes lo concede el Ministerio de Cultura en reconocimiento al conjunto de la obra de un escritor.

    La entrega del Premio Cervantes es el acto central del Día del Libro, que incluye la tradicional lectura ininterrumpida del Quijote en el Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid, que Gelman iniciará esta tarde.