Have you seen this news item from the Washington Post about how fast storms can brew in the digital world? Dave Kori, a high school senior, phoned a public school administrator at home and left a message to express his dissatisfaction that a snow day had not been called (three inches), and to hear the administrator’s side of the story. The administrator’s wife returned the call and left a very irritated message (which she undoubtably regrets now). The message, posted on a

This week the Nielsen Company released study findings that are useful if you’re the parent of a tween (ages 8 – 12):
  The report estimates that:
   * 35% of tweens own a mobile phone.
   * 20% of tweens have used text messaging.
   * 21% of tweens have used ring & answer tones.

I like seeing statistics like this because I’m anticipating my soon-to-be-middle-schooler will ask for a phone before long. Contrary to what he will tell me, 35% is still quite a minority (though I’m…

Attention parents: There’s a new “slanguage” out there, used for text and SMS messaging, featuring initialisms and crazy capital letter combinations that leave many of us over 25 scratching our heads. These abbreviations are now so mainstream that the Oxford English Dictionary began including them in its 2001 edition. Here are 10 (plus one) that put a smiley on my face:

1. ROTFLUTS – Rolling on the floor laughing, unable to speak

2. SIS – Snickering in silence

3. T+ –

…

To honor this blog’s name—a texting phrase used by kids to indicate they’re being watched—I thought I’d give a doff of the digital hat to the winner of the 2007 National Texting Competition, held in April. Looks like texting isn’t a skill acquired with age: 13-year-old Morgan Pozgar won the crown (that’s just an idiom, because the actual prize was $25,000). As someone who can barely eek out a text message, I…

Could high school students consider good grades to be as cool as the latest sneaker brand? Some educators in New York City are hoping to elevate scholastic achievement to a hot brand, using a special school-issued cell phone as a status symbol.  Esquire covers the story in its December issue. I love the idea because it hooks into what’s driving kids these days. No ivory tower or holier-than-thou idealism here. 

Here’s how it works. Every student in a high school gets a cell phone. It’s basically a silver Razr-esque Motorola phone, inscribed at…