Matthew C. Winner

June 19, 2006

Internet Course Module

Net Slang,

Internet Jargon,

And Chat Room Lingo

Objective Students will be able to identify use of Internet slang and the contextual meaning of a given slang word.

Objective Students will become familiar with situations in which Internet slang is appropriate.

Introduction As communication via the Internet has increased and as the Internet as a media form has made known its place in our society, the World Wide Web has given birth to an entirely new lexicon of slang.

As the technology is becoming more prevalent in our culture, it’s important to understand the vocabulary being used more and more by our students, our kids, and our media sources. Teachers should have knowledge of this slang, not only so they can understand their students better, but also so they can communicate more effectively when using technology in the classroom.

Read & Discuss Read Youngsters building big vocabulary of chat slang by a journalist in Silicon Valley and test your knowledge of chat slang, best known for its use in online chat rooms.

(http://pcanswer.com/articles/sjm_chatslang.htm)

As you read, think about the following questions:

· What chat slang terms were you familiar with?

· What terms were you unfamiliar with?

· What words or phrases do you associate with the Internet?

· What words or phrases do your students use when talking about the Internet?

· Finally, what words have been introduced into our culture and language because of the Internet?

Activity As technology is being used more and more in the classroom, it is important that our students know the language used to communicate in and about the Internet. While most classroom web activities will not use chat rooms, students need to know the correct set of words used to describe their experiences online in order to effectively communicate with others.

Review the sites below in order to familiarize yourself with current net slang.

Sites Internet Slang –Wikipedia web encyclopedia definition and explanation of net slang’s social use. The site provides a long list of acronyms and phrases available. This site also explains net slang in terms of parts of speech.

(http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_jargon)

The NetLingo Top 20 Tech Terms that are Now Common Expressions – [from site] NetLingo has thousands of definitions that easily explain the Internet and the online world of business, technology, and communication. This link gives the most recent 20 common tech expressions. See the link at the bottom of the page for a full listing of online jargon terms.

(http://www.netlingo.com/top20expressions.cfm)

Winners on Wheels: Internet Slang – Explains frequently used Internet slang terms in the Internet 101 forum. All definitions are written in a kid-friendly language.

(http://www.wowusa.com/Internet101/slang.htm)

Assignment Create a classroom sign or chart of at least 15 commonly used Internet slang terms or expressions and their definitions. Choose words that are appropriate for your students and/or high frequency words that you feel students should know in order to communicate information about the web effectively.

Remember to create the activity so that it is appropriate for the students you teach with regards to specific student level and age. Be sure to indicate this level somewhere in your document.

Submission Post your activity a an html file to the McDaniel Web Server, create a link to the file on your index page, and send your instructor an email notification containing a hot link to the assignment (not to your index page) and the assignment file’s URL.

Rubric

	Unacceptable	Developing	Accomplished
Use of at least 15 applicable Internet slang terms	Fewer than 15 terms with no definition of terms	15 terms with few or no definitions provided for terms	15 or more terms with definition provided for each term
Accurate definition of slang term	Inaccurate definitions for all 15 terms	Accurate definitions for some, but not all, terms	Accurate definition for each term listed
Appropriateness for level and age	Terms selected are not appropriate for age or level of student	Some, but not all, terms appropriate for given age or level of student	All terms selected are appropriate for the age or level of the student

Other Sites The following provide additional information regarding Internet slang.

Interpreting Internet Slang and Symbols – Safe Internet surfing tips for parents and students. This site also provides an explanation of commonly used web slang terms and symbols.

(http://www.safersurfers.org/interpreting_internet_slang.htm)

ABC News: Shanghai bans Chinese Internet Slang Terms – Report published by ABC News regarding authorities putting an end to the use of Internet slang in schools, advertising, and forms of news media.

(http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1151510)