In almost every hour of a students waking day we have our cell phones at hand.  We can use most contemporary cell phones to access the Internet and the Internet connects almost all of us.   However, most students would report spending less than 15 minutes a day using the web on their phones.  We might make use of cell phone internet to settle a bet or something of the sorts. 

Students disengage by engaging our class’s, by studying, reading and getting exercise to name but a few.  When students use connective media by texting, calling and the Internet it is also assumed that we are “engaged”.  It is possible that students, “don’t quite know what to do with themselves” simply because we are always engaged in our daily lives.   The times in the day that students are not connected might only be when we are sleeping. 

Is it possible then, that at any other point in a student’s day we are constantly engaged? If this much is true than it is no wonder we might get a little bored when we have nothing to do.  Yet no one would claim that they have absolutely NO time to themselves.  It is in this free time that students “unplug” by hanging out together, eating with friends, spending time with lovers and the list goes on and on.

.02 – Your (or my) two cents worth.
10X – Thanks
2MI – Too much information
2U2 – To You Too
4COL – For Crying Out Loud
420 – let’s get high / got weed?
[chuckle] – the speaker chuckles
[frown] – the speaker is frowning
[g] – Grin
[grin] – the speaker is grinning
[smile] – the one writing the message is smiling
[smirk] – the one writing the message is smirking
[wink] – the one writing the message is winking
[$X$] – No spam!
JK – Just Kidding
? – I have a question
! – I have a comment
A-OLs – Administrators On-Line
AAMOF – As A Matter Of Fact
ADN – Any Day Now
AFAIC – As Far As I’m Concerned
AFAIK – As Far As I Know
AFAIR – As Far As I Remember
AFJ – April Fool’s Joke
AFK – Away From the Keyboard
AISI – As I See It
ANFAWFOS – And Now For A Word From Our Sponsor
ANFSCD – And Now For Something Completely Different
AS – Another Subject
ASAP – As Soon As Possible
ASAYGT – As Soon As You Get This
ASL – Age, Sex, Location
ASLA – Age, Sex, Location, Availability
ATSL – Along The Same Line
AWC – After While, Crocodile
AWGTHTGTTA – Are We Going To Have To Go Through This Again?
AWHFY – Are We Having Fun Yet?
AWTTW – A Word To The Wise
AYOR – At Your Own Risk
B4N – Bye For Now
BAC – Bad A**ed Chick
BAK – Back At Keyboard
BBFN – Bye Bye For Now
BBIAB – Be Back In A Bit
BBIAF – Be Back In A Few
BBL – Be Back Later
BBR – Burnt Beyond Repair
BC – Because
BCNU – Be seein’ you
BEG – Big Evil Grin
BF – Boy Friend
BFN – Bye For Now
BFD – Big Frickin’ Deal
BIF – Before I Forget
BION – Believe it or not
BOBFOC – Body Off Baywatch, Face Off Crimewatch
BOHICA – Bend Over, Here It Comes Again
BOT – Back On Topic
BRB – Be Right Back
BRS – Big Red Switch
BTA – But Then Again
BTAIM – Be That As It May
BTHOM – Beats The Hell Outta Me
BTOBD – Be There Or Be Dead
BTW – By The Way
BWL – Bursting With Laughter
BWQ – Buzz Word Quotient
BYE – Response to BYE?
BYE? – Are you ready to say goodbye?
BYKT – But You Knew That
BYOB – Bring Your Own Bottle
BYOM – Bring Your Own Mac
C&G – Chuckle and Grin
CADET – Can’t Add, Doesn’t Even Try
CID – Crying In Disgrace
CMIIW – Correct Me If I’m Wrong
CO – Conference or Company
CPP – C Plus Plus or C++
CRS – Can’t Remember Sh**
CSG – Chuckle, Snicker, Grin
CU – See You
CU2 – See You, Too
CUL – See you later
CUL8R – See You Later
CULA – See You Later, Alligator
CWYL – Chat With You Later
CYA – See Ya / Cover Your A**
CYAL8R – See You All Later
D8 – Date
DIIK – Damned If I Know
DIKU? – Do I Know You?
DILLIGAD – Do I Look Like I Give A Darn?
DIY – Do It Yourself
DK – Don’t Know
DLTBBB – Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite
dotgov – A government official (from the .gov of government domain names)
DTRT – Do The Right Thing
DWIMC – Do What I Mean, Correctly
DWIMNWIS – Do What I Mean, Not What I Say
EG or – Evil Grin
EOL – End of Life
ESAD – Eat Sh** And Die
ETLA – Extended Three Letter Acronym
F2F or FTF – Face To Face
FCFS – First Come, First Served
FISH – First In, Still Here
FITB – Fill In The Blank
FOAD – F*** off and die
FOAF – Friend Of A Friend
FOAG – **** Off And Google
FOMC – Fell Off My Chair
FS – For Sale
FTASB – Faster Than A Speeding Bullet
FTL – Faster Than Light
FUBAR – Fouled Up Beyond All Repair
FUBB – Fouled Up Beyond Belief
FUD – Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt
FURTB – Full Up Ready To Burst
FWIW – For What It’s Worth
FYA – For Your Amusement
FYI – For Your Information
G – Grin, or Giggle
G1 – Good One
G2G – Got to Go
GA – Go Ahead
GAL – Get A Life
GD&R – Grinning, Ducking and Running
GD&RF – Grinning, Ducking and Running Fast
GD&WVF – Grinning, Ducking, and Walking Very Fast
GDW – Grin, Duck and Weave
GF – Girl Friend
GFN – Gone For Now
GFR – Grim File Reaper
GG – Good Game
GGP – Gotta Go Pee
GIDK – Gee I Don’t Know
GIWIST – Gee, I Wish I’d Said That
GJ – Good Job
GL – Good Luck
GLGH – Good Luck and Good Hunting
GMTA – Great Minds Think Alike
GO – Get Out or Get Off
GOWI – Get On With It
GR8 – Great
GR&D – Grinning, Running and Ducking
GTFO – Get The F*** Out / Off
GTG – Got To Go
GTSY – Great To See You
H&K – Hugs and Kisses
H4U – Hot For You
HAGD – Have A Great Day
HAK – Hugs And Kisses
HAND – Have A Nice Day
HDYLTA – How Do You Like Them Apples?
HHIS – Hanging Head In Shame
HHOJ – Ha Ha Only Joking
HHOK – Ha Ha Only Kidding
HHOS – Ha Ha Only Serious
HHTYAY – Happy Holidays to You and Yours
HNY – Happy New Year
HOAS – Hang On A Sec (Second)
HOYEW – Hanging On Your Every Word
HSIK – How Should I Know
HT – Hi There
HBASTD – Hitting Bottom And Starting To Dig
HTH – Hope That Helps!
IAC – In Any Case
IAE – In Any Event
IANAL – I Am Not A Lawyer (but ) A disclaimer which is usually followed by a legal opinion
IAW – In Accordance With
IBK – Idiot Behind Keyboard
IBTD – I Beg To Differ
IC – I See
IDK – I Don’t Know
IDKTMWIM – I Don’t Know Tell Me What It Means
IDR – I Don’t Remember
IIABDFI – If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It
IIRC – If I Remember Correctly
IIWM – If It Were Me
IJWTK – I Just Want To Know
IJWTS – I Just Want To Say
IKWUM – I Know What You Mean
IKYABWAI – I Know You Are But What Am I?
IMA – I Might Add
IMAO – In My Arrogant Opinion
IMCO – In My Considered Opinion
IME – In My Experience
IMHO – In My Humble Opinion
IMNSHO – In My Not So Humble Opinion
IMO – In My Opinion
IMPOV – In My Point Of View
INPO – In No Particular Order
IOH – I’m Outta Here
IOW – In Other Words
IRL – In Real Life
ISS – I’m So Sure
ISSYGTI – I’m So Sure You Get The Idea!
ISWYM – I See What You Mean
ITFA – In The Final Analysis
ITSFWI – If The Shoe Fits Wear It
IWALU – I Will Always Love You
IWBNI – It Would Be Nice If
IWTAAQ – I Want To Ask A Question
IYFEG – Insert Your Favorite Ethnic Group
IYSS – If You Say So
IYSWIM – If You See What I Mean
J4F – Just For Fun
JAM – Just A Minute
JAS – Just A Second
JC – Just Chilling
JFI – Just For Information
JIC – Just In Case
JK – Just Kidding
JMO – Just My Opinion
JTLYK – Just To Let You Know
JWK – Just Wondering
K – Okay
KHYF – Know How You Feel
KIBO – Knowledge In, Bullsh** Out
KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid
KIT – Keep In Touch
KMA – Kiss My A**
KMIA – Kiss My Italian A**
KPC – Keep Parents Clueless
KWIM – Know What I Mean?
KYFC – Keep Your Fingers Crossed
L – Laugh
L8R – Later
LABATYD or LAB&TYD – Life’s A Bi*** And Then You Die
LJBF – Let’s Just Be Friends
LLTA – Lots and Lots of Thunderous Applause
LMAO – Laughing My A** Off
LMHO – Laughing My Head Off
LMS – Let Me See
LOLV – Lots Of Love
LOL – Lots Of Luck / Laughing Out Loud
LOML – Love Of My Life
LQL – Laughing Quite Loudly
LSHMBH – Laughing So Hard My Belly Hurts
LTHTT – Laughing Too Hard To Type
LTM – Laughing To Myself
LTNS – Long Time, No See
LTNT – Long Time, No Type
LTS – Laughing to Self
LUWAMH – Love You With All My Heart
LY – Love You
LYLAB – Love You Like A Brother
LYLAS – Love You Like A Sister
LYMY – Love You, Miss You
M8 – Mate
MEGO – My Eyes Glaze Over
M/ – Heavy Metal Music
MLA – Multiple Letter Acronym
MOF – Matter Of Fact
MOS – Mom Over Shoulder
MOSS – Member Of Same Sex
MOTAS – Member Of The Appropriate Sex
MOTD – Message of the day
MOTOS – Member Of The Opposite Sex
MOTSS – Member Of The Same Sex
MRA – Moving Right Along
MTFBWY – May The Force Be With You
MYOB – Mind Your Own Business
NAC – Not A Clue
NAVY – Never Again Volunteer Yourself
NBD – No Big Deal
NE14KFC? – Anyone for KFC?
NFW – No Freakin’ Way / No Friggin’ Way
NHOH – Never Heard Of Him/her
NIH – Not Invented Here
NIMBY – Not In My Back Yard
NINO – Nothing In, Nothing Out / No Input, No Output
NITL – Not In This Lifetime
NM – Never Mind / Not Much
NOYB – None Of Your Business
NP – No Problem
NQA – No Questions Asked
NRN – No Response Necessary
NTIM – Not That It Matters
NTIMM – Not That It Matters Much
NTW – Not To Worry
NTYMI – Now That You Mention It
O – Over (indicates the end of a communication)
OATUS – On A Totally Unrelated Subject
OAUS – On An Unrelated Subject
OB – Obligatory
OBO – Or Best Offer
OBTW – Oh, By The Way
OIC – Oh, I See
OMFG – Oh My Friggin’ God
OMG – Oh My God
ONNA – Oh No, Not Again
ONNTA – Oh No, Not This Again
OO – Over and Out (end of communication)
OOTC – Obligatory On-Topic Comment
OST – On Second Thoughts
OTF – On the Floor (Presumably Laughing)
OTFL – On the Floor Laughing
OTL – Out To Lunch
OTOH – On The Other Hand
OTOOH – On The Other, Other Hand
OTT – Over The Top
OTTH – On The Third Hand
OTTOMH – Off The Top Of My Head
OWTTE – Or Words To That Effect
P911 – Parent Alert, Change Subject
PABG – Packing a Big Gun
PCMCIA – People Can’t Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms
PCT – Podcasting
PD – Public Domain
PDS – Please Don’t Shout (typing all in capital letters is rude)
PEBCAK – Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard
PITA – Pain In The A**
PLOKTA – Press Lots Of Keys To Abort
PMBI – Pardon My Butting In
PMF – Pardon My French / Pure Freaking Magic
PMFBI – Pardon Me For Butting In
PMFJI – Pardon Me For Jumping In
PMIGBOM – Put Mind In Gear, Before Opening Mouth
PMJI – Pardon My Jumping In
PMP – Peeing My Pants
PNCAH – Please, No Cursing Allowed Here
POC – Piece Of Crap
POS – Parent Over Shoulder
POS – Piece of Sh**
POSSLQ – Person Of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters
POTUS – President of the United States
PPL – People
PTMM – Please Tell Me More
QT – Cutie
R U THERE? – Are you there?
RAEBNC – Read And Enjoyed, But No Comment
RE – Hello Again / In Regard To
REHI – Hi again
RHIP – Rank Has Its Privileges
RL – Real Life
RLCO – Real Life Conference
ROFL – Rolling On Floor Laughing
ROFLAS – Rolling On Floor Laughing And Screaming
ROFLMAO – Roll On Floor Laughing My A** Off
ROFLOL – Roll On Floor Laughing Out Loud
ROTF – Rolling On The Floor
ROI – Return on Investment
ROTFL – Rolling On The Floor Laughing
ROTFLMAOTID – Rolling On The Floor Laughing My A** Off Till I Die
ROTFLOL – Rolling On The Floor Laughing Out Loud
ROTFLOLAPMP – Rolling On The Floor Laughing Out Loud And Peeing My Pants
ROTFLTIC – Rolling On The Floor Laughing Till I Cry
RRQ – Return Receipt Request
RSN – Real Soon Now
RSVP – Respondez S’il Vous Plait (please reply)
RTBM – Read The Bloody Manual
RTFAQ – Read The Frequently Asked Questions
RTFF – Read The Freaking FAQ
RTFM – Read The F****** Manual
RTM – Read The Manual
RTSM – Read The Silly Manual
RTWFQ – Read The Whole Friggin’ Question
RTWT – Read The Whole Thing
RYFM – Read Your Friendly Manual
RYS – Read Your Screen
S – Smile
SAPFU – Surpassing All Previous Foul Ups
SCNR – Sorry, Could Not Resist
SEC – Wait a second
SETE – Smiling Ear To Ear
SFLA – Stupid Four Letter Acronym
SICS – Sitting In Chair Snickering
SLM – See Last Mail
SMOP – Small Matter of Programming
SNAFU – Situation Normal: All Fouled Up
SO – Significant Other
SOB – Stressed Out Big Time
SOL – Sh**, Out Of Luck
SOS – Same Old Stuff / Help!
SOW – Speaking Of Which
SSDD – Same Stuff Different Day
STN – Spend The Night
SUFID – Screwing Up Face In Disgust
SUL – Snooze You Lose
SWAK – Sealed With A Kiss
SWIM – See What I Mean?
SWL – Screaming With Laughter
SYS – See You Soon
TAF – That’s All, Folks!
TAFN – That’s All For Now
TAKS – That’s a Knee Slapper
TANJ – There Ain’t No Justice
TANSTAAFL – There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
TARFU – Things Are Really Fouled Up
TBD – To Be Decided
TBYB – Try Before You Buy
TCO – Total Cost of Ownership
TDM – Too Darn Many
TFS – Three Finger Salute (Ctrl-Alt-Del)
TFTHAOT – Thanks For The Help Ahead Of Time
TFTT – Thanks For The Thought
TGAL – Think Globally, Act Locally
THX – Thanks
TIA – Thanks In Advance
TIC – Tongue In Cheek
TINWIS – That Is Not What I Said
TMI – Too Much Information
TNSTAAFL – There’s No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
TNTL – Trying Not To Laugh
TNX – Thanks
TNXE6 – Thanks A Million
TOBAL – There Oughta Be A Law
TOBG – This Oughta Be Good
TOMA – Take Over My Arse/A**
TOY – Thinking Of You
TPTB – The Powers That Be
TRDMC – Tears Running Down My Cheeks
TS – Totally Stinks
TSR – Totally Stupid Rules
TTBOMK – To The Best Of My Knowledge
TTFN – Ta Ta For Now
TTKSF – Trying To Keep a Straight Face
TTUL – Talk To You Later
TTTT – To Tell The Truth
TTYAWFN – Talk To You A While From Now
TTYL – Talk To You Later
TTYT – Talk To You Tomorrow
TYCLO – Turn Your CAPS LOCK Off (Stop Shouting)
TYVM – Thank You Very Much
UOK – Are You OK?
UOM – You Owe Me
UOMBT – You Owe Me Big Time
UR – Your / You’re (You Are)
WAEF – When All Else Fails
WAG – Wild A**ed Guess
WB – Welcome Back
WDALYIC – Who died and left you in charge?
WDYMBT – What Do You Mean By That?
WDYT – What Do You Think?
WE – Whatever
WIBAMU – Well, I’ll Be A Monkey’s Uncle
WIBNI – Wouldn’t It Be Nice If
WMMOWS – Wash My Mouth Out With Soap
WNOHGB – Where No One Has Gone Before
WOA – Work Of Art
W00T – We Owned the Other Team
WOTAM – Waste Of Time And Money
WRT – With Regard To / With Respect To
WT – Without Thinking
WTB – Want To Buy
WTF – What The F***?
WTG – Way To Go!
WTGP – Want To Go Private?
WTH – What the heck/hell?
WTMI – Way Too Much Information
WTN – What then now? / Who then now?
WTTM – Without Thinking Too Much
WUM – Watch Your Mouth
WWJD – What Would Jesus Do?
WWYD – What Would You Do?
WYM – Watch Your Mouth
XOXOXO – Kisses and hugs
YABA – Yet Another Bloody Acronym
YAOTM – Yet Another Off-Topic Message
YAUN – Yet Another Unix Nerd
YBYSA – You Bet Your Sweet A**
YGLT – You’re Gonna Love This
YGTI – You Get The Idea?
YGTBK – You’ve Got To Be Kidding
YGWYPF – You Get What You Pay For
YIU – Yes, I Understand
YIWGP – Yes, I Will Go Private (Presumably a Private Message or Private Chat Room)
YKYARW – You Know You’re A Redneck When
YKWIM – You know what I mean
YMMV – Your Mileage May Vary (or your experience could be different)

And there you have it! All of the online internet “lingo” you’ll see as of 2008 is in the above list! So the next time you see your kids leave a chat window open on their computer, you’ll be able to really understand what they’re saying!