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It¶s something that we all do, some maybe more than others, in our everyday lives. It¶s 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, there¶s a hot debate on whether
this uprising is affecting student¶s 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, I¶m 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 I¶ll admit, that I use text messaging and the Internet... A lot. It¶s how I
stay connected with friends and family and it¶s so fast and easy. I¶ll 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 don¶t 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 it¶s
a big no-no to use ³b/c´ for ³because´ and ³w/o´ for ³without.´
However, some scholars seem to disagree with the fact that students can¶t 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: ³Why 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,
2011) Many teachers say that they have seen where students have carried their ³texting vocabulary´ over
Comment [EK1]: This is where I find the
engaging intro that catches my attention
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Comment [EK2]: Background informatio
and summary od research and history
Comment [EK3]: Why we should reexam
the construct
Comment [EK4]: Counter-arguments
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Comment [EK5]: Some of the quotes, lik
this one, confuse me on the point that you
trying to make.
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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 it¶s hard to tell when a student is texting because they are getting very sneaky
and creative about the way they text during class.
Many of studies have found that the statements made above aren¶t 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, ³If we don¶t invite students to figure out the lessons they¶ve
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. It¶s the rest of the population that we¶re worried about.´
(Wardle & Downs, 2011) She makes a pretty valid point. If we don¶t let students write (text, surf the
Web, etc.ct.), how else to you expect them to become better writers? It takes more than classroom
instruction for students to actually grasp the concept of ³good 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: ³Digital 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 it¶s only logical that the more
that they write, the more likely they are to become much better writers. After all, practice makes perfect,
right?
There is no doubt that the advancement in technology and text messaging are continuously
changing and improving, but that doesn¶t 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
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and professors can¶t blame their student¶s ³poor 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 ³wrong´,
³bad´, or ³fix this´, then maybe students will understand their mistakes better and take the appropriate
steps to improve their writing skills.
The paper is arguing that the advancement in technology is helping students improve
their writing. Their main point was how it is making students write more and so that ishelping them because the more they write the better they get at it. Their supporting
reasons were the different arguments that other researchers have done.
The paper needs a catchy title and your name and page number on each page: that is the only major error.
I think you need to emphasize what you are trying to say by quoting the people more. It gets a little
confusing with a quote just being thrown in there with little explanation. Possibly give an explanation
before, and then the quote, and then maybe an example of what you are talking about to help it flow
easier..
Comment [EK7]: Conclusion that makes
reader reconsider the construct
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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/ Comment [EK8]: Final citation page