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Lloyd, Bob. "The Effects of Instant Messaging on Traditional Literacy." Helium. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. Research was done on kids habits of instant messaging and the effects it had on their normal or traditional way of reading and writing. Kids that instant messaged wrote less than kids that did not instant message. A good point was made about how instant messaging is just like writing normal words but leaving out vowels and just using letters that make sounds similar to the words they are tying to write. Technology has given the use for more opportunities involving text messaging and instant messaging.

Sweeny, Sheelah M. "Writing for the Instant Messaging and Text Messaging Generation: Using New Literacies to Support Writing Instructions." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 54.2: 121-130. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. A description on how text messaging and instant messaging effect our literacy is explained in this article. The article mentions that because kids are so involved in texting and instant messaging, teachers are coming up with new ways of explaining topics so kids understand it better. Texting and instant messaging have great impacts on our learning.

This article acknowledges the growing prevalence of instant messaging and text messaging in today's society. It reveals the two different beliefs of how these new forms of communication affect writing. One belief is that it has caused a "breakdown of the English language" from the use of abbreviations and lack of punctuation. The second is that students have been encouraged to write more and that it is helping them practice their literacy skills. These technologies can be used as learning tools, but the problem is that students have a hard time distinguishing when to use informal and when to use formal writing. The challenge now is how to teach children how to use this new tool for literacy.

Smith, Peter K., et al. "Cyberbullying: its nature and impact in secondary school pupils." Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry 49.4 (2008): 376-385. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. Bullying has taken on a new form as it has started to occur through the Internet and cell phones and has begun to be known as "cyberbullying." This article focuses on a study in which students of secondary schools took a survey on how often the had been bullied through electronic means. In the first study, phone call and text messaging bullying were most frequent. In the second study, phone call and instant messaging were most frequent and text messaging next. Both studies discovered that cyberbullying takes place more often outside of school than inside school. This can be stopped maybe by informing parents more and including this topic in education.

As the use of instant messaging and text messaging has increased, so has the use of abbreviated language in formal writings. Teachers have become increasingly astonished at the abbreviations and spelling errors that have found in students' academic writings. Some of the students even admit to not even noticing the use of this language in their papers. They use it so frequently that they do not notice it as being out of place. Some teachers find this appalling and some find it as a way to spark students' creativity.

This article focuses on how ICT's (information and communication technologies) have transformed reading, writing, and education. Written communication has become less formal and the syntax and layout has changed. However, technology has enabled students to engage in "creative and collaborative communication." It has also enabled the practice of writing through everyday activities such as texting. The Internet, especially, and cell phones can be used to facilitate learning when incorporated creatively into the classroom.