The Foreign Service Journal, June 2008

74 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 0 8 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT phones — the international phone from home that accepts a SIM card and a U.S. cell phone. Others have a single instrument with global calling capability, such as the tri-band and unlocked phones (see the thread on Livelines , at www.aafsw.org , for more detailed information). Some kids find that simple is good; others opt for Blackberries or iPhones, which have the added advantage of helping them stay organized. Students should also know what to do in case their cell phone is lost or stolen. The student needs to be named on the account as someone authorized to speak to the service provider so that if the phone is lost or stolen, it can be reported immediately to avoid liability for charges racked up by the finder or thief. A final note on cell phones: be sure to list an “In Case of Emergency” con- tact in the address book. Emergency rescue workers routinely look in the cell phone for an ICE listing. That could be entered in speed dial as ICE, with a name and number that would be easy to dial. Other ways that kids and parents can stay in touch include Voice Over Internet Protocol through such ser- vices as Skype and Vonage (again, see Livelines — at www.aafsw.org — for a discussion thread on this topic). Many countries do not allow the software to be downloaded, so it needs to be downloaded on computers in the U.S. or other accommodating countries. These services offer low-cost or free international calls. Many parents have learned from their kids how popular instant messag- ing or gchats (gmail’s version of IM) are. It is a great way to have a conver- sation, and often students open up more when talking online than they might otherwise. If you want to see your child’s face as you talk, you can add a webcam. A word about social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace . People all over the world are signing up for these sites as a way of staying in touch with friends and family in far- flung places. Young people today are especially dedicated to keeping the pages updated, and they network with friends and other people of like inter- ests. Students can meet classmates before ever getting to school this way. Colleges themselves often sponsor pages for this purpose, and are active- ly looking for ways to use the sites for recruiting. One cautionary note: students should not put any sensitive or private information on their pages. They need to keep personal security issues in mind and be aware that future employers can and do look at these sites.