Texting and IMing

    Everyone texts whether you are old or young. My mother and I text and email everyday while she's at work, since she cannot talk on the phone. Texting and IMing is a good way to stay in touch with someone and a good way to communicate with others. I do not think texting is a bad thing at all but it does become a problem when teens always have to have their cell phones in their hands at all time. When it gets to that point it becomes an addiction. No one should have to depend on their phone. Also no one should be sending out hundreds and hundreds of texting messages a day, if you are that bored then find a hobby to keep you occupied.

    The growth of texting and IMing has affected students literacy because they incorporate how they text into their essays for school. Texting has become a distraction in  schools, students may disagree and say they can multi-task but really they cannot. Texting and IMing is a distraction and takes the students focus off of learning. Teens usually abbreviate through texts to get their message across in a short, simple, and quick way. Most teens know when to use lingo and when to use proper english. I only use lingo with my close friends through text, people that I usually do not text that often I use proper English. Also when it comes to school and my essays I use proper English. Students just have to be smart and know when to use lingo and know when to speak properly.

    However, I do believe that texting and IMing has damaged students and their spelling skills. I know plenty of teens who cannot spell simple words and have to ask "how do you spell this word again?" High schools should continue to have spelling tests and vocab tests so students could keep up with their grammar. It's pretty pathetic when 18 year olds cannot spell or read simple words used in the everyday world. I also think that texting and IMing cannot be incorporated in classroom to improve literacy. I do not see how such a thing could work.  If a student wants to be careless and add lingo to their essays and papers for school then that is on them. Students need more common sense, which is a main thing that we tend to lack.