Is technology affecting the way Teens write?

To follow up on my last post: “Is Teen reading on the decline?” I found some interesting information on a similar topic. In the same way that technology is changing how teens read, is technology also affecting the way they write?

According to one article, it was stated that a considerable number of educators and children’s advocates were concerned that the quality of writing by young Americans was being degraded by electronic communication, with its carefree spelling, lax punctuation and grammar, and its acronym shortcuts.

Others wonder if this return to text-driven communication is instead inspiring new appreciation for writing among teens. The American Life Project and National Commission on Writing conducted a national telephone survey and focus group to see what teens have to say about the role and impact technology has on writing. These were some of their findings:

•85% of teens ages 12-17 engage in some form of electronic personal communication, including texting, emailing, instant messaging, or social networking. However, 60% of teens do not think of these electronic texts as “writing.”

•50% of teens say they sometimes use informal writing styles instead of proper capitalization and punctuation in their school assignments, while 38% say they have used text shortcuts in school work such as “LOL” (or “laugh out loud”) and 25% have used emoticons (symbols like smiley faces ☺) in school work.

•50% of teens say their school work requires writing every day; 35% say they write several times a week. The remaining 15% of teens write less often for school. Also, 82% of teens reported that their typical school writing assignment is a paragraph to one page in length.

•47% of teen bloggers write outside of school for personal reasons several times a week or more compared to 33% of teens without blogs. Moreover, 65% of teen bloggers believe that writing is essential to later success in life and 53% of non-bloggers agree. Blogging encourages teens to collaborate and contribute with their opinions and ideas. This, by default, promotes language skills, comprehension, and cohesiveness.

•15% of teens say their internet-based writing of materials such as emails and instant messages has helped improve their overall writing while 6% say it has made their personal writing worse. Some 73% of teens said this kind of writing made no difference to their school writing.

•57 % say that when it comes to using technology for school or non-school writing, teens believe that when they use computers to write they are more inclined to edit and revise their texts.

•93% of teens say they write for their own pleasure. The anonymity allows for a certain freedom of expression; They can write without the fear of being graded.

They survey noted that teens are more motivated to write when they can select topics that are relevant to their lives and interests, and report greater enjoyment of school writing when they have the opportunity to write creatively. Having teachers or other adults who challenge them, present them with interesting curricula and give them detailed feedback, motivates them to write. The report also pointed out that when teens write for an audience, such as blogging or social networking, it also serves as a motivation for them not only to write, but to write well. Ultimately, teens will continue to write for a variety of reasons—as part of a school assignment, to get a good grade, to stay in touch with friends, to share their artistic creations with others or simply to put their thoughts to paper, virtual or otherwise.