Does text messaging harm students' writing skills?

I have been doing a research paper for my high school and according to my research, crazes like texting and e-mails only affect students who don't know how to use the "switch" corretly. Studies have shown that some kids can differentiate between the playground, or texting speech and a more formal speech for school, or when speaking to adults. I feel that cell phones only affect the students who rush their work and don't use broader vocabulary.

I believe our students are not able to spell correctly and use grammar correctly with the rise of text messaging.

I think it would help to make it clear what is the appropriate way to write when they are writing in school versus writing a text to their friends.

etc.
Dr.
M.D.
B.A / B.S.
RSVP
ASAP
mm/kg/yd./mi.
RPM

These are all common abbreviations used (even in academic, formal writing). We have no problem using these, but someone who writes "idk" or "b/c" is incorrect. It just doesn't make sense.

In a different direction, many of the above commentions mention how poorly middle school students write. No one has mentioned the role of standardized testing in the decimation of the American education system. Maybe those prior teachers had to spend too much time teaching the test in order to keep our wonderful government from pulling their funding that they didn't have time to teach grammar properly. Perhaps saying that text messaing is ruining the education system and student writing is an oversimplification much like textmessaging has been criticized for.

I am a college student who texts very often. It is basically the only way I communicate with friends anymore. I hate talking on the phone because texting is so much easier. However I have seen even in my own writing its messes up my grammar, especially things like apostrophes. Most students don't know the difference between lets and let's...or is there one? Texting is an awesome form of communication and it really speeds up my life, but teachers are going to be fighting correct grammar and usage for years to come because of it. Of course this is nothing new....several years ago the buzz topic was fighting ebonics. Teachers either rise to the task or quit. Rise to the task!

I find text messaging or texting very innapropriate and ill in the sense that it is very unscholarly and may soon lead to the end of what is today known as FORMAL ENGLISH!!!

Having been an educator higher education and now administrator in K-12 education, I have observed a relationship between text messaging (TM) and declining quality formal writing skills as well. Until more imperical research is conducted that closely examines potential variables that attribute to the the decline in quality writing, we as educators can not assume that text messaging is the single contributor to this decline, despite our observations. Other contributing variables may be reading abilities, higher-order thinking skills, etc. The issue with TM has at least two sides in education. On one hand, we have a generation of young individuals (digital natives) who have developed a "unique" language through TM to communicate with others. On the other hand, teachers are faced with a large population of young students who can not convey their ideas clearly and concisely in written form. In the real working world, "omg", "bff", and "lol" just don't cut it. I have seen too many in our young generation who can not distinguish between when common TM language is appropriate and when it is time to write formally in a clear and concise manner. Pehaps, as educators, we need to teach our young generation how to make this distinction.

All things aside, nothing ever beats a good proofread the day after a paper is written. Many mistakes are not caught in spell and grammar checks, though they are helpful, but the only way to make sure the writing is correct is to proofread after you have walked away for a while, 12 hours usually works for me. That would mean that procrastination is out of the question.

Grammar is certainly not extinct, as I teach it 5 days a week. Grammar has simply been adjusted to suit the needs of those texting. Graduation requirements are not the same as college entrance requirements anyhow. 3 paragraphs, expertly done, are far more powerful then 30 paragraphs done poorly. Quality over quantity I say.

another language for us younger ppl is great. it keeps us independent of the older generations way of talking. it is appropriate and essential. i think texting is cool, not that i do it, but it is OUR thing, not YOUR thing.

Well, I have to say as a MS teacher, I find it dishearening that many teachers of older students are pointing their fingers at MS teachers. When the students come to us lacking basic skills, we do what we can to mend it together, but it is impossible to overcome all obstacles the students bring wtih them. I remember short hand (and I'm not over 50), I also have a cellphone capable of texting, but I find texting that comes into papers being handed in for an English paper unacceptable. I am by no means perfect at grammar or punctuation.

No fingers can be pointed at any one grade level as far as not "catching" the student's skills or lack thereof. We are all to blame. We all have so many things to make sure to cover that mastery sometimes goes out the window, much to the disadvantage of the student. I have students in the 7th grade that have NO IDEA what a noun or a verb is. What do I do? Do I not cover something in the curriculum to make sure that each student gets it? And then when do I move on to another subject? Do I wait to make sure that EVERY student gets it?

Like I said, texting is an issue that is causing issues in formal papers. However, so is the lack of mastery. what should we do?

I agree. I also teach juniors and seniors, and I'm the yearbook adviser, and one of those "younger" teachers who use text messaging. I even text students when necessary. Issues in writing definitely stem from students' junior high education and from their personal reading habits. The kids who read on their own have much fewer problems whether they text regularly or not. I also like what you said about technolgy growing and speeding our communication capabilities. As teachers, we should be leaders in using the newest in technology. We should be the ones guiding our students in faster, newer ways to communicate.