Text Messaging and Implications for its use in Education

Abstract

In schools across the country, digital natives born after 1980 seamlessly integrate technology into many aspects of their lives. This researcher investigated one particular method of communication referred to as text-messaging, and focused on Twitter, a relatively new form of text-messaging called microblogging, and its implications for education. Do tools like Twitter affect a student’s ability to read and write? How do tools like Twitter support the formation of communities of practice? Is there a place for these tools in education? If so, how can they best be leveraged to positively impact education? Educators have found that tools like Twitter do have a place in education for both students and teachers. Text-messaging encourages students to write more and allows educators to communicate and facilitates the formation of communities of practice. Although opponents say that text-messaging encourages poor writing habits, studies have shown that students are able to distinguish between informal and formal writing.