Developing Your Techno-Literacy

Understand the Code: The New Shorthand

You walk over to your child while she is on a computer chatroom, IM, or as they are “chatting” on their cell phone and you notice that she writes, “POS CUL8R.” You assume such gibberish is a mistake or shrug it off as silly pre-adolescent banter. It probably is, no different than how you and I operated at that age. Although if you knew that these acronyms stood for “Parent Over Shoulder See You Later,” you may want to know more about what she is talking about to better determine her level of safety. Some “codes” may be more alerting than others. What if you noticed your child receiving shorthand such as ASL or TDTM. The first asks for “Age, Sex, and Location” and the second stands for “Talk Dirty to Me” – two very commonly used abbreviations from others who may very well have disingenuous motives.

Children (and some adults) have developed their own type of shorthand to quickly keep up with the pace of communication in chatrooms, on cell phones, and via instant messaging. When the “room” is filled with 20, 30, or more people, the conversation can be fast and furious. In the case of cell phone text messaging, the “keyboard” or dial pad is very small and cumbersone which also leads to the need to be brief and concise. Some chat or other messaging environments do not support multimedia exchanges which limit users in how they can express themselves beyond simple words. These limitations of time and technology have spawned a new set of acronyms and symbols. What some children have also discovered is that the same language may be effective in communicating with other children while keeping their parents “in the dark.” The bad news for parents is that these symbols may be difficult to decipher without continued exposure and practice. While participating in some fast paced chatrooms, I still have to keep a computer lingo dictionary or online converter open just to keep up. Its like being in a foreign country and you don’t speak the language. Here are a few websites that should help:

• http://www.city-net.com/~ched/help/lingo/jargonlinks.html
• http://www.web-friend.com/help/lingo/chatslang.html
• http://www.stands4.com/
• http://da.co.la.ca.us/pok/poklist.htm

Also, check out http://www.netlingo.com/ for some helpful lists such as The NetLingo Top 20 Internet Acronyms Every Parent Needs to Know and 50 More Internet Acronyms Every Parent Should Know.

Online Instructional Modules

Help is available to you for teaching your children (and/or students) how to be as safe as possible in a high-tech world. In addition to having discussions, I recommend that you spend some time together on some websites designed for this very purpose. On these sites, you will find tutorials, quizzes, animated lessons, and more:

 1. NetSmartz. The NetSmartz Workshop is an interactive, educational safety resource that teaches kids and teens how to stay safer on the Internet. NetSmartz combines the newest technologies available and the most current information to create high-impact educational activities that are well received by even the most tech-savvy kids. Parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement also have access to additional resources for learning and teaching about the dangers children may face online. NetSmartz was created by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). http://www.netsmartz.org/

 2. Don’t Believe the Type. This information was adapted from Teen Safety on the Information Highway written by Lawrence J. Magid, a syndicated columnist, media commentator, and host of www.safekids.com and www.safeteens.com. He is also the author of The Little PC Book (Peach Pit Press, 1993). http://tcs.cybertipline.com/

 3. GetNetWise. The Internet is an increasingly important place to work, play and learn for both adults and children. At the same time, we are concerned about the risks we face online. The challenge is to stay “one-click” ahead of would-be pornographers, hackers, child-predators and those who would misuse your and your child’s sensitive information. GetNetWise can help. http://www.getnetwise.org/

 4. Internet Safety for Teachers. Although designed for teachers, you as a parent can use this site which is designed to educate children about the dangers that lurk online. Here you will find free interactive lessons you can use at home as well as in your classroom. http://www.safekids.ne.gov/teachers.html

 5.  Internet Superheroes. Delivering smart, safe and responsible surfing messages to children, teens, schools and parents, online and offline. http://www.internetsuperheroes.com/

 6. Kidsmart. Kidsmart is an award winning practical Internet safety program website for schools, young people, parents, and agencies, produced by the children’s Internet charity Childnet International. http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/

 7. Chatdanger. A site all about the potential dangers on interactive services online like chat, IM, online games, e-mail and on mobiles. Click on the icons below to read TRUE STORIES and find out how to chat SAFELY... http://www.chatdanger.com/