Texting, Technology, and Teaching
I am going to become
an English Teacher, and one of the concerns that I have is teaching
students who are using social media for most of their communication.
Social media is a huge outlet that allows students to use their
writing, reading, and communication skills all in one. I appreciate
the ability that social media has on getting students to read, even
if it’s very informally. Facebook for instance, always has
articles, news sources, as well as their personal status updates, but
it all allows them to read constantly.
What social media
also has, is it’s own form of language. This special language is
completely different than what is expected when writing for school or
professional setting. Students are so familiar with this language
and use it so often, it makes me wonder what effect it has when they
have to write formal papers. I, myself, use this lingo here and
there, but because I am read and write for fun, I understand when to
use the lingo and when to use the “standard” way of writing.
For my inquiry this
semester, I plan on researching more about how the use of social
media and texting impacts students abilities to write academic
material. I have seen it first hand how students have written on
PowerPoints or in their papers. They sometimes have used the improper
“u” or shortening words like they do in text. I would like to
find out some more research on how much this increase of social media
has effected our students ability to write effectively. I would also
like to understand better ways to teach students how it’s okay to
use that language when it’s in that context, but how to be able to
switch when needed.
Since students are
so involved in technology, I would also like to find ways in which I
could use it to help engage my students in my class. English can be
such a creative outlet for students, and I would like to find ways
for them to engage in material that is unique and interesting to
them.
These are some of
the articles and dissertations that I have found related to these
topics:
Everett, Amy T. The
Influence of Text Messaging on Measures of Student Writing: A
Meta-Analytic Review. The
University of Alabama, Ann Abor, 2016
Lin, Chih-Cheng, et al. "Learning English Vocabulary Collaboratively in a Technology-Supported Classroom." Turkish Online Juournal of Educational Technology - TOJET, vol. 13, no.1, 2014 pp. 162-173
Long, Nancy Ann Zrinyi. "Creativity Through Technology in The English Classroom." Journal of College Teaching & Learning (TLC), vol. 2, no. 9, 2011,
Mildren,
S., Andenoro, Tony, & Crandall, Heather. Examining the
Text Messaging Habits of Middle and High School Students and Their
Percieved Impact on Language and Writing, 2010.ProQuest
Dissertations and Theses.
Risto, Angela. The
Impact of Texting and Social Media on Students’ Academic Writing
Skills, Tennesse State
University, Ann Arbor, 2014.
Great start! This research will impact your classroom in such a positive way - teachers are struggling with these issues everyday!
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting area to study! Something I try to keep in mind is that language is always changing, and the way language is used by young people on social media is completely valid in its own right because it transfers meaning and creates understanding. However, there is a dominant form and style that is required in academic and professional writing--sometimes I wonder if this is another way of keeping stratified social structures, with the educated and wealthy remaining in their reserved place of self-allotted privilege. This could make the task of teaching formal writing even more important because it is tied up with social justice and giving all students the same tools to succeed in life.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting!
Micah
Nicole, I think your research will be important! As someone who is very involved in linguistics, I have seen many discussions on how English has evolved and how excited others who have studied the subject are with regards to this informal use of the language and its development. For example, how some "speakers" online actually switch between "u" and "you" within a sentence, or how "u" is used informally (like "tú" in Spanish) and "you" is the formal variant (like "Usted" in Spanish). I, too, think this is a very exciting shift in the language. However, much like Spanish, we do not use the informal tone in our professional and academic writing. Because of this, I think the first step is to acknowledge this change, and then to teach them that there's a time and a place for it, which is not at school.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to seeing what you find out, and good luck!
Being that this is so relevant these days, it seems we don't have enough information on this. I look forward to reading and learning more from you. Thanks.
ReplyDelete