Literacy in the Facebook Era - Waray Dictionary and Language ...
Literacy in the Facebook Era - Waray Dictionary and Language ...
Literacy in the Facebook Era - Waray Dictionary and Language ...
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<strong>Literacy</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Facebook</strong> <strong>Era</strong><br />
A Pedagogical Approach to Internet English <strong>and</strong> Filip<strong>in</strong>o<br />
Education<br />
Mark Fullmer<br />
Eastern Visayas State University,<br />
Tacloban City, Leyte<br />
Abstract: Given <strong>the</strong> exponential growth of <strong>Facebook</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Philipp<strong>in</strong>es, especially among students<br />
learn<strong>in</strong>g English, this study aims to answer <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g questions: (1) What are <strong>the</strong> l<strong>in</strong>guistic<br />
characteristics of <strong>the</strong> English students read <strong>and</strong> write on <strong>Facebook</strong>? (2) How does this affect,<br />
positively or negatively, students’ ability to comprehend <strong>and</strong> produce st<strong>and</strong>ard English? (3) How<br />
should teachers adapt <strong>in</strong> response to this? Based on a case study at <strong>the</strong> Eastern Visayas State<br />
University <strong>and</strong> samples from <strong>Facebook</strong> profiles, I conclude <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g: (1) Mastery of st<strong>and</strong>ard<br />
English is not improved by <strong>the</strong> read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g people do on <strong>Facebook</strong>. (2) <strong>Facebook</strong> may<br />
improve read<strong>in</strong>g comprehension skills due to <strong>the</strong> textual <strong>and</strong> cognitive challenges posed by <strong>in</strong>ternet<br />
English. (3) English vocabulary is exp<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g given <strong>in</strong>creased exposure to words. (4) Higher Order<br />
Th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g Skills may or may not improve due to <strong>Facebook</strong> communication. Two sample lesson plans<br />
are provided.
Fullmer 2<br />
The face that graced Time Magaz<strong>in</strong>e’s “2010 Person<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Year” issue has not been, until recently, widely<br />
recognizable. The phenomenon that earned his likeness on<br />
<strong>the</strong> magaz<strong>in</strong>e cover, however, is so ubiquitous as to hardly<br />
need <strong>in</strong>troduction. The person: Mark Zuckerberg. The<br />
phenomenon: <strong>Facebook</strong>, <strong>the</strong> social network<strong>in</strong>g website at<br />
<strong>the</strong> center of <strong>the</strong> so-called “Web 2.0” movement which is<br />
reshap<strong>in</strong>g our sense of community, identity, discourse, <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> l<strong>in</strong>e between public <strong>and</strong> private life. As New York Times<br />
writer Clive Thompson puts it, communicat<strong>in</strong>g through<br />
<strong>Facebook</strong> is a new k<strong>in</strong>d of social <strong>in</strong>teraction, “like be<strong>in</strong>g<br />
physically near someone <strong>and</strong> pick<strong>in</strong>g up on his mood<br />
through <strong>the</strong> little th<strong>in</strong>gs he does — body language, sighs, stray comments — out of <strong>the</strong> corner of<br />
your eye.”<br />
In 2010, <strong>Facebook</strong> membership cont<strong>in</strong>ues to grow worldwide, but this year <strong>the</strong> Philipp<strong>in</strong>es is<br />
one of <strong>the</strong> countries experienc<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> most growth, alongside Portugal, Indonesia, Thail<strong>and</strong>, Pol<strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>and</strong> Bulgaria (Ano<strong>the</strong>r Look at Filip<strong>in</strong>o <strong>Facebook</strong> Stats, 2010). 19 million Filip<strong>in</strong>os now have<br />
accounts (putt<strong>in</strong>g membership at 6 th <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> world, beh<strong>in</strong>d only <strong>the</strong> United States, Indonesia, <strong>the</strong><br />
United K<strong>in</strong>gdom, Turkey <strong>and</strong> France). The average user visits <strong>the</strong> site 20 times <strong>in</strong> a month <strong>and</strong><br />
spends an average of 28 m<strong>in</strong>utes per visit (Philipp<strong>in</strong>es <strong>Facebook</strong> Statistics, 2010). It is <strong>the</strong>refore no<br />
surprise that sociologists <strong>and</strong> anthropologists are pay<strong>in</strong>g close attention to <strong>the</strong> sociocultural<br />
repercussions of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Facebook</strong> <strong>Era</strong>.<br />
But given that 44 percent of P<strong>in</strong>oy users are <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 18-24 age bracket—college students <strong>and</strong><br />
recent graduates—it behooves Filip<strong>in</strong>o educators to pay attention as well. How is <strong>the</strong> advent of<br />
<strong>Facebook</strong> chang<strong>in</strong>g how our students read, learn, <strong>and</strong> th<strong>in</strong>k? How is it chang<strong>in</strong>g how <strong>the</strong>y<br />
conceptualize <strong>the</strong>ir world?<br />
For many teachers, our immediate response to <strong>the</strong>se questions is pessimistic: we have<br />
decided that students no longer read anyth<strong>in</strong>g substantive but <strong>in</strong>stead waste <strong>the</strong>ir time text<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
BFF messages like this: 1<br />
heheheh ur D bEsT thx 4 cMiNg 2 d pArTy 2nite!!! :)<br />
1 “BFF” is a common text<strong>in</strong>g abbreviation for “Best Friend Forever”
Fullmer 3<br />
Text<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternet English, we conclude, have stripped all dignity from formal, st<strong>and</strong>ard<br />
English. Our students don’t know how to spell, how to conjugate verbs, how to construct<br />
grammatical sentences. Their vocabularies have shrunk to stone age-era hieroglyphics of smilies <strong>and</strong><br />
emoticons. Wash<strong>in</strong>gton Post journalist Gene We<strong>in</strong>garten typifies this feel<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> his recent article,<br />
op<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g that <strong>the</strong> English language is now officially dead: “It succumbed last month at <strong>the</strong> age of<br />
1,617 after a long illness. It is survived by an ignom<strong>in</strong>iously dim<strong>in</strong>ished form of itself.”<br />
As a writer <strong>and</strong> lover of literature, I share We<strong>in</strong>garten’s dismay. But I’m an also optimist. I<br />
am not yet conv<strong>in</strong>ced English is dead or our students hopelessly illiterate, <strong>and</strong> this belief stems from<br />
my own experience with <strong>Facebook</strong>.<br />
Like many <strong>Facebook</strong> users, I began us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> site while a student. I was <strong>in</strong> graduate school at<br />
Boston College <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> year was 2005. At first <strong>the</strong> site was a fun way to get to know classmates (i.e.,<br />
goggle over c<strong>and</strong>id pictures), to reconnect with childhood friends (a.k.a. <strong>in</strong>ternet stalk), to schedule<br />
get-toge<strong>the</strong>rs, <strong>and</strong> to share all manner of <strong>in</strong>formation. As a result I found myself be<strong>in</strong>g more <strong>in</strong><br />
touch with global news <strong>and</strong> local events. I felt closer to my community. However, it was also evident<br />
that <strong>the</strong> way I was read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g was chang<strong>in</strong>g—<strong>and</strong> perhaps most <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g, no one was<br />
<strong>in</strong>struct<strong>in</strong>g me to change. The fundamental differences between pr<strong>in</strong>ted text <strong>and</strong> hypertext were<br />
caus<strong>in</strong>g me to adapt to <strong>the</strong> new medium.<br />
<strong>Language</strong> is always evolv<strong>in</strong>g, but <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternet <strong>and</strong> text messag<strong>in</strong>g are do<strong>in</strong>g more to shape<br />
language, particularly English, <strong>and</strong> at a more accelerated rate, than ever before. Besides <strong>the</strong> statistics<br />
above, anecdotal evidence supports <strong>Facebook</strong>’s impact on English language <strong>the</strong> Philipp<strong>in</strong>es: walk<br />
<strong>in</strong>to any of <strong>the</strong> dozen <strong>in</strong>ternet cafes crammed on Salazar Street <strong>in</strong> Tacloban City, just blocks away<br />
from <strong>the</strong> Eastern Visayas State University. You will <strong>in</strong>variably f<strong>in</strong>d a bevy of students check<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>Facebook</strong> (well, that, or play<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> latest first-person shooter game). Peek over a student’s shoulder;<br />
you might see him typ<strong>in</strong>g someth<strong>in</strong>g like this: (Example 1) 2<br />
nag daog kamo kakulop han basketball? :) nanlakat kami dayon kay late<br />
na geap.<br />
2 Translation: “did you w<strong>in</strong> your basketball game yesterday? :) we went <strong>in</strong>side because we were also late.” This of course<br />
displays a number of features of <strong>in</strong>ternet writ<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g emoticons, lack of proper capitalization, unconventional<br />
spell<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> most important for this discussion, a mixture of local language <strong>and</strong> English.
Fullmer 4<br />
Or you might see her read<strong>in</strong>g this: (Example 2) 3<br />
A good friend is someone we can count on, as well as be<strong>in</strong>g so much<br />
more. A friend is someone with whom we can relax <strong>and</strong> just hang out,<br />
have fun <strong>and</strong> share our <strong>in</strong>nermost thoughts, deep dark secrets, lofty <strong>and</strong><br />
noble goals, or our hopes, joys, <strong>and</strong> fears<br />
It thus behooves us as educators to be aware not only of <strong>the</strong> changes <strong>in</strong> our students’<br />
lifestyles, but more specifically <strong>the</strong>ir new read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g practices, <strong>and</strong> to adapt our teach<strong>in</strong>g of<br />
what some call “academic English” <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> era of what I’ll label “<strong>in</strong>ternet English.” The follow<strong>in</strong>g<br />
three questions drive my research:<br />
1. What are <strong>the</strong> l<strong>in</strong>guistic characteristics of <strong>the</strong> English texts students read <strong>and</strong> write outside<br />
of <strong>the</strong> classroom?<br />
2. How does this affect, positively or negatively, students’ ability to comprehend <strong>and</strong><br />
produce st<strong>and</strong>ard English?<br />
3. How should teachers adapt <strong>in</strong> response to this fundamental change?<br />
I. Background<br />
The State of English <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Philipp<strong>in</strong>es<br />
Before mak<strong>in</strong>g any conclusions about <strong>the</strong> impact of <strong>the</strong>se new read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g practices,<br />
where exactly does spoken <strong>and</strong> written English st<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> 2010 <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Philipp<strong>in</strong>es? The country<br />
represents a unique case study: from Grade 3 through college, English is <strong>the</strong> medium of <strong>in</strong>struction<br />
<strong>in</strong> most courses. In addition, due to <strong>the</strong> wide amount of English media <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> public <strong>and</strong><br />
professional sett<strong>in</strong>gs, this ‘foreign’ language saturates <strong>the</strong> culture.<br />
On <strong>the</strong> one h<strong>and</strong>, <strong>the</strong> statistics appear positive: <strong>the</strong> generally accepted English literacy rate is<br />
well above 90%. On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r h<strong>and</strong>, <strong>the</strong> general consensus seems to be that <strong>the</strong>re has been a<br />
qualitative erosion of English s<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong> so-called golden era of English <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 1950s <strong>and</strong> 60s. Writes<br />
Don (Bernardo, 2009, pp. 17-18):<br />
3 Retrieved from a fourth-year high school student’s <strong>Facebook</strong> profile. The text was encoded by <strong>the</strong> student to be shared<br />
with her friends. The passage is orig<strong>in</strong>ally from Taste Berries for Teens: Inspirational Short Stories <strong>and</strong> Encouragement, by Bettie<br />
B. Youngs (1999).
Fullmer 5<br />
The knowledge of English among Filip<strong>in</strong>os has been on a steady decl<strong>in</strong>e. The second<br />
language is now a very far second especially among graduates. Consider <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>in</strong>stances. A study showed that only 3 percent of those who apply at call centers pass<br />
<strong>the</strong> English proficiency test. Recently, a big bank <strong>in</strong> Makati wanted to hire a new<br />
batch of c<strong>and</strong>idates for <strong>the</strong>ir Information Technology Department. The start<strong>in</strong>g pay<br />
was high; <strong>the</strong> potential for growth is great. But it took quite a while to have <strong>the</strong><br />
needed m<strong>in</strong>imum number. One of <strong>the</strong> reasons for rejection of many applicants: poor<br />
English.<br />
Is English fluency really decl<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g? The answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no.<br />
First, <strong>in</strong> my experience teach<strong>in</strong>g at <strong>the</strong> Eastern Visayas State University, language competence varies<br />
greatly from student to student. Some possess better English than my students <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> United States;<br />
o<strong>the</strong>rs lack ei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> confidence or skill to speak anyth<strong>in</strong>g more than halt<strong>in</strong>g words <strong>and</strong> phrases.<br />
This is supported by <strong>the</strong> Heyneman-Loxley Effect, a <strong>the</strong>ory that states that socioeconomic<br />
background <strong>and</strong> school-level factors have a greater effect on students’ performance than <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
<strong>in</strong>telligence or aptitude (1983).<br />
Second, outside of professional situations, <strong>in</strong> practice what is spoken is a mixture of English,<br />
Tagalog <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> local mo<strong>the</strong>r tongue. For example, <strong>the</strong> Tagalog for “Have you f<strong>in</strong>ished your<br />
homework?” is transformed from “Natapos mo na ba yung takdang-aral<strong>in</strong> mo?” to “F<strong>in</strong>ish na ba<br />
yung homework mo?” As this example demonstrates, L1 (Tagalog) grammar is preserved while<br />
vocabulary is replaced by L2 (English). Is this hybridization a good th<strong>in</strong>g? Will speak<strong>in</strong>g “Taglish”<br />
socially help or h<strong>in</strong>der our students from speak<strong>in</strong>g English professionally?<br />
Third—<strong>and</strong> here is <strong>the</strong> topic of my research—<strong>the</strong> English that students are exposed to<br />
currently is fundamentally different from English <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Philipp<strong>in</strong>es a generation ago. The substance<br />
of school textbooks has not changed much: Roger Thompson (2003) notes that one sample<br />
textbook of 400 pages conta<strong>in</strong>s 42 pages of au<strong>the</strong>ntic texts (want ads, editorials, sample telephone<br />
conversations) <strong>and</strong> 37 pages of literature (mostly 3-4 page selections by Filip<strong>in</strong>o authors), <strong>the</strong> rest<br />
composed of exercises <strong>and</strong> quizzes. Thus, accord<strong>in</strong>g to Thompson, all <strong>the</strong> English language read<strong>in</strong>gs<br />
for four years of high school education could be read aloud <strong>in</strong> 12 hours. But outside <strong>the</strong> Filip<strong>in</strong>o<br />
classroom, <strong>the</strong> English language has changed drastically.
Fullmer 6<br />
The Controversy over Text<strong>in</strong>g/Jejemon<br />
Depend<strong>in</strong>g on your viewpo<strong>in</strong>t, <strong>the</strong> fact that <strong>the</strong> Philipp<strong>in</strong>es sends more text messages, per<br />
capita, than any o<strong>the</strong>r country (yehey.com), is cause for ei<strong>the</strong>r pride or lament. Couple this with <strong>the</strong><br />
already cited fact about P<strong>in</strong>oy membership on <strong>Facebook</strong> <strong>and</strong> you have a substantial source of<br />
English language read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g outside <strong>the</strong> classroom.<br />
But what are <strong>the</strong> characteristics of <strong>in</strong>ternet English? Usability expert Jakob Nielsen po<strong>in</strong>ts<br />
out that we read <strong>and</strong> write <strong>in</strong> a fundamentally different manner onl<strong>in</strong>e. In eye track<strong>in</strong>g studies<br />
conducted <strong>in</strong> 2003, Nielsen concluded that when we read onl<strong>in</strong>e, we scan <strong>in</strong> a nonl<strong>in</strong>ear fashion: our<br />
eyes focus on only 20% of <strong>the</strong> words on a given page. To this I add <strong>the</strong> obvious: any writ<strong>in</strong>g that<br />
users do on <strong>Facebook</strong> or through text<strong>in</strong>g is very short: not more than a sentence or two at most.<br />
Explor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> cognitive impact of this, author Nicholas Carr (2010) concludes that our<br />
bra<strong>in</strong>s are be<strong>in</strong>g retra<strong>in</strong>ed by <strong>the</strong>se read<strong>in</strong>g practices. He believes we are los<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> ability th<strong>in</strong>k as<br />
deeply about subjects as we would if we were read<strong>in</strong>g a pr<strong>in</strong>ted book (which we read <strong>in</strong> a traditional<br />
l<strong>in</strong>ear fashion, with more thought <strong>and</strong> reflection). Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, Carr th<strong>in</strong>ks that <strong>the</strong> ready availability<br />
of <strong>in</strong>formation on <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternet means our bra<strong>in</strong>s don’t need to remember as much, <strong>and</strong> thus our<br />
memory capacity is atrophy<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
That is not all. Text<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternet English is more than just a byte-size version of<br />
traditional writ<strong>in</strong>g. The advent of text messag<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternet writ<strong>in</strong>g has brought with it new<br />
variety <strong>in</strong> orthography <strong>and</strong> spell<strong>in</strong>g, as well as neologisms, countless acronyms, <strong>and</strong> ever-evolv<strong>in</strong>g<br />
symbols.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> Philipp<strong>in</strong>es <strong>the</strong> tendency for texters <strong>and</strong> <strong>Facebook</strong>ers to stray from st<strong>and</strong>ard English<br />
is referred to as “jejemon.” The Urban <strong>Dictionary</strong>’s def<strong>in</strong>ition reveals that most people consider<br />
<strong>the</strong>se l<strong>in</strong>guistic <strong>in</strong>novations a bad th<strong>in</strong>g: “a jejemon is someone who has managed to subvert <strong>the</strong><br />
English language to <strong>the</strong> po<strong>in</strong>t of <strong>in</strong>comprehensibility.” A representative example:<br />
Filip<strong>in</strong>o: "Hello po, kamusta na?<br />
Jejemon: "3ow ph0w, mUsZtAh nA?"<br />
Clearly <strong>the</strong> jejemon phenomenon does no good for teachers try<strong>in</strong>g to help students learn<br />
st<strong>and</strong>ard spell<strong>in</strong>g, capitalization, or grammar. In fact, <strong>the</strong> Department of Education earlier this year<br />
made a statement strongly discourag<strong>in</strong>g students from us<strong>in</strong>g jejemon for text<strong>in</strong>g (GMA News).
Fullmer 7<br />
But <strong>the</strong>re is ano<strong>the</strong>r side to <strong>the</strong> debate. O<strong>the</strong>rs feel that <strong>the</strong> types of read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g we<br />
do onl<strong>in</strong>e are actually pos<strong>in</strong>g new cognitive challenges that force our bra<strong>in</strong>s to become better at<br />
read<strong>in</strong>g comprehension. Cognitively speak<strong>in</strong>g, a person’s ability to produce st<strong>and</strong>ard spell<strong>in</strong>g is a<br />
different skillet than <strong>the</strong> ability to comprehend a text or compose a passage. Spell<strong>in</strong>g is pure<br />
memorization; comprehension is an <strong>in</strong>terpretive skill <strong>and</strong> requires facility at phonemic awareness,<br />
phonics, vocabulary, <strong>and</strong> fluency (Bernardo, p.7).<br />
One researcher who sees <strong>in</strong>ternet English positively is David Crystal (2008) who argues that<br />
“text<strong>in</strong>g improves people’s literacy as it provides more opportunity to engage with <strong>the</strong> language<br />
through read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g.” In o<strong>the</strong>r words, given that this style of writ<strong>in</strong>g is much more varied, it<br />
requires <strong>the</strong> reader to have broader <strong>and</strong> more diverse read<strong>in</strong>g comprehension abilities.<br />
Crystal’s research also tries to correct some of <strong>the</strong> notions we have about <strong>the</strong> nature of<br />
<strong>in</strong>ternet English. He asserts <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g:<br />
• Abbreviations are not a new th<strong>in</strong>g: <strong>the</strong>y have always been part of written <strong>and</strong> spoken<br />
language.<br />
• On average, only 10 percent of words are abbreviated <strong>in</strong> text messages.<br />
• Text<strong>in</strong>g does not cause bad spell<strong>in</strong>g because people need to know how to spell<br />
before <strong>the</strong>y can text.<br />
I would add that text<strong>in</strong>g is not a “dumbed down” version of English. Emoticons <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r textual<br />
devices carry a complex array of l<strong>in</strong>guistic nuances <strong>and</strong> connotations, <strong>and</strong> abbreviations require<br />
texters to be <strong>in</strong>ventive <strong>and</strong> creative. As a texter myself, I am well aware of <strong>the</strong> mean<strong>in</strong>g an extra<br />
exclamation po<strong>in</strong>t or :) will carry.<br />
These observations serve to make us as teachers recalibrate ourselves to <strong>the</strong> discourse<br />
students are us<strong>in</strong>g outside of <strong>the</strong> classroom: as distasteful as <strong>the</strong> ideas is to educators, l<strong>in</strong>guists will<br />
rem<strong>in</strong>d us that <strong>in</strong>ternet English is not <strong>in</strong>ferior to st<strong>and</strong>ard English, but simply ano<strong>the</strong>r dialect with its<br />
own complexities. (That said, I acknowledge that students need to learn st<strong>and</strong>ard English to be<br />
globally competitive).<br />
In short, we have to correct our belief that students’ English skills are worsen<strong>in</strong>g. Roger<br />
Thompson reports a study conducted <strong>in</strong> 1993 which aimed to gauge Filip<strong>in</strong>os’ fluency with <strong>the</strong><br />
English language. There was a clear correlation between age <strong>and</strong> literacy: <strong>the</strong> older <strong>the</strong> respondent,<br />
<strong>the</strong> lower <strong>the</strong> ability to use English. Of those <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 17-24 age group, 77 percent read English, 68<br />
percent write English, 82 percent underst<strong>and</strong> spoken English, 63 percent speak English, <strong>and</strong> 54<br />
percent th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>in</strong> English. The result, he writes, “contradicts <strong>the</strong> current perception that <strong>the</strong> golden
Fullmer 8<br />
age of English proficiency was somewhere <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> past <strong>and</strong> that young people today do not know<br />
English” (p. 73).<br />
This is such an unpalatable statistic for many of us to digest that it perhaps requires<br />
exploration. I th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>the</strong> reason is simple: students today are exposed to vastly greater quantities of<br />
English: movies, music, videoke, television, <strong>and</strong> perhaps most significant, <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternet. All this<br />
<strong>in</strong>undates P<strong>in</strong>oy culture with English words. It accounts for <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g prevalence of Taglish,<br />
too, but more importantly it serves to rem<strong>in</strong>d us of Stanley Fish’s (1980) <strong>the</strong>orization about<br />
underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g language through “<strong>in</strong>terpretive communities.” Fish argues that we learn how to learn<br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>terpret based on <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>terpretive strategies we are exposed to. If our <strong>in</strong>terpretive community is<br />
small, our <strong>in</strong>terpretive skills will be narrow; if our <strong>in</strong>terpretive community is large, our <strong>in</strong>terpretive<br />
skills will be broad. Says Fish, “The ability to <strong>in</strong>terpret is not acquired; it is constitutive of be<strong>in</strong>g<br />
human. What is acquired are <strong>the</strong> ways of <strong>in</strong>terpret<strong>in</strong>g” (172-3).<br />
In <strong>the</strong> <strong>Facebook</strong> <strong>Era</strong>, I suggest that our <strong>in</strong>terpretive communities are only grow<strong>in</strong>g larger,<br />
which means that our ways of <strong>in</strong>terpret<strong>in</strong>g are also grow<strong>in</strong>g more diverse. Thus, we teachers have<br />
reason to hope, to be excited for our students’ ability to learn, <strong>in</strong> large part due to <strong>Facebook</strong>. The<br />
question, <strong>the</strong>n, is this: what precisely are our students read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g outside of class, <strong>and</strong> how<br />
can this knowledge empower us, as teachers of English, to improve students’ fluency?<br />
II. Research <strong>and</strong> Data<br />
Given this contextual<br />
background, I turn to a qualititative case<br />
study: I teach at <strong>the</strong> Eastern Visayas State<br />
University (EVSU), located <strong>in</strong> Tacloban, a<br />
Highly Urbanized City with a population<br />
of over 200,000. EVSU’s enrollment for<br />
SY 2009-2010 was 9,320. Many students<br />
come from neighbor<strong>in</strong>g areas of Samar<br />
<strong>and</strong> Leyte, which is generally ranked as one of <strong>the</strong> most rural areas <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> country; average poverty<br />
<strong>in</strong>cidence of <strong>the</strong> region’s 6 prov<strong>in</strong>ces is very high at 47.6 <strong>in</strong> 2006 (Region 8 - Eastern Visayas, 2007).<br />
Thus, even though most colleges <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> university have computer labs <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternet cafes are<br />
abundant off campus, <strong>the</strong>re is a wide divergence of <strong>in</strong>ternet usage between students. Therefore, to
Fullmer 9<br />
get a sense this population’s onl<strong>in</strong>e lifestyle, I adm<strong>in</strong>istered a survey to 77 first-year college students 4 .<br />
For context, <strong>the</strong> results are compared with a 2007 survey of 200 students conducted at Kansas State<br />
University <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> United States. 5<br />
EVSU KSU<br />
What is <strong>the</strong> average number of students <strong>in</strong> your classes? 41 115<br />
How many hours do you attend class per week? 39 15<br />
How many hours do you study outside of class per week? 8.4 21<br />
How many hours are you employed per week? 14.6 12.5<br />
How many hours do you use <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternet per week? 3.7 17.5<br />
How many books do you read per year? 34 8<br />
How many movies do you watch per year? 111 n/a<br />
How many text messages do you send per month? 1,799 n/a<br />
What percentage of assigned class read<strong>in</strong>gs do you complete? 66% 49%<br />
What percentage of read<strong>in</strong>gs do you f<strong>in</strong>d useful <strong>and</strong>/or relevant? 84% 26%<br />
What percentage of teachers know your name? 38% 18%<br />
Before draw<strong>in</strong>g conclusions about what <strong>the</strong>se numbers show, I first provide examples of what<br />
students actually write <strong>and</strong> read on <strong>Facebook</strong>. Along with <strong>the</strong> Examples 1 <strong>and</strong> 2 above, here are<br />
three more:<br />
Example 3: A student posted this on her <strong>Facebook</strong> profile, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> form of a cha<strong>in</strong> letter. The orig<strong>in</strong><br />
is unknown.<br />
Change your facebook profile picture to a cartoon from your childhood<br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>vite your friends to do <strong>the</strong> same. Until Monday, <strong>the</strong>re should be no<br />
human faces on facebook, but an <strong>in</strong>vasion of memories. This is<br />
forviolence aga<strong>in</strong>st children..<br />
4 These 77 students were enrolled <strong>in</strong> Developmental Read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> College of Education, SY 2010-2011.<br />
5 A number of <strong>the</strong>se statistics require explanation. For example, <strong>the</strong> 115 average class size at KSU is due to <strong>the</strong> fact<br />
that many students enroll <strong>in</strong> lecture style classes of 200 or more students. O<strong>the</strong>r classes <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> university average 20<br />
students; thus <strong>the</strong> “average” is somewhat mislead<strong>in</strong>g. This is similar for statistics about employment, <strong>in</strong>ternet usage,<br />
<strong>and</strong> study<strong>in</strong>g: <strong>in</strong>dividual responses varied greatly.
Fullmer 10<br />
Example 4: A conversation between 2 students:<br />
A: anu it assignment ha english??<br />
B: rai sarabutan. Haha<br />
A: hehe nangalimot ak<br />
B: haha. amu ito.<br />
A: taim!! hehe<br />
Example 5: Responses posted to this picture, posted on a profile.<br />
• Haha. Thanks han like W<strong>in</strong>s :D<br />
• Haha. Malipong man bebe :D<br />
• amo la talaga ito. haha exercise :)))))<br />
• Haha. Napa Stress ><<br />
• Para ito ha mga adeek. XD<br />
• TSEK! hahaha xD<br />
• Hahaha. Pareus aa eu! :P<br />
• hahaha! upod ka na banni ban<strong>in</strong>i >:P<br />
• Ohoy dire na noh. Bagong buhay na ako! :P Kamu la ito mga<br />
adeek D<strong>in</strong>g Bang & Lowla
Fullmer 11<br />
III. Analysis<br />
With <strong>the</strong> repeated caveat that <strong>in</strong>ternet usage among Filip<strong>in</strong>os is quite varied, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>refore any<br />
assumptions may or may not apply to a given <strong>in</strong>dividual, I offer four ma<strong>in</strong> conclusions:<br />
1. Mastery of st<strong>and</strong>ard English is not improved by <strong>the</strong> read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g people do on<br />
<strong>Facebook</strong>. Grammatical English, such as Examples 2, 3, <strong>and</strong> 5 are probably too few to make a<br />
significant learn<strong>in</strong>g opportunity. The real question regards what l<strong>in</strong>guists call “language<br />
<strong>in</strong>terference”: will exposure to nonst<strong>and</strong>ard English weaken an <strong>in</strong>dividual’s cognitive ability <strong>in</strong><br />
grammar, spell<strong>in</strong>g, or mechanics of st<strong>and</strong>ard English? This is difficult to know for certa<strong>in</strong>, but we<br />
would not, for example, expect a <strong>Waray</strong>-speaker’s exposure to Tagalog to weaken fluency <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
native tongue. And as a writer myself, I f<strong>in</strong>d I use many dialects of English rang<strong>in</strong>g from academic<br />
discourse to text<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> I personally do not feel that read<strong>in</strong>g or writ<strong>in</strong>g text messages makes me a<br />
lesser scholar. In fact, as I will propose below, underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> idiosyncrasies of one dialect can<br />
improve one’s sensitivity to ano<strong>the</strong>r. By mak<strong>in</strong>g students more aware of <strong>the</strong> differences between<br />
<strong>in</strong>ternet English <strong>and</strong> st<strong>and</strong>ard English, teachers can empower students to be more discern<strong>in</strong>g<br />
practitioners of <strong>the</strong> language.<br />
2. <strong>Facebook</strong> may improve read<strong>in</strong>g comprehension skills due to <strong>the</strong> textual <strong>and</strong> cognitive<br />
challenges posed by <strong>in</strong>ternet English. Kenneth Goodman (1967) writes,<br />
Read<strong>in</strong>g is a psychol<strong>in</strong>guistic guess<strong>in</strong>g game. It <strong>in</strong>volves <strong>in</strong>teraction between thought<br />
<strong>and</strong> language. Efficient read<strong>in</strong>g does not result from precise perception <strong>and</strong><br />
identification of all elements, but from skill <strong>in</strong> select<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> fewest, most productive<br />
cues necessary to produce guesses which are right <strong>the</strong> first time. (Bernardo, 2009,<br />
p.2)<br />
We use known phonic patterns to decipher <strong>the</strong> most probable mean<strong>in</strong>g of unknowns: our bra<strong>in</strong>s<br />
translate “mUsZtAh nA” <strong>in</strong>to “Kamusta na?” We fill <strong>in</strong> knowledge gaps by construct<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> most<br />
likely answer. Try complet<strong>in</strong>g, for example, this scenario: “I went to <strong>the</strong> ________ but forgot my<br />
_______ so I had to __________.” We <strong>the</strong>n ref<strong>in</strong>e our guesses based on o<strong>the</strong>r context clues<br />
(imag<strong>in</strong>e if <strong>the</strong> first blank above now held <strong>the</strong> word “store,” “beach,” or “university” – how would
Fullmer 12<br />
<strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r blanks follow?). The telegraphic nature of communication on <strong>Facebook</strong> likewise forces our<br />
students to decipher, to fill <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> gaps, thus becom<strong>in</strong>g better predictors of mean<strong>in</strong>g. We can use this<br />
knowledge to teach read<strong>in</strong>g comprehension <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> classroom.<br />
3. English vocabulary is exp<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g given <strong>in</strong>creased exposure to words. Accord<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong><br />
above survey, <strong>the</strong> average EVSU <strong>Facebook</strong> user spends an average of 9.3 hours on <strong>the</strong> site per<br />
month. Contrast this to Thompson’s statement that all English language texts for four years of high<br />
school can be read <strong>in</strong> 12 hours. And though <strong>the</strong> grammatical content <strong>and</strong> subject matter of<br />
<strong>Facebook</strong> read<strong>in</strong>g is far <strong>in</strong>ferior to <strong>the</strong> texts students read <strong>in</strong> books, <strong>the</strong> potential for students'<br />
exposure to new vocabulary is far superior. On <strong>Facebook</strong>, readers do not learn English vocabulary<br />
by way of dictionary def<strong>in</strong>itions. Instead, as <strong>in</strong> Examples 1, 2, <strong>and</strong> 5 students learn mean<strong>in</strong>g of an<br />
unknown word based on known words adjacent to it. For this reason I conclude that Taglish or<br />
Waranglish can improve st<strong>and</strong>ard English vocabulary. We might use similar techniques to teach<br />
vocabulary <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> classroom.<br />
4. Higher Order Th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g Skills may or may not improve due to <strong>Facebook</strong> communication.<br />
As Nicholas Carr’s research suggests, <strong>the</strong> brevity of <strong>Facebook</strong> communication (Examples 1, 4, 5)<br />
may counteract deep th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g. Higher Order Th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g Skills (HOTS) such as Remember<strong>in</strong>g,<br />
Analys<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> Evaluat<strong>in</strong>g may atrophy as <strong>the</strong> <strong>Facebook</strong> user zips from one post to <strong>the</strong> next. For<br />
<strong>in</strong>stance, <strong>the</strong> responses <strong>in</strong> Example 5 show students underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> clever sideways text, but<br />
demonstrate no real exploration or analysis. Despite this, we might note that, accord<strong>in</strong>g to Bloom’s<br />
Taxonomy, “Creat<strong>in</strong>g” is <strong>the</strong> highest of <strong>the</strong> HOTS, <strong>and</strong> <strong>Facebook</strong>’s architecture emphasizes active<br />
creation: students shape <strong>the</strong>ir personal profiles, ref<strong>in</strong>e <strong>the</strong>ir onl<strong>in</strong>e identities, apply <strong>in</strong>formation <strong>the</strong>y<br />
have found <strong>in</strong> one post to someth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>y are shar<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> ano<strong>the</strong>r. It <strong>the</strong>refore is possible for teachers<br />
to use <strong>the</strong> <strong>Facebook</strong> platform to develop students’ HOTS.<br />
III. Recommendations<br />
How should teachers adapt given <strong>the</strong>se fundamental changes? As my fellow EVSU<br />
<strong>in</strong>structor Mary Jessica Tiozon-Alalid po<strong>in</strong>ts out to me, teachers can do little to change <strong>the</strong> read<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>and</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g practices of our students outside <strong>the</strong> classroom. We cannot require students to text<br />
message <strong>in</strong> grammatical English. We cannot require <strong>the</strong>m to evaluate <strong>and</strong> analyse <strong>Facebook</strong> posts.
Fullmer 13<br />
But we can apply fem<strong>in</strong>ist scholar Elizabeth Flynn’s (1988, p. 432) <strong>the</strong>ory about gendered texts to<br />
<strong>the</strong> current issue of nonst<strong>and</strong>ard English. Just as Flynn would make students more aware of <strong>the</strong><br />
problematics of gender privileg<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> texts by mak<strong>in</strong>g it part of class discussion, we can make<br />
students more conscious of <strong>the</strong> differences between st<strong>and</strong>ard <strong>and</strong> nonst<strong>and</strong>ard English. This will not<br />
directly teach <strong>the</strong>m better grammar. It will not immediately teach <strong>the</strong>m proper spell<strong>in</strong>g. However, we<br />
can build a foundation for <strong>the</strong>m to be more discern<strong>in</strong>g about <strong>the</strong>ir use of English. Below, I provide<br />
two sample lesson plans.
Fullmer 14<br />
Lesson Plan 1 (Read<strong>in</strong>g Comprehension)<br />
Objective: Students will underst<strong>and</strong> how “read<strong>in</strong>g is a psychol<strong>in</strong>guistic guess<strong>in</strong>g game,” <strong>and</strong> apply<br />
this concept to decipher<strong>in</strong>g unfamiliar vocabulary/typography. Students will learn to transfer this<br />
skill to future read<strong>in</strong>g situations.<br />
Materials:<br />
• 5 text messages or <strong>Facebook</strong> posts written <strong>in</strong> “<strong>in</strong>ternet English” (see below)<br />
• 2 excerpts of Shakespearean English with nonst<strong>and</strong>ard spell<strong>in</strong>g (see below)<br />
Motivation/Warm-up: In groups, students review <strong>the</strong>ir cell phone <strong>in</strong>box <strong>and</strong> choose 2-3 text<br />
messages that <strong>in</strong>clude abbreviations, emoticons, Taglish, <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r “jejemon” features. Each group<br />
<strong>the</strong>n chooses one <strong>and</strong> tries to “translate” this text message <strong>in</strong>to st<strong>and</strong>ard English. The teacher writes<br />
an example on <strong>the</strong> board (“Gud eve Bodz? muZtah nA? Diri kita magi2mUlaY bsktbll?” Good<br />
even<strong>in</strong>g, Bodoy! How are you do<strong>in</strong>g? Will we not play basketball tonight?) After students complete<br />
this exercise, teacher asks students how <strong>the</strong>y were able to translate this, seek<strong>in</strong>g to answers about<br />
phonemic awareness, phonics, <strong>and</strong> predictive guess<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
Presentation/Practice: Teacher <strong>in</strong>troduces idea of read<strong>in</strong>g as a “psychol<strong>in</strong>guistic guess<strong>in</strong>g game.”<br />
Research resource here: http://www.read<strong>in</strong>gonl<strong>in</strong>e.org/articles/h<strong>and</strong>book/pressley/<strong>in</strong>dex.html<br />
Exercise 1:<br />
1) Teacher writes: “I went to <strong>the</strong> _____ but forgot my _____ so I ___________.<br />
2) Students volunteer to fill <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> blanks, <strong>the</strong>n expla<strong>in</strong> how <strong>the</strong>y made <strong>the</strong>ir choices.<br />
3) Teacher <strong>the</strong>n supplies a “title” to this sentence, such as “Beach Day Disaster”<br />
4) Student volunteers <strong>the</strong>n ref<strong>in</strong>e <strong>the</strong> choices, adjust<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir comprehension to <strong>the</strong> new<br />
<strong>in</strong>formation<br />
Exercise 2: Teacher provides sample <strong>Facebook</strong> post written <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternet English <strong>and</strong> asks students to<br />
translate <strong>in</strong>to st<strong>and</strong>ard English.<br />
1) hahAha,.saba teL,.xmpre kanai pat msupo,.xmpre ha mga ate na melodies,. :D tangdo<br />
nla!<br />
2) @mary:pag.xur ui,.d man q gwapa,.aqng new yr's resolution bya kai mgpa.gwapa<br />
ko,.hahAha,.<br />
Exercise 3: Teacher provides sample excerpt from Shakespearean English <strong>and</strong> asks students to<br />
“decode” <strong>the</strong> mean<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
And now pr<strong>in</strong>cely Sonne Hamlet, Exit.What meanes <strong>the</strong>se sad <strong>and</strong> melancholy moodes?<br />
For your <strong>in</strong>tent go<strong>in</strong>g to Wittenberg, Wee hold it most vnmeet <strong>and</strong> vnconuenient,<br />
Be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Ioy <strong>and</strong> halfe heart of your mo<strong>the</strong>r. Therefore let mee <strong>in</strong>treat you stay <strong>in</strong> Court.<br />
Discussion: Teacher elicits students to discuss what <strong>the</strong>y have learned. Teacher should ultimately<br />
help students see that <strong>the</strong>se different dialects of English, even if <strong>the</strong>y carry <strong>the</strong> same mean<strong>in</strong>g, have<br />
different connotations.
Fullmer 15<br />
Application: As homework, students visit <strong>Facebook</strong> (or if <strong>the</strong>y have no account, use <strong>the</strong>ir cell<br />
phone <strong>in</strong>box). Students will identify 3 examples of each of <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g elements: Nonst<strong>and</strong>ard<br />
spell<strong>in</strong>g, nonst<strong>and</strong>ard capitalization/punctuation, abbreviations, emoticons/smilies, Taglish.<br />
Lesson Plan 2 (Higher Order Th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g Skills)<br />
Objective: Students will exercise higher order th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g skills of creation, analysis, application,<br />
evaluation, <strong>in</strong>terpretation through <strong>the</strong> <strong>Facebook</strong> platform. Secondarily, <strong>the</strong>y will learn more about<br />
what <strong>the</strong>ir immediate community th<strong>in</strong>ks about current issues.<br />
Materials: Out of class access to a <strong>Facebook</strong> account. If not all students have accounts, <strong>the</strong><br />
“Application” exercise can be adapted as a group project.<br />
Motivation: Teacher writes on board: “What is <strong>the</strong> greatest problem fac<strong>in</strong>g your generation today?”<br />
Teacher <strong>the</strong>n leads a bra<strong>in</strong>storm<strong>in</strong>g exercise where students provide answers <strong>and</strong> evidence to<br />
support <strong>the</strong>ir response. For example, if a student says “laz<strong>in</strong>ess,” <strong>the</strong> teacher should ask <strong>the</strong> student<br />
for an example <strong>and</strong> reason<strong>in</strong>g for why this is <strong>the</strong> greatest problem. If time permits, teacher asks<br />
students to def<strong>in</strong>e terms like “generation” <strong>and</strong> “greatest problem.” The po<strong>in</strong>t: students beg<strong>in</strong> to<br />
exercise higher order th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g skills.<br />
Presentation/Practice: Teacher <strong>in</strong>troduces <strong>and</strong> expla<strong>in</strong>s components of higher order th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g,<br />
cit<strong>in</strong>g examples of each conta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> “motivation” exercise above.<br />
• Agree<strong>in</strong>g/Disagree<strong>in</strong>g (op<strong>in</strong>ion)<br />
• Compar<strong>in</strong>g/Contrast<strong>in</strong>g (evaluation)<br />
• Giv<strong>in</strong>g Examples (application)<br />
• Problem Solv<strong>in</strong>g (solution)<br />
Exercise 1: Teacher gives a problem scenario to <strong>in</strong>dividual groups (example below). As a group,<br />
students discuss <strong>and</strong> form a solution, giv<strong>in</strong>g at least 2 examples to support <strong>the</strong>ir position, <strong>and</strong><br />
compar<strong>in</strong>g/contrast<strong>in</strong>g to a similar situation.<br />
A Barangay council has Php 100,000 to spend on community improvement.<br />
Some members <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> community th<strong>in</strong>k it should be spent on repair<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />
road because 4 vehicle accidents have happened <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> last 2 months. O<strong>the</strong>rs<br />
feel it should be used to provide food <strong>and</strong> cloth<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>digent population<br />
nearby. O<strong>the</strong>rs feel it should be spent on supplies for <strong>the</strong> barangay’s<br />
elementary school. If you were on <strong>the</strong> barangay council, what would you<br />
propose, <strong>and</strong> why?<br />
Application: (A 2 week-long assignment)<br />
1) Students choose <strong>and</strong> research a current issue <strong>in</strong> Filip<strong>in</strong>o/World news.<br />
2) Students post a 5-sentence statement <strong>and</strong> question on <strong>Facebook</strong>, with a l<strong>in</strong>k to a news article<br />
about <strong>the</strong> issue.<br />
3) Students monitor responses posted by <strong>Facebook</strong> friends <strong>and</strong> catalogue <strong>the</strong> use of<br />
“agree<strong>in</strong>g/disagree<strong>in</strong>g,” “compar<strong>in</strong>g/contrast<strong>in</strong>g,” “giv<strong>in</strong>g examples” <strong>and</strong> “problem solv<strong>in</strong>g”<br />
4) F<strong>in</strong>ally, students present <strong>the</strong> result to <strong>the</strong> class, summariz<strong>in</strong>g how <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>Facebook</strong> friends<br />
responded, <strong>and</strong> conclud<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong>ir op<strong>in</strong>ion on <strong>the</strong> issue.
Fullmer 16<br />
IV. Clarifications <strong>and</strong> Ideas for Fur<strong>the</strong>r Research<br />
I realize educators’ feel<strong>in</strong>gs about nonst<strong>and</strong>ard English are mixed. Many of us would<br />
probably prefer <strong>Facebook</strong> <strong>and</strong> text messag<strong>in</strong>g to vanish <strong>in</strong>to cyberspace oblivion. But my goal here<br />
is not to promote use of nonst<strong>and</strong>ard English; I am simply recogniz<strong>in</strong>g that it is a reality educators<br />
have to face, <strong>and</strong> I feel that br<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>in</strong>to discussion <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> classroom is better than try<strong>in</strong>g to<br />
pretend it doesn’t exist. After all, although my analysis suggests that students’ knowledge of formal<br />
language is not be<strong>in</strong>g improved, <strong>the</strong>ir capacities for l<strong>in</strong>guistic acquisition, comprehension,<br />
production, <strong>and</strong> problem-solv<strong>in</strong>g are all be<strong>in</strong>g exp<strong>and</strong>ed.<br />
But perhaps giv<strong>in</strong>g nonst<strong>and</strong>ard English more attention is <strong>the</strong> wrong approach. I thus ask<br />
my fellow scholars for counterarguments: how might <strong>in</strong>ternet English be mak<strong>in</strong>g our jobs more<br />
challeng<strong>in</strong>g? And how else should we adapt our methods to counteract this?<br />
This article’s scope is limited to identify<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> features of <strong>the</strong> English students use outside<br />
<strong>the</strong> classroom, but <strong>the</strong>re are many related tangents that should be explored. For example, what<br />
trends can we note about Tagalish based on its occurrences on <strong>Facebook</strong>? Which English<br />
vocabulary absorbed <strong>in</strong>to this hybrid language, <strong>and</strong> why is grammar not <strong>in</strong>fluenced? Why, for<br />
<strong>in</strong>stance, does <strong>the</strong> writer <strong>in</strong> Example 1 use <strong>the</strong> English “late” <strong>in</strong>stead of <strong>the</strong> common “urhi” or less<br />
common “atrasado”?<br />
Similarly, does jejemon represent an opportunity for <strong>in</strong>dividuals to express personality <strong>and</strong> or<br />
to foster a k<strong>in</strong>d of group or communal collectivism? How does jejemon fit <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> larger picture of<br />
P<strong>in</strong>oy culture <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 21 st century?<br />
The <strong>in</strong>ternet, fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, may provide a fundamental cultural divide between Filip<strong>in</strong>os with<br />
<strong>in</strong>ternet access <strong>and</strong> those without. How might <strong>the</strong> various levels of <strong>in</strong>ternet access among Filip<strong>in</strong>o<br />
students br<strong>in</strong>g new challenges to <strong>the</strong> classroom? How should teachers adapt to a student population<br />
that is more heterogeneous <strong>in</strong> its knowledge <strong>and</strong> culture?<br />
Should teachers be <strong>Facebook</strong> friends with <strong>the</strong>ir students? How does this destabilize <strong>the</strong><br />
teacher-student relationship? How does a teacher shar<strong>in</strong>g his/her identity outside <strong>the</strong> classroom<br />
positively or negatively affect <strong>the</strong> dynamics <strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong> classroom?
Fullmer 17<br />
Obviously, this research presupposes that students have <strong>in</strong>ternet access, which is not true for<br />
a large portion of <strong>the</strong> rural population <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Philipp<strong>in</strong>es. That of course also means that perceived<br />
issues of <strong>in</strong>ternet English <strong>in</strong>terfer<strong>in</strong>g with st<strong>and</strong>ard English are also not at issue. For <strong>the</strong>se<br />
populations, <strong>the</strong> need rema<strong>in</strong>s as Roger Thompson described <strong>in</strong> 2003: “Electricity holds <strong>the</strong> key to<br />
<strong>the</strong> future of English <strong>and</strong> its spread among those who are not affected by <strong>the</strong> forces of urbanization<br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>ter-isl<strong>and</strong> migration <strong>in</strong> search of work.” With that said, it is my belief that <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternet will do<br />
more to shape education <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Philipp<strong>in</strong>es <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> com<strong>in</strong>g years than any new policy or teach<strong>in</strong>g<br />
method.
Fullmer 18<br />
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Fullmer 19