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One of the criticisms of my generation is that technology is making us a group of horrible writers. We can’t spell because of spell check (guilty), we wouldn’t know a full word if we saw it (thx), and we use punctuation to express emotion : )
Sure, we’re teaching younger generations that texting is the norm, facebook and twitter are tools of the trade, and blogging is a great way to get information. These might be true, but if you noticed, most of these items include words. Written words.
So do we think that these advances in technology will increase literacy?
I’m not going to present you with research done by professionals, but by my own observations.
First, we learn through necessity. I took typing classes for years and was awful at it. I barely passed the classes because my left hand could never keep up. I’ve tried to play musical instruments and had this same problem. Then one day, two things happened. I had to retype handwritten stories for the newspaper I edited, and it sucked. At the same time, AIM made life easier. If I learned to type faster, I could get through the stories quickly and chat with my friends at the same time. So I learned. And I type almost as fast as I think.
Next, technology enables the generations. I was a day care assistant through college. My kids had computers in the classroom at age 3, and many were using computers long before then. Often computer time was a treat. They were learning through this technology because it was considered special and fun. When presented with traditional methods on paper, the connections between the letters and words weren’t always made. But the same letters and words were immediately recognized on the computer screen. Is that an example of learning based on similar vs. different cognitive states?
Finally, as a nanny for a family, I watched the youngest child catch up to the reading and speaking level of her elder sister at a surprising rate. I know that often younger siblings can accomplish their “firsts” much sooner when in the presence of an older sibling. There’s a need to be included, to be the same as the older child.
Again, none of this is official. But by my observations, our learning abilities adapt. So, to make a hypothesis, advances in technology might actually help literacy. Ready to break out your stats book? Next I’m going to break out correlations.
We may lose rules of grammar, and spelling will just go out the window, but perhaps this is a cycle of literacy we have to go though. Go back to simple general education of the masses, then focus on the next level up again.
What do you think? Will technology, social media, and mobile communication improve literacy?
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Comments
12.04.09
Em, great post.
Couple of thoughts: I think that technology does ignite some manner of precociousness in people. We adapt to the changing technology and learn the language as we go. I had no idea what "RT" was until 8 months ago! So it does indeed force us to write and read at a much quicker pace as we go along. the gap is obvious with younger generations.
I do worry though, that the slang that is used by the young'uns might actually be detrimental to their writing/grammatical skills. I know a few that are terrible spellers. But I can't figure out whether that's the case because they're terrible at it like I'm terrible at math or if it's a technological glitch, so to speak. It's difficult to parse these things out.
I do think there needs to be a balance in writing, as well as all the technological amenities we're afforded. Thanks for the great thoughts!
12.04.09
Interesting link from the BBC today:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8392653.stm
Actually, one thing a number of Rhetoric scholar colleagues have noticed is that technology increases awareness of audience. And I personally know my writing has gotten more concise since using Twitter.
And as for those bemoaning poor spelling and grammar, well, people forget that language is not static (and I'd actually theorize that language usage has become more standardized due to increases in technology). Long and short: sure, it may seem slightly problematic that people rely on spellcheck for all their spelling and grammar needs - but as time progresses, people won't remember any differently anyway.
12.04.09
This is why I love blogging and community...you all bring me great resources and perspectives! I've also had some teachers weigh in, and this topic could really go in tons of directions. But back to you guys:
@mehnaz Slang is always a tricky subject. We often get new vocabulary that transforms from being slang to everyday use, except going from "common" to "accepted" takes a lot. I'm sure the same conversation was had after the invention of the printing press.
@Lisa conciseness is something I think about now as well. Sometimes I feel bad when I reply in less than 140 characters, and I feel I may owe it to others to expand. But then again, it's not always necessary. Could be hot air. Thanks for the comment!
12.05.09
Yes, these means of communicating do require words, though I would disagree that texting is teaching kids how to write well... I have a girl in one of my classes (I am a music teacher) who refuses to write the letter E correctly - she will only use 3s. This is a problem.
I also was a TA in grad school in the psych department and was astounded at how many juniors and seniors could not write a coherent paragraph, or in some cases, a complete sentence. It is equally distressing that all of the teachers (or most, I suppose) they had to that point let it go.
In casual correspondence, I don't have issues with bad grammar, spelling, etc., but in formal/business writing, please make sure everything is correct! The spell check only corrects misspelled words, not words misspelled as other words, the grammar checks are awful, and as far as I know, no program reads what you've written to make sure it makes any sense...
All that said ... it's not only kids who are terrible writers, so except for the E-3 problem, I don't blame it on texting or other technologies.
12.05.09
I think social media is great for developing better writers. I use myself as an example.
Before Facebook I hated writing. Loathed it. Then as I started communicating through FB I developed a liking toward the activity.
So I tried blogging. Now I love to write and can't wait to graduate next saturday and devote more time to my posts and ideas.
I also think twitter is a great writing tool for many reasons. It is great practice for headline writing, which comes in handy for journalist, magazine writers and copywriters. Any kind of writing really. Also, twitter is great practice for writing concise sentences that pack a lot of information.
12.06.09
@Heather, I agree, there are environments in which poor grammar and casual style may not be appropriate. Business really does need people who can write well. I will say, though, that even leading university writing courses don't always help with business writing. You then get into theory vs. application arguments. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
@Cameron Thank you for your comment, I think it's great to hear about someone who may have thought something as a chore and it's turned into a passion. There are always pros and cons to sweeping changes such as social media and technology. And I'm right with you for headline writing practice. 140 characters does force you to think of using action verbs, not just relying on "to be." Thanks!
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