If Paul Revere were to communicate his important message in today's world, might he text that to the patriots? On the drive to work this morning, I was thinking about the new research project that my students will be embarking on (more on that in another blog post), and I had an idea. Perhaps it was the fact that I had the Mustang out on nice icy, snowy roads (should have left it in the garage) and I was restricted to about 15-20mph the whole way. Perhaps it was the CD that I had decided to listen to. I started to ponder that very thing. What if students were asked to retell important events in history using text messaging as the media? Is there anything wrong with that? Let me premise this by saying that I don't text message. I email. I Skype. I instant message. All of these use the typing skills that I know and love. I feel comfortable typing, but I have never texted. Isn't this what Will Richardson was talking about when he spoke to the staff of my district? Is it okay to throw the conventions of grammar out the window, the rules of language arts pushed to the wayside in order to use a means of expression that is more meaningful and relevant to the lives of our students. While this is something that my fourth grade students might not be able to make the most of, but no doubt a middle school class might jump at the chance to research, analyze, synthesize and recreate these moments using the preferred expression and communication resource of today's teenagers. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
