How Does Texting Affect the Writing Skills of Students?
As we
all use texting as a way to communicate, we might not be aware that we are
sometimes using slang rather than proper English. Why do we use slang anyway? We
use slang maybe because proper English isn’t really expected on both parties.
One way that text messaging affects the
writing skills of students is that it encourages them to spell words the wrong
way. Jason Tomaszewski, an EducationWorld associate editor refers to this way
as “cyber slang”. They also get used to text shortcuts and might accidentally
being putting them into their home works, assignments and writing projects.
This way, students get used to the shorthand way of texts and don’t want to put
the effort into writing a letter or paper. Jason said that “while this
communications boom has been praised for its educational benefits, some argue
that a negative side effect is beginning to take hold in our classrooms. Cyber
slang is suspected of damaging student’s writing acumen.” (Tomaszewski, 2011)
Although some are saying that texting
“creeps” the students’ ability to write, there are still some things that
teachers can do to help their students understand that even they text, they can
still have effective writing skills. “Probably
the most important thing that teachers can do is to emphasize to students the
concept of audience. Students need to understand the importance of using the
appropriate language in the appropriate setting, and that who one is writing
for affects the way in which one writes.” (O’Connor, 2004)
References
Amanda O’Connor (2004) Instant Messaging: Friend or Foe of Student
Writing Retrieved from http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/literacy/articles/instant-messaging/
Jason Tomaszewski (2011) Do Texting and “Cyber Slang” Harm Students’
Writing Skills? Retrieved from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/arcives/texting_impacts_student-writing.shtml