Is instant messaging bad for high school purpose

Section/# Instant Messaging: An Analysis of Whether or not the Practice is Beneficial or Harmful to One ofthe aspects of education has always been the degree to which the professor, instructor, or teacher can capture the attention of the students/shareholders. This is not always an easy thing to do considering the short attention span of the shareholders within education. However, one of the aspects that have made this much harder to accomplish is the widespread use of instant messaging and texting while in lectures and classrooms. As a function of this increase in inter-classroom communication, students are oftentimes unable to focus in class, have difficulty completing their work, provide for countless interruptions, and generally serve to enfeeble the level of English language and syntax that is used within the everyday lexicon.
The first set of negative attributes that this necessarily serves to provide is the high level of grammar and spelling mistakes that are represented within these messages. Although one should be mindful to not represent themselves as a snob, the fact of the matter is that the lazy representation of the English language and frequent and incorrect spelling associated with utilization of instant messaging and texting has meant that the quality and level of writing has exponentially decreased among the student body. This has of course led to lower grades with regards to hand-in assignments and essay projects.
Secondly, when engaging in such a practice within the classroom, the students are playing with fire due to the fact that they are oftentimes careless and can be caught; facing the further repercussions of having their mobile devices seized, having their participation grades lowered, or other forms of punitive actions. However, beyond the mere representation of how administration could punish the students for such a practice, the greater concern is the fact that the student is ultimately unable to concentrate upon what they are doing. Although they may feel that they are one of the world’s most talented multi-tasker, the fact of the matter is that they will ultimately be removing much needed attention away from the most pressing task at hand in order to focus upon the frivolous exchange that is taking place via IM any given moment. Ultimately, it represents not only a distraction for the individual student but also for the other students that may not be engaging in such a practice. Due to the fact that constant buzzing and laughing/smiling and flashing screens is a horrendous distraction to those seated around the student, the practice is something that not only deeply affects an individual’s participation but also the participation of those other learners that may be seeking to get the most out of any given lecture.
Finally, one must consider the fact that texting and/or instant messaging in class represents a bad habit that ultimately has a level of spillover effects into other tangentially related areas. Whereas this brief analysis has already discussed the level to which texting and instant messaging can negatively affect the student’s language, writing, and spelling, it also has a spillover effect into the arena of cheating. Due to the fact that many students can now share information relatively easily from far sides of the classroom or even outside of the classroom, it is up to both the student himself/herself and the educator to ensure that these devices and such a practice do not undermine the system of education (Johnson 58).
Ultimately, from what has been analyzed, the researcher can readily determine that due to the fact that such a practice degrades the level of quality work that the student can perform, their attention span, the attention span of others, and the means by which cheating takes place, it is the firm belief of this author that such a practice should be limited to the very smallest level.
Work Cited
Johnson, Danette Ifert. ” Student In-Class Texting Behavior: Associations With Instructor Clarity And Classroom Relationships.” Communication Research Reports 30. 1 (2013): 57-62. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 26 Mar. 2013.