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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

Formatted: Highlight

Comment [EK2]: Background informatio

and summary od research and history

Comment [EK3]: Why we should reexam

the construct

Comment [EK4]: Counter-arguments


Comment [EK5]: Some of the quotes, lik

this one, confuse me on the point that you

trying to make.




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

Comment [EK6]: Intext citation through

out




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



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

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