Better Spelling Through Texting?

Okay… As I think many of you know, I am a big supporter of students having access to technology.  I am also convinced that at certain levels this access can lead to skill development that is essential for success in the future.  With that said, this assertion surprises me…  and I question the validity.  The blog post states,

Based on a series of reading and spelling tests, researchers found a “significant contribution of textism use to the children’s spelling development during the study.” The study made it clear that it wasn’t the access to the phone per se, or even the text-messaging as much as specifically the use of textisms that aided the development. The reason, writes Dr. Clare Wood, one of the authors of the study, “is partly explained by the highly phonetic nature of the textisms that are popular within this age group, as the phonological and alphabetic awareness that is required for the construction and decoding of these textisms also underpin successful reading development.”