Is the Cell Phone the New Pencil?

Edutopia

This article really grabbed my attention because it jumped out with a statement about the poor writing skills of students today.  I was hooked.  Where are they going with this because cell phones and texting surely are not helping our students become better writers.  I know that I see it all the time in assignments that are turned in to me.  One minute the essay makes sense and the next minute it is like I am reading a text.  OMG did they really just put that in their paper:)  

After the initial "hook" the article went on to say that "the students we teach today write more than any generation in human history." (Grabill)  Where are they going with this?  Ok, I can buy that idea, but they surely don't write the best.  The article gave evidence supporting that our students write nearly as much for their own personal fulfillment as they do for homework assignments.  I can agree with that.  They email, text and Facebook and they definitely do that more than they spend on any of my writing assignments.  The findings were important, but the biggest surprise to the author was that the statistics pointed to how much students use handheld devices as there main writing tool.  Why not allow students to use their cell phones in class.  They might even use them for something worth while like taking notes or writing their papers, as awkward as that may be.  We have a generation of students that have grown up with cell phones.  It is time to use them to our advantage and as a tool of engagement for our students.