Monday, April 28, 2008

Teen Writing, r u lol


How has the use of electronic writing affected you? How has it helped? What problems has it caused? With only one month left in the school year, should language arts instruction be changed to reflect this? And if so, how?

Pew Internet & American Life Project researched Writing, Technology and Teens. The study looked at the effect of modern technology on students' writing.

This is a significant issue based on their conclusion that 85% of teens ages 12-17 engage at least occasionally in some form of electronic personal communication, which includes text messaging, sending email or instant messages, or posting comments on social networking sites.

This table summarizes some of the findings of the study.


The complete findings of this study can be viewed here.

Are texting, IM'ing, MySpace, Facebook, blogging and email ruining the next generation of writers, or will they make them the best ever?

43 comments:

Anonymous said...

I will admit text writing can be a bad habit. For example once I was typing a comment for the blog and I had just got off myspace and I had to go back and rewrite the comment because I didn't capitalize the I, for the word you I just put u, and for your I put ur, for are I put r etc. So I think text writing is destroying writers and not making them better than ever.

Anonymous said...

1. The use of MySpace and texting doesn't really effect me. Sometimes I might forget to capitalize my I and write lol, r, u, or y. But I always or most of the time catch myself and go back to fix it.

2. I think texting probably will effect some people and make them bad writers. But to other people it might make them really good writers! So in other words it depends.


Oh and I think that you probably shouldn't worry about me and text messaging. I'm just fine!!!

Anonymous said...

I don't even use like lol ect. Besides I don't even know how to text message on a phone. I don't even have internet. This electronic writing is between good and bad. I think this because electronic writing can be a short cut in writing and that's the bad thing. The good thing is that it can help you in some kind of way.

Anonymous said...

Well I think that writing like that is ok. It's faster when ur (your) tipping. But a lot of people don't really get wat (what) other kids r (are) saying to them. Really i think it's batter 2 (to) writing in text cause it's way faster and more easy 2 (to).

Some people don't like it cause they can't really understand wat (what) they r (are) saying to them or something. I do it on myspace all the time. So im use 2 (to) doing. Some times i do it and i forget that I'm doing it.

There is many text that I no like lol,roflol,roflmao.omg,wtf and a lot more but I don't wat (what) to stay here writing them all.

But other them that I like to write in text cause i get what it means (sometimes).

Anonymous said...

I don't text. So I don't know how bad text can effect people. I think text affects some peoples writing. I think text effects more people than it don't effect. I think you should be worried.

Anonymous said...

The myspace and yahoo mail do not effect me I know that when I get to school I have to type normal language and grammar.
It has caused people to type that way at school and think that this is ok because I type this way on myspace and my email it is poising the young minds that are in our future. You should keep teaching what you are doing it has helped me a bunch, if you would teach me what kids type on myspace and yahoo mail I would be so dumb it would not even be funny.

Mr. McGuire said...

Dictionary:affect

(ə-fĕkt') pronunciation


1. To have an influence on or effect a change in: Inflation affects the buying power of the dollar.
2. To act on the emotions of; touch or move.
3. To attack or infect, as a disease: Rheumatic fever can affect the heart.

Anonymous said...

I don't think that text talk is ruining the next generation because some of the teens write don't like that at school and on assignments.But for some of the people that do the might be bad for their grades and could affect like when they get a job because on their application they could put like "btw" which means "by the way" and the people who are interviewing them might think they are stupid or something like that.


I think for the next generation of writers that there could be a chance of them screwing up or achieving their goals.One possible reason for them messing up could be that in their book or any other writing they could use text talk and mess up the whole book.One possible reason for them to be able to achieve their goal is maybe text talk will help them become better at writing than they were when they were teens because even though now they write like that who knows how they will write in the future?No one really knows how teens will be writing in the future because things could change.

I do use text talk but only on the computer when I am on instant messenger or Myspace.I have only wrote in text form once but I erased it.I hope I don't write in text form and not notice it because that would be bad!

I have a question Mr. McGuire have you ever talked in text form not only on your cell phone but on like a paper or something??

Anonymous said...

I Text, Myspace, AIM, Yahoo,Email,Blog Anything on the Net That has do to chatting on the Internet. Sometimes It effects me when I don't use correct grammar. Sometimes it Does not effect me.

Anonymous said...

How the use of electronic writing affected me is that it is addictive. How it has helped me is it can help me on a question. What problems it has caused is it makes people say mean stuff. How you can stop this is take a brake. How is it addictive is that when you start you can't stop.

Anonymous said...

P.S. Mr. McGuire Myspace is spelled MySpace and sorry about affect being wrong I got confused!

Anonymous said...

I think that all the typing spaces helps me. 1 why,You tip a botch and that helps your tipping skills.

Anonymous said...

I sometimes use electronic writing. I don't have a cell phone. I probably use electronic writing 3 times a week when I get on Myspace.com.

It has affected me because I fumble with the keyboard keys a lot now. It hasn't helped me at all. That's my problem I hit the wrong buttons when I'm trying to type "are" I type "r". I think people should type the write way all the time.

Anonymous said...

I think texting affects me and other kids or people because win you write r u lol (Are you laughing out loud) well it makes you or me look dumb when you write something for a grade, or for someone else. You get used to that way of writing then you have to write or type something at school for a grade and you write (i have 4 pets how many do u have.) Then the teacher sees that, and marks it wrong and for the mistakes your grade drops. So texting, well I think is a bad influence. IF TEXTING WAS NOT INVENTED ARE WRITING WOULD BE A LOT BETTER.

Anonymous said...

I think that teen texting effects us teens because through grade school and collage, Us students will have to write essays in socials, book reports, and all types of writing assignments in all classes. And there would be a lot of spelling mistakes because people are using text form.

Also I think that teen texting affects us because maybe some people would like to be an author. You can't be publishing books all the time, with the books having text form in them.

and Mr. McGuire, when I was at Walden books yesterday (book store in the Lancaster mall), I had seen a series of books that all they had them was a conversation between two people texting, and the names of the books were "TTYL", "BTW" "BFF" and I don't remember the other ones. but I thought it was really ridiculous, and I was like "Nobody is going to want to but any of these books.


Text form has helped because to talk to our friends it has made it a lot easier for us to type less letters.

And yes, I think that Language arts instruction should be changed. Because I don't want to get low grades for editing mistakes just from having that habit of using text form.

I was thinking, when I send messages now, I will NOT use text form... OK, so only when I am texting on a cell phone... but that is so I save money from short text messages!

Anonymous said...

I really think that MySpace isn't that bad on your writing. It actually might help you because you type so much on it.

Anonymous said...

I think the text messaging, myspace, and blogging is probably going to effect students, teenagers, and others on the way they read, write and other stuff. I also think that the text messaging and Instant Messaging will be the next generation because [ ALMOST ] every one is doing it.

The teenagers, students, and adults that don't do text messaging isn't going to hurt their writing, or reading. The reason people are texting is probably because they came up with a cell phone that would text and then some one got it told some one else and then they started to text and every one caught on. Now the whole world is texting.

Personally I have no problem with the texting because I text. The texting has effected my reading and writing. Well, The other day I was reading and came to the word (YOU) and thought it was spelled wrong. WHOOPS...

Anonymous said...

Electronic writing has not really effected me I do not get on the computer a lot and I do not own my own cell phone.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I think language arts instruction should be changed to reflect this. I think this because then some people would remember something in the summer.

Anonymous said...

I'll admit text writing can be a bad habit. A lot of times I make mistakes when I type because I get in habit of that sort of typing.A lot of us as kids make up letter writing to stand for the real word so it will not take as long to text. So all you have to do it type 2 or 3 letters. this is why it gets in the way of school work.

Mr. McGuire said...

Haley,

You have to remember that I am old, old, old school. Back in the day, when I learned to write, there was no such thing as texting. I do text my daughters some now, but I would rather just call and talk to them. I guess that is because it is what I am used to.

Anonymous said...

Mr.McGuire I have a cell phone and a Myspace.I text all the time to Shayna and my mom. It like a habit for me and Shayna. I actually still write regularly when I'm texting and on Myspace. Its just another habit for me. Like I can text all I want because my mom got a plan that its $2 a month to text so I can text whenever I want. My dad will get mad though when I am texting while we are shopping.

I do think that some times though I do accidentally will put on her a word in text form but I usually find it and fix it. Then like if I get on Myspace I will do the exact opposite and write in regular form. I think that texting might effect some kids but not all the time. Also I think it helps kids sometimes because we are writing regularly not just at school. Thats what I think about texting.

Anonymous said...

I don't have a cell phone so I really don't know how it would effect me as a writer. I don't think it would effect me as a writer but, you never can tell what will happen until you do it.

Anonymous said...

I am not one bit affected by texting. I mean I write notes to people and use texting form but on school work and the blog I just use regular typing. I barely have cell phone signal at my house and we don't have internet yet so I can only text when i go to softball practices or my little sister's games. We hardly go anywhere but when we do there is a 100% chance I will text. I think that texting will affect some people and it won't affect some people because I am one of the people it doesn't affect. Texting affects my little sister big time because when she texts then goes to write her school papers she starts writing in texting form.

Anonymous said...

Are texting, IM'ing, MySpace, Facebook, blogging and email ruining the next generation of writers, or will they make them the best ever?

Mr McGuire I think that texting and Myspace does not affect me because I am used to people just setting there either having a conversation on the computer or on the phone. I think there is a lot of ways to have a conversation than just setting there texting somebody. I do not text hardly at all but I do think that it would help me in like writing or something because, it would make me probably a fast typer and it would help me get used to spell stuff write. I do not have a MY SPACE!! I basically go against MYSPACE because, a lot of bad stuff happen on there. I know that you can block it but I will never want one. My dad does not like it either he does not even have one.

Anonymous said...

NO I don't think texting will make you any better or any worse at writing. all your doing is pressing buttons and abbreviating stuff like OMG it stands for oh my god. 4 stands for for. 2 stands for to,too or two.

Anonymous said...

I think for some people texting will be good for them because I know somebody (not going to add names) that texts and she told me that when she texts she uses correct grammar to practice. In school she has an A in writing. When I get on my yahoo I don't go wer r u or lol. I'm like my friend I use correct grammar to practice for school. In the next generation people might be stupid and forget all about correct grammar.

Anonymous said...

I text message and use my space a lot because it helps me keep in contact with my friends and family I don't get to see that much, but I can still write and I don't think it has affected me much because I've had A's and B's in writing all of this school year.

I personally don't think that it has helped me, but I don't think it has hurt me either because I just try the best I can and don't let anything that happens with my cell phone or on my space effect the way I do in school. Texting and using my space has not caused any problems for me as I said earlier but yet again it hasn't helped me much either.

I think that if you keep teaching the way you do that everyone will be just fine, because you have helped me a lot, last year I could barely write a journal or essay without something in it being wrong.

Anonymous said...

Mr. McGuire, texting is becoming a necessary thing to know because almost every one has a cellphone, MySpace, IM, or something that people use to talk and text. I agree with some people that it can help people with typing skills. I think that some people are careful and don't use shortcuts on words in assignments.I don't have a cellphone so this doesn't affect

Anonymous said...

I think texting will make the next generation better writers, because they will be able to summerize things like in texting when people write things in a shorter version. The only problem with texting is people may just put one letter instead of the whole word. Here are to reasons texttinng helps and hurts their grade in reading.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I think text messaging and MySpace can ruin the next generation of writers because we can get using r,u and lol. I also think that if we are careful not to use it on school work or anything important like that it will be fine.

Anonymous said...

Text messaging doesn't affect me because I do not text, but I think it is OK if you do not get into the habit of writing like U for you or SODDI for Some other dude did it. You might get bad grades in language arts if you do this. This is why I do not think you should not get in to a habit of doing this.

Anonymous said...

Some people think texting will mess them up on writing and it kind of does I text on myspace, and my cellphone and it I use ways to make the words shorter like ttyl ( talk to you later) or lol ( laugh out loud). When I am writing it felt like I am texting so I use ways to shorten the words and then I realize I am not texting and then I have to start over. I think texting does effect my writing and I am still working on it.

Anonymous said...

Are texting, IM'ing, MySpace, Facebook, blogging and email ruining the next generation of writers, or will they make them the best ever?

The answer to your question is no texting, IM'ing, MySpace, Facebook, blogging and email is not ruining this generation. I think it makes us better vat writing because you learn to type faster and you also can talk to each other faster. I think that they can be harmful to writing because we might not have the ability to write neat any more. That is just my opinion. I really think that texting, IM'ing, MySpace, Facebook, blogging and email are helping our generation.

Anonymous said...

No I don't think it will be bad. All you got to do is make sure you don't mess up. The typist just has to make sure that he doesn't type like he does texting. That is what I think about it.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Cody, texting won't make you any worse or any better at writing. You are just shortening words with abbreviations. You're really just doing it to have fun with your friends with words.

Anonymous said...

I think that texting and I.M ing has no effect what so ever. I text a lot and I.M ing is the same as texting and its had no effect on me.

Anonymous said...

Text messaging doesn't affect me because I don't text. If I did it would make me worse than I am now because I will use abbreviation like lol.

Anonymous said...

I think that texting is a bad thing it could make you a bad writer and lower your grade in writing.Texting could get you in trouble if you are doing it at school, like texting your boy friend and your girl friend if you know what I mean by girl friend.Texting is hard that is why t is bad for me.

Anonymous said...

I think that myspace, text messaging, and blogging is going to effect kids and teen. I don't think we need to text message because, what happen if you don't send it to the wrong person and they don't know who you are and they find the where you live in what state and street{road}. Myspace is bad because you can have your myspace stole. Blogging can tell where you live.

Mr. McGuire said...

Collin,

You make a good point. Contact on the internet can be a bad thing if a student makes poor decisions. Students should NEVER meet anyone in person that you get to know over the internet.

Anonymous said...

Well, I text a lot and I am on Myspace a lot so I am used to the text writing form. Personally I think it is an issue because as soon as I get home I go to the computer and I get on Myspace and then my cell will be beeping telling me I have a new text message. Then when I get back to school I find it hard to use the correct grammar.

Some of the most common text writing form words are: LOL, y, r, u, 2, 4, and so on so forth. This is what I use when I get to school, then I have to go back and correct it! But when you start texting it becomes an addiction, you just can't stop!

Some of the main problems it has caused with me is that it makes it hard to write correctly, it is hard to quit using the text form!

Jeff said...

Language evolves through natural selection. The things that prove effective communication tools will survive, and the things that don't work as well will die off. The important thing is that we engage the students in the discussion, and get them thinking about what messages they are sending when they communicate in certain ways. Any kind of language has its appropriate contexts.