Trends, Las Vegas Sun, Aug. 14, 2000

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Trends, August 14, 2000 Lisa Ferguson Monday, Aug. 14, 2000 | 9:22 a.m. Lisa Ferguson is the Sun assistant features editor. Her Trends column appears Mondays. Reach her at lisa@lasvegassun.com or 259-4060. All tech-ed out Summer just flew by, didn't it? In the next couple of weeks, countless students will head back into classrooms and try to concentrate on textbooks -- while their minds will probably still be at the beach. But at least they'll have the right hi-tech supplies. According to the "Digital Decade" survey, conducted by electronics store Best Buy, 24 percent of college freshman this year will lug a laptop computer to class with them regularly. Eleven percent will have a device such as a Palm Pilot on their person; 35 percent will rely on an old standby -- the mini tape recorder -- for taking notes, while 92 percent will opt for the incredibly low-tech pad of paper. Meanwhile 33 percent of students figure they'll use website message boards for obtaining information about class discussions and questions. While you'll still find 83 percent of students sitting in classrooms listening to lectures, 21 percent plan to interact with other students and professors through virtual, on-line classrooms. And they'll head home each day to well-equipped dorm rooms: 75 percent will have a TV; 59 percent a VCR; and 56 percent a stereo. Packing 'em in Clothing company Land's End also sponsored a back-to-school survey that revealed 96 percent of students ages 8-13 will carry a backpack to school this year. Among the contents: portable CD players will likely be mixed in with the books, pens and protractors. On a serious note, when it comes to backpacks 31 percent of children are carrying them the wrong way -- slinging one strap over one shoulder as opposed to using both straps. The American Chiropractic Association offers these "backpack safety tips": * Backpacks should be the appropriate size for the child. Packs for smaller kids should not extend more than four inches past their waists. * A child's backpack should weigh no more than five-to-10 percent off his or her own body weight. * Both straps should be worn at the same time. And make sure they're padded and fit snug to avoid neck and back pain. What's old is new again In yet another survey, Minnesota's Mall of America has released numbers about back-to-school shopping. Surprise: most parents expect to pay for 91 to 100 percent of their children's back-to-school items. Funny thing, though: They'll be shelling out cash for clothes that are similar to the garments they wore as kids -- it's particularly true for moms. Today's youngsters wants fashions featuring tie-dye (37 percent), flared jeans with such embellishments as beads and embroidery (34 percent), capri pants (31 percent), bandanas (24 percent) and tube tops (20 percent). Look for the retro craze to strike strongest in the Northeastern corner of the country, where 87 percent of parents report that their children are wearing at least one of the aforementioned styles, compared to 49 percent of West Coast youngsters. archive