Can Text Messages Really Help Kids Spell? - ABC News - 5 views
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For many teachers and parents, those text abbreviations may spell the end of literacy as we know it, but a growing body of research indicates that text messages can actually help students' ability to spell.
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Talking about the importance of texting to literacy.
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Though research on the subject is still emerging, experts say that part of the perception problem may just have to do with the dynamics of change. "Basically what you have is a small line of research showing that texting helps people read and helps them write, both, and then you have a lot of anecdotes and anxiety," said Kathleen Blake Yancey, the Kellogg W. Hunt professor of English at Florida State University. "That's basically it."
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From my personal experience, I believe text messaging can help kids with their writing. My 15 year old son has a pretty severe learning disability and struggles immensely with writing and spelling. Text messaging on his iPhone has been a Godsend. With corrective type he has much less anxiety to write (and feel embarrassed about his poor spelling), and with the short nature of text messaging he is far more willing to actually write to his friends. It may be 50 short lines, but it's 50 lines of writing every day which, in my mind, can only help. Obviously he needs help learning to organize his writing, but texting has given him a new, motivating outlet to write. I realize this article may point less to corrective type and more to kids thinking of the text abbreviations to type, but I feel corrective type may be one of the most effective assistive technologies in kids hands today.
