[I] Some teachers think that because of this, young people are not writing correctly at school.[II] They fear that once students get used to it,[III] they will find it hard to switch back to using correct grammar and spelling. How did things begin this way?[IV]
It all began with e-mail, online chat rooms, and games. Then step by step young people made sentences, phrases and words shorter. As text-messaging continued to become popular, people invented more and more words. Today, it is like a real language with its own grammar and vocabulary. The growth of text-messaging has raised an important question: As students become fluent in text messaging, do their writing skills suffer?
People have different ideas about the effects of text-messaging on students’ writing skills. Some say that students are losing the ability to write long, correct sentences. Others say that text-messaging is having a good effect on the language students use in then schoolwork. It shows that they are creative and good at expressing themselves. And if students can keep the two systems separate - one for text messaging and one for school - this will help students appreciate reading and writing more.
Some people suggest that one way to reduce the bad effects of text-messaging is to find ways to use technology as a positive learning tool. For example, students can be allowed to type their assignments in a cell phone message and send them to their teachers, but they must type correctly. In this way, students are using the technology that they are familiar with to communicate in a form of language suitable for schoolwork. It shows students that text-messaging is fine for social communication, but correct grammar and spelling are necessary for communication in school.
(Adapted from Strategic Reading by Richards and Eckstut-Didier)