Tasia Ochs

Professor Lohmeyer
ENGL-101-NEL01-2016SP
17 March 2016
Word Count: 1,425
Is Texting Affecting the Writing Skills of Students?
Michaela Cullington wrote the essay Does Texting Affect Writing? She made many
valid points from a wide variety of sources. Its taking over our lives! We can do it almost
anywhere, Cullington states at the beginning of the essay. Its quick, easy, and convenient
(Cullington 361). Texting has taken over our lives, but does it have an effect on our writing
skills?
Supporters of texting argue that it not only teaches elements of writing but provides
extra practice to those who struggle with the conventions of writing (Cullington 364). Even
though students use some form of textspeak in their papers, students say that they can usually
identify and correct it. Textspeak is the abbreviation and shortening of words used when writing
a text message. Cullington made good points on her opinion, but I disagree with her and believe
that texting does have an effect on writing. Writing is something you will use for the rest of your
life. You may not realize it, but you use writing skills every day. You should know how to use
proper grammar to speak to people and while youre texting you are not always using that.
A teachers job as an educator is to prepare the students for the real world and instill in
them the formal writing skills they need to succeed. It is their job to help the students with the
things that they need and bend to make it an acceptable assignment for those who do struggle
with writing. Kids shouldnt be receiving bad grades because they are bad at something. We

need to find a way to make school a comfortable environment for everyone involved. Kids are
there to learn and if they keep getting bad grades and are struggling, how do you expect them to
want to learn or even try when they think they are only going to get a bad grade over and over
again?
The education system should consider all of the benefits that texting holds, though. In
fact, tech-savvy book publishers are using the technology to reach out to tweens. According to
USA Today, HarperCollins, which publishes popular tween author Meg Cabot, is launching a
program where students can sign up for weekly text messages from Cabot herself (Haralson
2007). Having the opportunity to talk to a published author over texting is a great opportunity,
but does it really help the students? If it was me, I would be so nervous to talk to a published
author about my writing. I would wonder if it is good enough for them to read or if it is even
worth her time. Would other students feel the same way?
Texting is a fun and easy way to communicate with friends and family, but it is
looked down upon by many teachers. Teachers are not thrilled when they read student papers
and find that they are using their casual writing in their paper. School papers are expected to
have: correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. On the other hand, Textspeak has no rules or
outline. While youre texting you do not care about any of the things that are required for a
formally written paper. Your main focus is getting your point across with as little effort as
possible.
A study done by Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project has shown that
the use of technology in the classroom and outside of school allows students to participate in
conversations among each other. The study also showed that nearly 70 percent of teachers
thought digital tools made students more likely to "take shortcuts and put less effort into their

writing" (Jayakumar 12). Also, the study showed that some students were rated lower and could
not comprehend long and complicated text.
Half of the teachers that took part in the study said that having the technology made it
easier to teach the students about writing. Even though they still could not comprehend the
material as well, it was easier for them to grasp the concept rather than them not understand at
all. The other half said that it had no impact with their students and their style of teaching.
Students have always faced distractions and time-wasters. But computers and
cellphones, and the constant stream of stimuli they offer, pose a profound new challenge to
focusing and learning (Richtel 20). There are distractions everywhere in society. Including:
friends, family, activities, etc. Students try to find anything that can postpone doing their
homework. Procrastination is a huge dilemma with students and adults today. My brother is
almost 16 years old and his way of getting out of homework is saying that he has none. If my
parents know he has homework, he says its done and he left it at school in his locker. This
usually leads to some yelling and door slamming. When it gets closer to the end of the term my
parents get calls from the principal saying he is not passing his classes and he has a lot of
missing assignments. When the time comes he has a minimal amount of time to get everything
done, and even when it is done he does not get full points, because it is being turned in so late.
Texting is affecting students in more ways than one. It is a way for me to keep in contact
with my friends and my family, but it is a huge distraction from things that are more important.
My parents are not the best at texting, and slowly but surely they will write me a short and
simple text backor they will just call. For most parents, taking their childs cell phone away is
not an option. This is not an option for them, because they want to be able to contact their child
in the case of an emergency. A friend of mine got his phone, because his dad was diagnosed with

cancer. His twin sister also got her phone for that reason. The phone was not a gift, the child
came to a mature age and could handle it, or a way of saying you have been doing good in school
and you deserve it; it was only supposed to be used in the case of emergencies.
Parents are giving children phones at younger and younger ages, because of the uproar in
child abduction or other criminal acts. This is a problem for them when they get older, because it
does affect their reading and writing skills in small but distinct ways. Some people think that
technology is helping students to focus and collaborate in discussion between their peers. I
believe that children should have the opportunity to use technology, but I also believe that it
should be limited. Reading and writing is part of middle and high school. Teenagers need to
reading and writing throughout their lives. Every job uses some form of reading and/or writing.
Whether it be drawing as an artist, or talking to customers and being able to use proper grammar,
everyone needs it.
Does texting affect the formal writing of society today? I believe that it does affect it, but
only in small ways here and there. While writing papers, there is a problem with textspeak.
Most students can identify it and correct it, but other times you skip right over it and do not
notice your mistakes. Kids are getting phones and tablets at younger ages and it is going to ruin
them. They need to sit down and read every once in a while and not play video games all the
time. Aside from it being a distraction, it also helps young writers understand the mistakes they
make. They can learn to understand their mistakes using autocorrect. Autocorrect is a big help
when it comes to spelling mistakes. It shows you corrections and helps you solve the mysteries
of your own writing problems.

Works Cited
Cullington, Michaela. Does Texting Affect Writing? They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter
in Academic Writing. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. 361-372. Print.
Haralson, Jessica Gold, and Kate Ross. "Does Text Messaging Hurt Student Writing Skills?"
American Teacher. Nov. 2007: 4. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.
Jayakumar, Amrita. "Study Looks at the Effect of Technology on Writing." Washington Post. 16
Jul. 2013: A.9. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.
Richtel, Matt. "Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction." New York Times. 21 Nov. 2010:
A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.