November 12th, 2008
Why can't kids text in context?
Most of us big people can send a text message or a quick email from our phones. We abbreviate, use emoticons, and are both adept at and understanding of those terse replies appropriate for text/IM communications. We may not be quite as speedy with our thumbs as our younger counterparts, but we are increasingly able to get the job done. Whether talking to our own kids or using SMS/IM for business communications, quite a few of us have embraced this tool without issue.
When we get back to an actual keyboard on which we need to compose some actual writing, we’re also generally pretty good at cranking out writing that actually includes full sentences, punctuation, and capitalization and excludes emoticons and leet-style abbreviations. We know that every type of communication has a context. Would you greet your boss in the morning with a “‘Sup” and a high-five? Probably not. How about a big hug and a smiling good morning? Maybe, but you’d probably reserve the latter for your kids or significant other. It’s all about the context.
During Monday’s big professional development meeting our district (we used this as an opportunity for content area teachers from across the district to meet and begin examining pre-K through 12 curricula together), it became apparent that our elementary teachers were doing a fine job of emphasizing grammar, punctuation, spelling, and all of the other usual pieces of the English language we’d expect. Yet by the time the kids hit high school, none of them can seem to form a complete sentence to save their lives.
In middle school, cell phones become ubiquitous and SMS/IM becomes the preferred method of communication for kids. By high school, texting is second nature. One can’t help but wonder if there is a connection here. This goes back to my long-standing belief that teaching 21st Century skills means teaching appropriate use of technology. Most kids already have a good handle on using a variety of technological tools; their problem is using them in an appropriate context.
Emoticons and leet for your friends? You bet. Should you write a complete sentence for an English term paper? This seems like a no-brainer, but for all too many kids, it simply isn’t sinking in. Of course, the bigger problem occurs when these kids hit the business world and still can’t make the transition from what is OK on MySpace versus what an employer expects of them in terms of writing skills.
Follow Chris Dawson on Twitter! Christopher Dawson is the technology director for the Athol-Royalston School District in northern Massachusetts and a member of the Internet Press Guild. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations, but always keep in mind that the opinions expressed here are his own and not those of his daytime employer, even if he talks incessantly about his day job.
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