Fussbucket

by Stacey

The informal style of writing that teens use in emails, text messages and on social networking sites is starting to show up in their academic work, according to this article in the NY Times.

Nearly two-thirds of 700 students surveyed said their e-communication style sometimes bled into school assignments, according to the study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, in partnership with the College Board’s National Commission on Writing.

About half said they sometimes omitted proper punctuation and capitalization in schoolwork. A quarter said they had used emoticons like smiley faces. About a third said they had used text shortcuts like “LOL” for “laugh out loud.”

Richard Sterling, emeritus executive director of the National Writing Project, which aims to improve the teaching of writing, told the Times he thinks this is nothing to worry about. He said teachers can use it as an opportunity to explain that while such usages are acceptable in some contexts, they do not belong in schoolwork.

Most teenagers do not think of their e-mail messages, text messages and social network postings as “real writing,” the study found.

Even though I can’t decipher it, I think the way they communicate is creative. I do agree though, that smiley faces, LOL’s, and a lack of punctuation have no place in serious school work. What do you think?