More on Texting

According to a recent US News article, texting in the classroom may not be as bad as once thought. Some teachers are even utilizing the text message for educational purposes.

Let's face it: Texting is here to stay. The average 13- to 17-year-old sends 2,900 texts a month, according to the market research firm Nielsen. And while it might be a punishable offense in most schools, some teachers say that texting has educational tie-ins and that it can teach positive language skills, the Charlotte Observer in North Carolina reports.

Forward-thinking teachers say the informal writing style that defines text messages can be incorporated into class lessons. And a new study from California State University researchers has found that texting can improve teens' writing in informal essays and many other writing assignments.

Teachers such as Cindi Rigsbee of Orange County, N.C., have asked students to translate passages from classic literature to texting-speak to demonstrate language comprehension in different contexts. A finding from the CSU study supports that concept: "Texting-speak is not a mangled form of English that is degrading proper language but instead a kind of 'pidgin' language all its own that actually stretches teens' language skills." The research does concede that too much texting can hurt students' performance on most formal types of essay writing.

You can read the full article here.