One of the additional things he discussed in this talk was that we often say, “These kids do not read,” but he quickly dismisses this as a fallacy.  In fact, Crystal goes further to say that kids that text read more than what we did as children because they have more access to writing.  Simply put, they do not read and write the same things that we did.  Looking at my own situation, I have actually read more “books” in the last little while than I ever have, as I carry around a huge book collection all the time on my iPhone and/or iPad.  The ease of access makes it a lot easier for me to read whether it is blogs, books, or yes, text messages and tweets.

Sure, kids are writing a lot, from regular updates on their Facebook pages to an incessant stream of text messages, but is all that writing helping them to become more literate? Or is being AATK -- always at the keyboard -- leading to a generation that is stuck in the n00b (newbie) stage when it comes to reading and writing skills?

"I tell them I find that annoying. If they can't take the time to write a full word, don't write to me." The ease with which young people communicate, though, can help in advancing literacy in a digital age. "In one sense, when you try to get a kid to sit down and write an essay, to write something more substantial, they have a lot of difficulty with that," Hargreave said. "I think we are getting a little bit of a loss when it comes to creating longer-form, story structures and paragraphs. "But on the flip side, with young people having to tighten up what they say, they are learning to write very precisely, to focus on what they want to say."