Group items tagged

Texting, TV and Tech Trashing Children's Attention Spans

other by Common Sense Media.

Although teachers see a number of advantages in young people's heavy use of digital media (especially in their ability to find information quickly and efficiently), it is the potentially harmful e

One critic says that this type of communication is destroying the way our kids read, think, and write (Tomita, 5). She goes on to say that it also does not require critical thinking or analysis. O’Connor, another critic, reported that the more students use tools like instant messaging, the less they are able to separate formal and informal English. For example they abbreviate “y-o-u”, “u”. A problem some teachers are noticing is that students no longer know how to punctuate correctly. Text messages often contain run on sentences and don’t contain any punctuation; students are carrying this poor habit to the classroom. Another concern is the use of lowercase letters. Students aren’t using capital letters where they should. These are only a few of the problems that have arisen due to the overuse of texting

One scholarly journal conducted an experiment to test the general literacy ability of sixty-five 11 and 12 year old children in the Midlands of England. The experiment required these children to translate sentences in English to “chat speak” (I can’t wait to see you later tonight, is anyone else going to be there?) and then translate “chat speak” into English (Hav u cn dose ppl ova dere?). They found that many of the students used incorrect grammar and punctuation in their Standard English writing. Errors made in translating from text language into English included missing words, missing punctuation (mates), textisms left un-translated (hav), and simple misspellings (girlfrend) (“Txt msg n school literacy…”, 3). The study also found that the students who texted more made more errors than those who texted less.

O’Connor’s point is that kids who heavily use forms of instant messaging, such as texting, can change how they “read words on a page”.

At its core, digital literacy refers to the ability to locate, organize, understand, evaluate, and analyze information using new information and communications technology. Possessing digital literacy skills entails a working knowledge of current advanced technologies and, more importantly, a substantive understanding of how broadband-enabled tools can be used to enhance one's life.

Children raised in unconnected homes lack easy access to a computer and high-speed Internet connection during their formative years, thus perpetuating the existence of a digital divide that has left more than half of all black and Hispanic households unconnected to broadband. The result of this cycle is a minority workforce lacking in the digital literacy skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century.

Building digital literacy training into K-12 education is certainly an important first step since it provides new users with a tangible value proposition for going online. But we need to do more to ensure that these gains - in schools and on social networks - are sustained in the near term and maximized over the long term. Doing so will level the playing field for minorities and usher them into a new world of equal economic opportunity.

3. Declining Writing Skills Due to the excessive usage of online chatting and shortcuts, the writing skills of today’s young generation have declined quite tremendously. These days, children are relying more and more on digital communication that they have totally forgot about improving their writing skills. They don’t know the spelling of different words, how to use grammar properly or how to do cursive writing.