This class, EDM 510, has been very informative for me. I am not familiar with many of the advancements in computer and cell-phone technology, and am almost completely ignorant about most forms of social networking (I have never tweeted, used Facebook or had a blog before). This class has opened my eyes to some of the possibilities these technologies can have in an educational setting. However, for this post, I was thinking about some of the negative aspects technology has in the classroom. When I was a TA at South, I noticed a trend of some students taking their text-talk into their papers. Words like "to" became "2," and "you" became "u" (I also suspected the prevalence of sentence fragments and run-on sentences in some students papers were the result of the less than formal writing environment present in text messaging and twitter). Apparently, my fears were not entirely unjustified. there have been studies that seem to back up my fears from my year as a TA. However, another study suggests that it may not just be grammar that suffers. Researcher Joan Lee has found evidence that those who texted more were less accepting of new words. She suggested that peer to peer text messaging does not contain creativity in language that helps learn new words. Technology will only continue to evolve at ever increasing speeds. For your responses to this blog post, I would like for you to consider how you as a teacher (in whatever subject you teach) can encourage the use of proper grammar and vocabulary building- skills that are critical for building good communication skills.
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteAs a future English teacher, I know exactly what you mean about text talk in research papers. I have graded 12th grade students' paper before, and I was absolutely shocked at how horrible they were. I believe this is an increasing problem in secondary schools and needs to be addressed to the fullest extent. I, personally, will not tolerate papers, journals, blog posts, or homework assignments that are not properly written. It is important to teach students a formal way of writing and to give them real-life scenarios on when to use it. Many students do not realize that one day they will have a job where they may need to write emails in a professional way. Another way I plan to encourage proper communication skills is to have students present oral reports and speeches. Speech is a vital part of communication. If you understand how to speak properly to an audience, it should come natural to you when speaking to your peers.
I think you are correct in that all aspects of a class, no matter the subject, should require correct grammar to be used. If students are losing points on science and history tests because they are not writing in complete sentences, they are probably more likely to put the time into learning correct grammar. On the other hand, I know this may be unfair to some students. I myself am a terrible typist. I also don't read very well on computer screens (papers I write MUST be printed for me to be able to proofread them worth a darn). So, if a student is taking a computerized test, I don't want to grade them on their typing skills. On the other hand, if it is a written test, I would be more than willing to give them a few extra minutes to look over it and make sure they have used correct grammar. I also like the idea of teaching them to speak in a formal manner. When my father was fresh out of college, he joined Toast Masters in order to improve his public speaking, and feels it helped him immensely in the business world. I think students would benefit from some of the same things they teach in Toast Masters.
DeleteRyan as a future Language Arts teacher that is currently spending her days with 10th graders I acknowledge the fear and the problem. I think what is happening is that the lines between formal and informal are being blurred. It is okay to be a quick text savvy person but at the same time students need to know how to transition into the professional. I think one way of counter reacting to text talk is to continue grammar teaching and like the use of a foreign language require only proper English in your classroom. Students default to text talk because they practice text talk. Until they are required to use formal English regularly they will not master it.
ReplyDeleteI think you are correct about the blurring line between formal and informal. I also read an interesting article in Scientific American after reading Alex's blog. The article noted that people struggle to fully comprehend more complex texts when reading from a computer screen as compared to reading from a printed page. With so many kids now doing the majority of their reading online, its possible (even probable) that they are not reading the best authors on which to model their writing style. Its no wonder they slip so easily into text talk! Its the kind of writing they are used to reading. I also like your idea of allowing only formal English. On a slight tangent, I took Latin in high school and learned as much about grammar structure and syntax in the English language as I did in Latin.
DeleteRyan I love the smell of a new book and get excited by old novels. I can see how reading from a computer screen could cause comprehension problems. I think that by having a book in your hand and noting the new words students can build vocabulary. The stronger the vocabulary the more likely they are to write in a formal language.
DeleteIn order to prevent informal "text message talk" from entering your classroom, I believe it is important to present the issue from the beginning of the class. Create a slide show or some type of presentation that addresses these issues and shows the correct way to communicate in a classroom setting. Like H. Huff points out, any type of assignment should be written correctly and improper grammar will not be allowed in the classroom. As for improving vocabulary, I believe that the teacher should use words in their lessons that are stronger so the students will begin to learn some of the vocabulary of the teacher. I believe this will transfer over into the students' work without them even knowing it. This is somewhat a subconscious method to teaching the students to use better vocabulary.
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