Mobile phones have revolutionized the way communication has evolved.

Now it is easier to contact one another at a touch of a button. Those with good finger dexterity, they can send text messages in a flash.

Parents, couples, friends, business partners and “textmates” can send text messages when there is a need to let a message known. In short, communication is made easy (well as long as the mobile has enough credits to do such things like send text messages or make phone calls) with mobile phones.

There are, of course, negative effects to this. One is that in the case of children or a spouse or a partner, one can just call or send a text message to the other person even if that person is in the workplace.

Imagine a scenario when one is about to make a report to a board meeting and receives a text message that the baby fell from the crib and has a big lump on his head. Or in the case of couples who are having a misunderstanding, one calls and calls and never minds if that person being called is at work and is very busy.Talk about stressful situations.

And what about the murder of the spelling of words. I mean, come on, who hasn’t sent words texted in short cut and sentences with missing punctuation marks? And who hasn’t received messages like these?

And do we even think that this kind of spelling stops at text messaging? No! It is seen in test papers, in reports, in letters (yes, some still write letters), in bulletin boards, in emails, in signs, everywhere.

Are we to be alarmed? Yes, we should be. Read how spelling supports reading.

Here is a sample:

cn u try 2 read watz d msg i 1 2 tel u? f u can wel, w00t! u passd d tst.

Whatever happened to syntax, basic simple tenses, use of punctuation marks and a host of other grammar errors? Do we want to have a generation of future generation who do not know how to spell and use basic tenses?

Yeah, this is a DYJHIW moment.

Actually, DYJHIW is “don’t you just hate it when..”

As written in an article that I have read:

“Text msgn, w its uz of fonetic sp n lil or no pnktu8n, semz 2 pose a threat 2 traditional conventions n ritn.”

Go figure or click the link.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 at 8:50 pm and is filed under Being a (Special Ed) Teacher, Challenge Yourself, Language Development, Teaching Techniques, special education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.