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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”.

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.

Research literature throughout the past decade has shown that technology can enhance literacy development, impact language acquisition, provide greater access to information, support learning, motivate students, and enhance their self-esteem

Research literature throughout the past decade has shown that technology can enhance literacy development, impact language acquisition, provide greater access to information, support learning, motivate students, and enhance their self-esteem

Caring supervision from human teachers, parents, and mentors is the only known way of generating motivation for the hours of a school day, to say nothing of eight to twelve school years.

All of the evidence stands on its own, but I will tie them together with a single theory that explains why technology is unable to substitute for good teaching

One point that both authors make is that there is a repetitive cycle of technology in education that goes through hype, investment, poor integration, and lack of educational outcomes. The cycle keeps spinning only because each new technology reinitiates the cycle. In 1922, Thomas Edison claimed that movies would “revolutionize our educational system.” In 1945, William Levenson, a Cleveland radio station director, suggested that portable radios in classrooms should be “integrated into school life” alongside blackboards. In the 1960s, governments under John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson invested in classroom TV. In an irrational leap of reasoning that is symptomatic of technology in education, Johnson went from a valid lament, “Unhappily, the world has only a fraction of the teachers it needs,” to a non-solution… to meet the challenge “through educational television.”