|
February 15, 2002
The Back Page
By Amy Poftak and Kristen Kennedy
Watch Words
 |
Cell yell n. The conspicuous habit many cell phone users have of speaking into their phones louder than necessary.
Flame v., n. The act of sending insulting e-mail or posting a scathing message on a newsgroup. In recent times, instant messaging has become a popular way for kids to conduct "flame wars" on the fly.
Mousetrapping n. A technological trick, often used by pornography and gambling sites, which traps users on a particular Web page, making it almost impossible to close or exit an offensive browser window.
PowerPointlessness n. Popularized by From Now On publisher Jamie McKenzie, this term takes aim at all those elaborate transitions and effects in a PowerPoint presentation that have no apparent educational benefit.
Three-fingered salute n. Also known in certain circles as the "Vulcan nerve pinch," the three-fingered salute-CTL-ALT-DEL-reboots a computer or program that freezes up on you.
Source: The Word Spy |
Gleanings
U.S. Teens and Reading: Not in the Habit
Only 30 percent of 15-year-olds in the United States named reading their favorite hobby, compared to 43 percent of international students, according to results from the 2000 Program for International Student Assessment of 15-Year-Olds in Reading, Math, and Science Literacy (PISA). Notably, in every country polled, more girls claimed reading as a favorite pastime than boys. In the United States alone, girls surpassed boys in their preference for reading by 15 percent.
American Kids Getting Fatter
According to the University of Michigan, the number of significantly overweight children aged four through 12 has doubled over a 12-year period. Today, 22 percent of Hispanic and black youth, and 12 percent of white kids, are considered overweight. Researchers attributed this dramatic growth to several factors, including lack of exercise, high-fat meals, as well as excess television and video games.
The Promise of Civic-Minded Students
A recent Civic Education study conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) revealed that the majority of U.S. ninth-grade students anticipate being politically active citizens in the future, with 85 percent expecting to vote in national elections. Let's hope they live up to their expectations: roughly 50 percent of registered voters actually turned out for the 2000 elections.
Teaching September 11th
Since the September 11th tragedy, hundreds of Web sites have added information to help visitors make sense of recent world events. But are teachers taking advantage of them? According to a National School Boards Association survey taken this fall, 78 percent of school districts are going online to help students understand the terrorist attacks and issues surrounding the war in Afghanistan. Other resources districts cite using include newspapers and magazines (86 percent), television news (71 percent), and parents and community leaders (52 percent).
Read other articles from the February Issue
Send a letter to the Editor in response to this article.
|
