By Rachel Warren
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Updated: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 02:03
Article from Isureveille
As text messaging’s popularity continues to rise, some may assume the constant abbreviations and auto-corrections would hurt students’ writing skills, but some students and University professors say they’d be wrong.
Ann Martin, English professor, said she hasn’t noticed any changes in students’ writing abilities through the years, despite the improvements of technology.
“The students who were bad spellers and sloppy writers are still bad spellers and sloppy writers,” she said. “And the ones who try are still trying.”
Biochemistry sophomore Corey Guidry and sociology freshman Melissa DeMoura both agreed — texting hasn’t affected the way they speak or spell.
DeMoura said she noticed people used to shorten words to keep messages short, but today’s smartphones have eliminated the hassle of typing full sentences.
“With iPhones, you don’t really worry about abbreviations as much,” DeMoura said. “People used to do that, but it’s not much of a problem anymore.”
Guidry said he uses punctuation and capital letters in his text messages because he thinks it’s important to speak well all the time. He also thinks it makes the message seem like more of an effort.
“When people send you these quick messages in shorthand, it makes you think, ‘Am I not worth typing a whole word?’” he said.
History professor James Hardy said he thinks texting interferes with the way students learn, but he hasn’t noticed a decline in their writing skills.
“It seems to me there’s no real reason they’re even in class if they’re on the phone,” he said. “They’re not paying attention.”
Hardy said he doesn’t send texts or even own a cell phone because he doesn’t see the point.
“I’m looking at it from the outside,” he said. “It really just eats up time, and it isn’t time I think I can spare.”
Hardy said he doesn’t allow cell phones in his classrooms because he wants to prepare students for the professional world.
“Whatever you do after graduation, you’ll probably have to be in a professional setting at some point,” he said. “And texting during meetings or work is rude. A lot of companies take a hard line, and these kids could be in real trouble if they text all the time.”
Hardy said he thinks technology — text messaging included — has caused students to become distant from their teachers.
He said students who are more used to speaking to people through messages may be less inclined to visit their professors in person during office hours, which could prove detrimental to their grades.
“It’s always best to go in person,” he said. “The fact that you make an effort really carries some weight.”
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Contact Rachel Warren at rwarren@lsureveille.com
Article from Isureveille