Martin

Txting & literacy.. Does it affect the way U write?!

Its something that we all do, some maybe more than others, in our everyday lives. Its a quick, easy, and effective way for people to communicate with each other. The use of the Internet, text messaging, blogging, instant messaging, E-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks has become an international way for people all around the world to stay connected with friends and family. With all these advances in technology and the continuous uprising of text messaging, theres a hot debate on whether this uprising is affecting students literacy. Should we be blaming the use of technology for poor reading and writing skills, or should we be blaming the teachers for not teaching it properly? Today, Im here to challenge the idea that all this use of technology and text messaging is not damaging our students, but it is our teachers that have failed to do their duty in teaching us the proper ways to write. Text messaging first became very popular in Europe and Asia because it was the fastest and cheapest way to communicate without making calls (qtd in Reardon, 2008). According to a 2009 case study by the University of Alabama, the average teen sends or receives about 1,800 texts a month. This may seem a little biased, because Ill admit, that I use text messaging and the Internet... A lot. Its how I stay connected with friends and family and its so fast and easy. Ill also be the first to admit, I have never really been much of a writer myself. Whenever I was told that I needed to write a paper for class, I just absolutely dreaded it. I mostly just tried to make it as simple as I could and be done with it, which worked pretty well for me, for the most part. Although I use technology, probably more than I should, I personally dont think that my writing habits are bad at all. I know how to keep the way I talk to my friends and the way I write in the classroom separated. When writing an academic paper, I know that its a big no-no to use b/c for because and w/o for without. However, some scholars seem to disagree with the fact that students cant separate the way they talk to their friends and the way they write in their academic papers. Mark Bauerlein, a professor of English at Emory University, says: Why is it that with young people reading and writing more words than ever before in human history, we find no gains in reading and writing sources? (Wardle & Downs, 1

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2011) Bauerlein is questioning why young people are writing and reading more than ever, but their reading and writing skills arent getting any better. Many teachers say that they have seen where students have carried their texting vocabulary over to their classroom and it is becoming so bad, that they are forced to explain why this type of vocabulary is not acceptable in the real world. Teachers and professors also have the concern that students use their phones to cheat on tests, but its hard to tell when a student is texting because they are getting very sneaky and creative about the way they text during class. Many studies have found that the statements made above arent all that true. One British study found that students who can text and abbreviate score higher on vocabulary and reading tests. One scholar, Ms. Yancey, at Florida State, states, If we dont invite students to figure out the lessons theyve learned from that writing outside of school and bring those inside of school, what will happen is only the very bright students will do it themselves. Its the rest of the population that were worried about. (Wardle & Downs, 2011) She makes a pretty valid point. If we dont let students write (text, surf the Web, etc.), how else to you expect them to become better writers? It takes more than classroom instruction for students to actually grasp the concept of good writing. It takes a lot of time and a lot of practice. Another scholar, Jeffrey T. Grabill, who is the director of Writing in Digital Environments Research Center at Michigan State, states: Digital technologies, computer networks, the Web--all of those things have led to an explosion in writing. People write more now than ever. In order to interact with the Web, you have to write. (Wardle & Downs, 2011) Grabill makes an excellent point. The more students write outside of the classroom, the more opportunity they have to gain new and better literacy skills. Students spend so much time on the Internet and text messaging, so its only logical that the more that they write, the more likely they are to become much better writers. After all, practice makes perfect, right?

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There is no doubt that the advancement in technology and text messaging are continuously changing and improving, but that doesnt mean it changes the way people read and write. The more practice students get outside of the classrooms, the more likely they will become better writers. Teachers and professors cant blame their students poor writing skills on these advancements, but rather, they should consider changing the way they teach students how to read and write, and the way that they correct students with their papers. If they do this in a more constructive manner, rather than just saying wrong, bad, or fix this, then maybe students will understand their mistakes better and take the appropriate steps to improve their writing skills.

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References: Loftis, K. (2010). Texting and instant messaging. Retrieved from http://www.guide2digitallearning.com/teaching_learning/texting_and_instant_messaging Rzemien, A. (2010, July 08). The impact of student's writing skills: Is it all bad?. Retrieved from http://edoptions.com/blog/?p=23 University of Alabama. (2009, April 16). Text messaging and it's effects on teens' grammar. Retrieved from http://www.bamaed.ua.edu/edtechcases/Case Numbers/text messaging and grammar_Case 11.pdf Wardle, E., & Downs, D. (2011). Writing about writing. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's. Wright, L. (2011). The impact of technology on college writing. Retrieved from http://blog.learnboost.com/blog/the-impact-of-technology-on-college-writing/