The fact that so many youth spend so much time communicating online has been a blessing and a curse for their language skills, according to teachers.

According to a study from the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, about 80 percent of teachers believe modern modes of communication are spurring creativity and personal expression.

“In the past, it was trouble getting students to write,” says Kourtney Michael, who teaches English and journalism at Raytown South High School in the Kansas City area. “Now they are learning that communication is power. They have an audience. They are learning that every word has meaning, and there is power in that.”

All that digital interactivity also has led to some creative spelling, abbreviation and punctuation techniques that teachers loathe and have no place on a college essay. In the same survey, Pew found that seven out of 10 teachers reported their students tended to take more shortcuts and put less effort into their writing. Students reared in the age of digital communication are having some difficulty switching back and forth between informal communication and more formal techniques that universities and businesses require.

“I think I’ll hire a scribe,” jokes 20-year-old college student Cole Payne. (The Kansas City Star)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife Wendy and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.