Predictive Texting Turning Kids Into Idiots

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I’m not sure we needed a study to confirm this, most kids today can’t put a sentence 2gtha 2 sAv ther lyfs.

The kids who used their phones a lot were faster on some of the tests, but were less accurate. We suspect that using mobile phones a lot, particularly tools like predictive texts for SMS, is training them to be fast but inaccurate. Their brains are still developing so if there are effects then potentially it could have effects down the line, especially given that the exposure is now almost universal.
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They think predictive texting is the problem? Hell, I don't even try to spell words correctly in Google anymore, and that's with a full keyboard. At least with a cell phone you have an excuse...
 
Quantity versus quality, everybody gets and education and they all are useful employees. What do you prefer? Poverty, or this?^
 
Most of my kids essays use "text speak" and they don't think twice about it. When they get their grades back and they are D's and F's due to sentence structure and spelling they get all pissy an want to know what is wrong with lol, 2 u, and other idioms that have no place in the English language.
 
Climber said:
Most of my kids essays use "text speak" and they don't think twice about it. When they get their grades back and they are D's and F's due to sentence structure and spelling they get all pissy an want to know what is wrong with lol, 2 u, and other idioms that have no place in the English language.
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do kids really not understand how to separate usage of casual and formal language in their appropriate contexts? this and this article make me go FFFFFFUUUUUU
 
__hollywood|meow said:
do kids really not understand how to separate usage of casual and formal language in their appropriate contexts? this and this article make me go FFFFFFUUUUUU
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Hopefully at least some do understand the difference, but from personal experience I can honestly say that not all do. I have been asked to proofread a number of papers before being turned in and have lost count of how many times abbreviations and chatspeak were used.
 
Steve said:
I’m not sure we needed a study to confirm this, most kids today can’t put a sentence 2gtha 2 sAv ther lyfs.
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Oh Steve. Don't flatter the 30+ crowd. Most of them can barely put together a web post without horrendous grammar or punctuation.

If i see one more person misspell loser, I'm going to go postal on every internet user in the world(*).

(*) yes I have the access codes to every nuke in the U.S., China and Russia. I'll take all of you loosers[sic] out.;)
 
ditzilla said:
Hopefully at least some do understand the difference, but from personal experience I can honestly say that not all do. I have been asked to proofread a number of papers before being turned in and have lost count of how many times abbreviations and chatspeak were used.
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I've got to say that I have never seen anyone I know use chatspeak in a paper. Even when editing papers as a peer tutor I didn't see anyone use anything like that. Also before someone points it out, I know my english is atrocious, but in my defense I have never used chatspeak in a paper.
 
The-UselessNoob said:
I've got to say that I have never seen anyone I know use chatspeak in a paper. Even when editing papers as a peer tutor I didn't see anyone use anything like that. Also before someone points it out, I know my english is atrocious, but in my defense I have never used chatspeak in a paper.
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lol
 
I can't stand that predictive/T9 crap. Just let me right my own words.

Or if it is going to predict, just not suck at it.
 
I use predictive text all the time when I text, but I make sure what it's putting up is what I'm really trying to say. Idiots will be idiots; the cellphone is yet another tool to expose them.
 
__hollywood|meow said:
do kids really not understand how to separate usage of casual and formal language in their appropriate contexts? this and this article make me go FFFFFFUUUUUU
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No, especially the girl's papers are generally worse than the guys. This is most prominent in grades 7-10th, since I generally end up grading all the papers from at-risk youth program at the county here.
 
eeyrjmr said:
no, shit teaching practices are turning kids into idiots
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I think that isn't entirely fair, we can't just blame everything on the teaching practices, because those teaching practices stem from parents complaining about previous ones, which stems from their children not being able to meet requirements. For once blaming children from something is actually justified. Having standards low enough that everyone can just fall through is part of the problem, but it also falls to the children themselves to try to further themselves rather then be content with what you can get away with.
 
This is why I fully support harsh derision for using sloppy texting grammar and spelling on forums.
 
ryan_975 said:
Exactly what does that explain? I've met just as many stupid-ass rich kids that couldn't find their ass if they were given a map to it.
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"at risk youth" has nothing to do with financial status. It is reffering to kids who are wrongly influenced and likely to head down the wrong path. With this usually comes a "don't give a shit" attitude towards acamdemic opportunities. I have also seen plenty of "stupid-ass rich kids" that were "at risk".
 
The-UselessNoob said:
I think that isn't entirely fair, we can't just blame everything on the teaching practices, because those teaching practices stem from parents complaining about previous ones, which stems from their children not being able to meet requirements. For once blaming children from something is actually justified. Having standards low enough that everyone can just fall through is part of the problem, but it also falls to the children themselves to try to further themselves rather then be content with what you can get away with.
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I think it's more a problem with parents who don't give a shit. Kids only do what they're taught.
 
The-UselessNoob said:
I've got to say that I have never seen anyone I know use chatspeak in a paper. Even when editing papers as a peer tutor I didn't see anyone use anything like that. Also before someone points it out, I know my english is atrocious, but in my defense I have never used chatspeak in a paper.
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What grade level are you grading?

no, shit teaching practices are turning kids into idiots
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As a whole, most teachers are doing the best they can with what they have. State and government regulations compound the day to day issues teachers face by putting arbitrary standards in place, many of which are wholly impossible to teach or to work with.

When I taught back at Fresno and now here in Colorado we have a very large migrant population and the majority of the kids are gang related, both white, hispanic, and asian. Coming into my high school class, 87% of the kids are below 3rd grade levels in vocabulary, reading, and math and the majority of those will drop out before they reach the 11th grade due to a myriad of reasons. So myself and my peers are forced to deal with extremely low scores, gangs, unwilling parents (the biggest problem), poor self-esteem on the kids parts, and peer pressure from outside influences; but now we've got ignorant naysayers from the peanut gallery who really don't know jack shit tossing their two cents in. But instead of manning up to fix the problem they are content to blame the problem on the teachers most of whom are going above and beyond their duty to take care of their students both in and out of school.

In the last six months putting in 12 hour days with high school drop outs and displaced workers coming back for their GED's I'll have 82 students graduating here in 2 weeks. 1 of my students who went out of his way to put his education first left his gang to only get shot in his face in retaliation will be walking that stage and the list goes on and on of students who have overcome hardships and adversities the likes most of you will never ever know, like the 28 year old grandma who will be walking the stage. So while you keep blaming us, and yes there are some crappy teachers out there, the majority of us will keep working to fix the mistakes thrown our way and trying to build a better and brighter future for everyone we can.

I bid you good morrow and rub-a-dub dub.
 
ryan_975 said:
I think it's more a problem with parents who don't give a shit. Kids only do what they're taught.
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There are many factors that account for the behavior. The guidance of parents is very important but a lot of times it is a lack of communication between child parent and teacher. If the parents could see just how bad things were going then they may be more apt to fix things. I think that it is unrealistic to think that that many parents simply "don't give a shit". At least I hope not.:(
 
thefewtheproud said:
"at risk youth" has nothing to do with financial status. It is reffering to kids who are wrongly influenced and likely to head down the wrong path. With this usually comes a "don't give a shit" attitude towards acamdemic opportunities. I have also seen plenty of "stupid-ass rich kids" that were "at risk".
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Right, but stupid ass rich kids are generally brought up in more affluent neighborhoods with better schools and hence better preparation then say a migrant workers son or daughter who find themselves in a different school almost twice a year.
 
My sister uses predictive texting. The only time I get annoyed is when she doesn't capitalize 'i" or put a period at the end of the sentence. Damn pet peeves. :(
 
The-UselessNoob said:
I think that isn't entirely fair, we can't just blame everything on the teaching practices, because those teaching practices stem from parents complaining about previous ones, which stems from their children not being able to meet requirements. For once blaming children from something is actually justified. Having standards low enough that everyone can just fall through is part of the problem, but it also falls to the children themselves to try to further themselves rather then be content with what you can get away with.
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And to make things worse:
Outcome-based education practices and the way most states reacted to the "No Child Left Behind" act virtually guarantee that school systems will concentrate on raising a student's test scores, as opposed to comprehension.

I've got a friend who teaches 7th and 8th grade math.
Many of his students come in to the 7th grade with 3rd grade reading skills and almost zero comprehension.
Even the kids that can read have low comprehension.

And don't even get me started on the lucrative market for educational "consultants" ....
 
adrift02 said:
They think predictive texting is the problem? Hell, I don't even try to spell words correctly in Google anymore, and that's with a full keyboard. At least with a cell phone you have an excuse...
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+1 for that, if i cant spell something i just google it, it knows what ANYTHING is.
 
I see people write like that on facebook and it makes me want to splash hot coffee on my lcd.
 
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