%0 Journal Article
%T ¡°You should be reading, not texting¡±: Understanding classroom text messaging in the constant contact society
%A Sarah Lohnes Watulak
%J Digital Culture & Education
%D 2010
%I Digital Culture & Education (DCE)
%X Cell phones are the most ubiquitous communication device owned by young people today, and students¡¯ text messaging during class is a common occurrence in many university classrooms. Analyzing data from a qualitative study involving 34 undergraduate students at a university in the Northeastern United States, this paper seeks to explore: Why do university students text message during class, and what does this tell us about text messaging as a new literacy practice within traditional classroom settings? Drawing on perspectives from new literacies and communication studies, I argue that texting was a meaningful practice for students as it afforded the opportunity for ongoing participation in social networks, and provided a means of exercising power within the controlled space of the classroom.
%K Cell phone
%K college students
%K mobile communication
%K mobile phone
%K new literacies
%K text messaging
%U http://www.digitalcultureandeducation.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/dce1032_watulak_2010.pdf