TEENS GET TEXT HEAVY ON PHONES EDUCATORS NOT PLEASED ABOUT CLASS DISTRACTION.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - If u cn rd ths, thk a tngr.

Long after stenographers started writing shorthand, an abbreviated language has been resurrected for a silent form of communication called text messaging.

While text messaging often is used by businesses to communicate stock quotes and meeting arrangements to their employees or to let actors know their call times, students from junior high to college are the most frequent users of the medium.

In other words, if that teenager next to you is unusually quiet, check his or her hands. Chances are they're letting their fingers do the talking.

``Basically, it's a way to talk to people without getting on the phone or online like you have to for instant messaging,'' said Tom Lund, a junior at Saugus High School. ``It's easy to type it out and you can send them late at night rather than getting on the phone. It costs less, too.''

Lund said that while teachers usually prohibit cell-phone use in class, the size and easy use of the phones make them practically invisible.

``I don't think the teachers really know about it,'' he said. ``When a teacher is giving a lecture, you can look at them under the desk. It's better than passing notes.''

Lund has friends who send and receive 700 messages a month, but his use runs about 10 or 15 messages a week. He also sends text messages to his parents to let them know what time he will get off from work.

Caitlin Schuerger, a senior at Valencia High, says convenience is her primary reason for text messaging. She also uses it to keep in touch with her parents.

``People are busy, and its easier than talking on the phone and you can do it during class,'' she said. ``Most teachers will take the phone away if you do it in class or tell you to put it away. I don't spend that much time because it only takes a few seconds.''

Teachers, on the other hand, often look at texting as just another disruption in the classroom and don't deem it as beneficial. What's worse, some parents are contributing to the problem.

``Text messaging has become a modern-day hydra in the classroom,'' said Tina Centoni, an English teacher at Hart High School. ``Sometimes it seems impossible to control. I doubt that any teacher allows a student to either send or receive text messages in class; however, the phones are so small that they are very easy to hide in their laps.''

``Students are text messaging each other all over campus all day long, but an even worse crime is that parents are text messaging their students during class. I cannot tell you how often I have taken a phone away from a distracted student who insists that the message is from his mom and if he doesn't respond, he'll be in trouble that night.''

Vocabulary lists have been loaded into cell phones, making answers available at a touch - and disappearing just as quickly.

``As for writing skills, I find that students are ridiculously lazy in their writing,'' Centoni said. ``Luckily, Microsoft Office fixes most of their mistakes for them if they just look out for the little green and red squiggly lines. Too bad Microsoft hasn't come up with a little yellow line that screams, Needs more details! The more time students spend using AIM and text messaging, the more difficult it will be for them to write using standard English, their second language.''

Louise Davies, who teaches English at Canyon High School, said text messaging could easily become a daylong activity.

``If I allowed TM in the classroom, that is all they would do. This is the electronic equivalent to writing a note,'' she said.

English teachers bemoan the ``creative'' spelling that texting has fostered, saying that writing skills have deteriorated since the popular communication tool has been in use.

``Students don't recognize the difference between formal and informal English. They think 'cuz' and 'cause' and 'b/c' all represent the word 'because,''' Davies said. ``If we accept that writing is only a reflection of their thinking, then we have some really sloppy thinkers.

``There has always been a problem with spelling and grammar. TM makes them think that any form of communication will do.''

Many teens found new phones in their holiday packages, something that sent parents pouring into cell-phone showrooms earlier this month, trying to get the perfect wireless gifts for their children.

``Mostly the kids want longer plans that allow more text messaging,'' Jon Berman, vice president of Unicom Wireless, said of recent customer trends. ``They use them between classes to figure out where to meet or find out if a friend is at school that day without having to hear the cell phone ring.''

School officials have eased restrictions on cell phones in class, he said, because they have seen the benefits for students and schools as well.

``If they keep them on silent or vibrate, it doesn't ring in the classroom,'' he continued. ``They've found it's been a good tool for families to get a hold of each other; they don't have to bother the office running messages to kids.''

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.co

WHAT THOSE LETTERS STAND FOR

g2g - Got to go

sms - short message service

ttul - talk to you later

nbd - no big deal

bbl - be back later

pcm - please call me

:x - kiss

:D - laughing

:( - sad

wl - will

btw - by the way

afaik - as far as I know

w - what

pxt - please explain that

4yeo - for your eyes only 

a3 - anytime, anywhere, anyplace

brbgp - be right back, gotta pee 

prw - parents are watching

wtmi - way too much information

gal - get a life

y? - why?

In June 2002, wireless phone users sent 1 billion text messages. Texting has been popular in Europe and Asia for the past decade.

Sources: Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association and Telphia, an industry consulting group

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Text messaging has become a popular medium for cell-phone users to communicate, but messaging on a cell phone can also be a distraction in the classroom.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

Box:

WHAT THOSE LETTERS STAND FOR (see text)