Tuesday, April 27, 2010
course design
- Azni bt Abdullah
-Ayuni Madarina Bt Abdul Rahman
-Farah Zahidah Mohd Noor
-Rabiatul Addawiyah bt Rayah
-Jurlina bt Sabang
AMAL ISLAMI CAMP
INSTANT MESSAGING: FRIEND OR FOE OF STUDENT WRITING?
- INTRODUCTION
The title of the article that we have chosen is “Instant Messaging: Friend or Foe of Student Writing?” that has written by Amanda O’Connor. The uthor is a graduate student in educational technology at the University of Washington. Her primary interest is in Primary academic interest is in Digital Literacy specifically focusing on how popular technologies.
The focuses of this article are the effects of Instant Messaging (IM) on students’ writing skills; student’s interest in traditional writing, student’s writing ability, and the effects of “IM-speak” to student’s proper language. The writer also includes discussion of IM current issues that relates to student writing.
This topic has become a famous and most discussed topic among the linguist since the instant messaging become popular to our new generation. It has become a phenomenon to the young generation to use the IM language while they are speaking and it is also becomes a trend into their daily conversations.
The world merely sees the problem of excessive usage IM language as wasting the students’ time on study that they do not see it in depth. It is actually the simple and small matters as some people said that has been neglected that spread out the bigger problem to our youth generation though IM language has its own advantages.
Furthermore, it has creates its own term, which is “IM LINGO”. Some of the linguists said, “IM LINGO” will destroy the originality of the word but the article does not only include the negative effects of the “IM LINGO” but it also states the positive outcomes to the students’ learning. Thus, it attracts our attention to explore this issue in depth as this will help us in future as an English teacher.
-
SUMMARY
As stated in this article, there are a few important points that have been highlighted by the author, Amanda O’connor as the advantages, disadvantages and also the strategies that can be used in using Instant Messaging as the popular tools of students’ writing nowadays among the students.
Instant messaging (IM) is the medium that requires someone to connect through internet with the computer, having the typed conversation with the at least one or more friends, in the current time. It is one of very fast-growing tools of communication nowadays. As evidence, there are 74% teens that used the IM online and 69% of teens used IM at least several times per week as quoted from Lenhart, Rainie & Lewis, 2001, p.3. It is a very tremendous numbers that we can call it as a new trend of the teenagers nowadays.
At the first concern, the author has touched on the disadvantages that affect the students’ writing academically. She has mentioned about the language “bastardization” where some students tend to use bad grammar, poor punctuation and improper abbreviations frequently in their academic writing because of the excessive exposure to IM. Though, sometimes the students just do not realize it for the reasons that they are used to IM language which lead to unintentional writing errors. As one of the student in New Jersey claimed that her ability to distinguish between informal and formal English has decreased because of too much usage of IM in her daily life.
Furthermore, other serious problem that occurs is when the student is applying for the job application during the summer break. They use to write in shortened words and improper abbreviation as the impact of IM which somehow give negative consequences to them. As example, instead of writing the full “to” word, he used to write it in numerical form “2” ; I would love 2 work with u because I want 2 earn some money”. Sometimes, a simple mistake like this can lead to a problem if it’s started to fossilized. Thus, according to Montana Hodgen’s that the changes of the students read the words on a page is because of weighty usage of IM.
However, the author also mentions about the advantages of IM usage among students on their writing task. As some educators said that IM somehow carries positive trend among the students as we can see how comfortable they are when indulging with the words; projecting the thoughts and opinions freely. Quoted by Helderman, 2003 “They write more than any generation has where the mailman rounded more than once a day”. Somehow, it shows good signs of current generation that eager to let out their words to a page whereby they are not bounding to any form of formal language, but IM language. As we know, the mistakes always have the solutions to correct it right away.
When students use IM as their medium to write, they are actually doing more than writing task, but also revising and editing the messages. Why is it so because, before sending the messages the teenagers have read it over in order to correct the mistakes or doing some editing task. Whereby, they are actually engaging with the critical thinking and planning in their writing. Indirectly, the students learn how to construct the messages, how to plan their writing and also learn how to edit any mistakes occur not just simply words out without having any final checking of their writing task.
Also, IM is seen as an important tool that can help the students to spark their thinking and ideas though. Regardless the way they might type the messages, we want them to express their feeling in any manner. Though they might encounter with the errors, but it’s the mistake we want them to self correct. As in revising and editing process, it is where the students learn how to switch to standard English. As one of the parents has said, she doesn’t care how her children will write, as long as they are writing. Additionally, if IM language helps them to get the ideas quicker and better, use it.
However, we need to bear in mind, the students need to be always reminded with what situation the different language should be used. IM language is not suitable for all kind of writing, especially the formal ones. Same goes to formal language, it sounds awkward when we tend to use it during having the conversation in chatting room which the situation is more relax and casual. Therefore, language switching is important where, informal and formal languages should be utilized correctly.
- CRITIQUES
As we all can see, the article is simple but it gives a lot of meaning and it is knowledgeable to be read by future teachers. The article gives a great impact to the situations that we are facing nowadays due to the technology development. Nonetheless, from the topic of this article, the author do not bias for or against the IM. The author manages to come out with varied of strategies to overcome the problem of using the IM language.
Some said that the IM only gives a negative impact to the student’s performance but the author has her own opinions. The author sees that the IM and other popular technologies as potentially learning tools because it generates the creativity of the students. It also helps the teachers to identify a new talent that are creative. For example, when the students use the IM, they use messaging shorthand to ignite their thinking and the faster the ideas gets into their thought and then the quicker for them to master. One way or another, the messaging shorthand also shows that the students understand what they have learned.
The author also stresses the role of the teachers in switching from informal to formal writing. The role of the teachers in these situations is very important as the teacher should be alert to the students writing and explained to them the use of informal IM abbreviations and lingo in formal writing situations. The teachers also have to explain to the students why they cannot use the IM abbreviations in formal writing that somehow will affect their grade to the poor one.
The author suggests that the teacher should always stress the differences of the formal writing and informal writing frequently. The teachers should always be with them and monitor what kind of writing they are using. At the beginning, the teachers should always remind the students about the rules but the teacher may decrease the level of guidance as the students may become alert by themselves. However, the author does not expect that the students will automatically switch to formal writing and teachers will always remind the students.
Moreover, the author comes out with a brilliant idea to reduce the role of the teachers. Instead of reminding and stress in switching from informal to formal writing, the author also stresses on teachers’ role to tell the students the consequences of the use of IM abbreviations in formal writing. Students may ignore the sequences if the teachers are not doing the actions seriously. So, the teachers have to think and perhaps the teachers may also have to create a rule to make sure that they do not do the same mistakes again and again. This will make the students become more alert in their writing and do not repeat the same mistake.
In addition, it helps to reduce the teacher’s role to guide them in their writing. They cannot always depend on their teachers to remind them all the time and teacher will not be able to proceed to other lesson and it will affect others subject or topics. The teacher cannot spoon feed the students too much. It also exposes them to the real world situation instant of virtual world in the IM and prepared them to the academic world.
However, how the teacher can ensure that the students will practice it if the teacher will stop reminding them on how important not to use the IM in the formal writing? The writer has to take into consideration that the students might have a different teacher when they proceed into next level of education and the teachers will have a differents style. Some teacher might take this issue as serious and some will neglect it.
The writer does not consider the charity of the student.Student might feel boring if the teacher keep stressing on the rule rather than independence in their writing. This will not allowed the creativity in writing.The students will show their distasfactions by not taking the rule into their consideration. Besides that, the rule might not be effective if teacher do not change it for the long time. They might get “immune” with the rule and neglect it.
Therefore, further research about this topic is needed in order to have more ideas and discussion that has been seen as important matter. This is because the writer does not a make a further research on this issue. The writer only makes a research based on article and journal and do not exposed to the real world.
- CONCLUSION
We would like to thank to Amanda O’Connor for coming with this brilliant topic which somehow makes us realized that, the negligence of “small matter” will lead to a bigger chaos. In defining, people see that the usage of IM is just a world phenomenon without realizing it is actually carries a lot of impacts especially to the students’ writing.
As time flies, IM has its own importance to the students since it has been used as the medium to messaging. It is not possible to IM language becomes one of common type that will be used widely by our new generations in order to perform in their task whereas IM helps them to be more creative and independent individual. However, the need to monitor the students’ usage of IM language in their academic or formal presentation therefore needs the students ‘ability to switch their informal IM language to the formal one. Somehow, it shows our students’ intelligence in using the language appropriately to suit the situation.
Moreover, we should always put our faith onto the students’ capability of putting themselves at the right place; the language used when watching the dance competition is different when we are worshipping which shows one of a language switching kind. As long as there are people that help the students to facilitate their frequency of IM language, the students will learn by themselves the distinction between formal writing and informal one. In contrast, if the students are allowed to use the IM language, but do not be monitored by the parents or teachers maybe, they might think it as part of Standard English language because they are used to it.
We should bear in mind; IM-language can contribute to students’ learning process that has been seen positively in building and strengthen up the rapport between the students and the teachers. In addition, it is increasing the students’ level of comfort to perform in the school situation nonetheless it will improve the academic performance to betterment. Therefore, the IM widely used by the teenagers nowadays give a strong influence onto their performance in school setting that becomes as language evolution. We cannot deny the possibility, IM language might become one of legitimate language like any other form in students’ learning process.
Last but not least, we allow the students to make an error in order to make them dependently do the self-correct by be monitored from the experts. We cannot simply judge the students if they cannot perform accordingly because their environment as part of the medium that influence them in many ways.
