Windhoek — How will mobile devices enhance literacy in Africa? The answer, according to Donald Clark - outspoken  Scottish entrepreneur and blogger - who takes us a step back.

"It's about the tool, not the devices," said Clark, whose presentation here at the eLearning Africa in Windhoek focused on the fact that not all devices are created equally in literacy.

He thinks tablets are harmful, not for pre-primary and primary learners (thank goodness because my son, almost five, hogs the iPad), but for secondary students.

"A physical keyboard is key in developing literacy skills. Tablets are a problem - there's research showing that they inhibit literacy by, for example, being expensive, not teacher friendly and encouraging students to regurgitate text because of a lack of cut and paste functionality," Clark said. "We're not in the business of buying boxes, we're in the business of teaching and learning."

Clark also has a bee in his bonnet about texting, and we don't share that bee. He thinks we need to get over the angst of how teenagers are destroying the English language.

"Language evolves, and we evolve with it. New abbreviations enter language all the time, there's nothing to be afraid of," he said.

This was a step too far for me, particularly as an editor who rereads my SMSs and emails before sending them. I refuse to use shorthand, except when I'm taking notes and write "ppl" instead of "people".

But Clark had a slide for people like me and let's just say it was a rude awakening. It reminded me of when my parents thought my black nail polish was over the top, or that wearing my hair curly was slightly odd.

Texting, Clark said, promotes a knowledge of a language's phonetic structure and he used this sentence as an example: "Cnsnnts crry mr infrmtn thn vwls." I'm almost convinced, Mr. Clark, possibly enough to stop my rallying cry against texting/SMS language. Almost. I may need a week or two.