Vocabulary — Computers & Technology
These are the words for this kind of lesson, all on one page: how to spell each word, what it means in simple words, and one sentence to remember it by. You can come back to this page any time.
See every vocabulary page in this school
Abstraction
Spells: A-b-s-t-r-a-c-t-i-o-n
What it means: giving a finished piece a simple name and using the name without re-thinking the inside.
A sentence to remember it by: Abstraction — giving a finished piece a simple name and using the name without re-thinking the inside.
Algorithm
Spells: A-l-g-o-r-i-t-h-m
What it means: a precise list of steps that solves a problem.
A sentence to remember it by: A recipe is an algorithm for a kitchen.
App permission
Spells: A-p-p-p-e-r-m-i-s-s-i-o-n
What it means: what an app asks to reach, such as location, messages, or camera.
A sentence to remember it by: A good app asks only for what it needs.
Backup
Spells: B-a-c-k-u-p
What it means: a copy of your important files kept in a second place.
A sentence to remember it by: Updates, Public Wi-Fi, and Backups Updates fix holes.
Block / report
Spells: B-l-o-c-k-r-e-p-o-r-t
What it means: app tools that cut off contact and alert the platform about an account.
A sentence to remember it by: Stop, block, tell a trusted adult.
Bug
Spells: B-u-g
What it means: an error that makes a program fail or behave wrongly.
A sentence to remember it by: ☐ I started a bug notebook.
Bullying
Spells: B-u-l-l-y-i-n-g
What it means: repeated, on-purpose harm where there is a power difference.
A sentence to remember it by: Bystander — someone who sees bullying happen.
Bystander
Spells: B-y-s-t-a-n-d-e-r
What it means: someone who sees bullying happen.
A sentence to remember it by: Bystander — someone who sees bullying happen.
Code
Spells: C-o-d-e
What it means: instructions written in a programming language for a computer to follow.
A sentence to remember it by: Myth: Watching coding videos is learning to code.
Computer science
Spells: Computer science
What it means: the study of what step-by-step procedures can solve, and how to build them well.
A sentence to remember it by: Fact: Computers follow instructions exactly as written.
Control
Spells: C-o-n-t-r-o-l
What it means: using pressure, fear, or watching to make someone obey.
A sentence to remember it by: That watching is about control .
Cyber bullying
Spells: C-y-b-e-r-b-u-l-l-y-i-n-g
What it means: repeated, on-purpose harm through phones, apps, games, or social media, where one side has more power.
A sentence to remember it by: Report the serious parts to police and the CyberTipline.
Cyberbullying
Spells: C-y-b-e-r-b-u-l-l-y-i-n-g
What it means: bullying done through phones, apps, games, or social media.
A sentence to remember it by: Cyberbullying — bullying done through phones, apps, games, or social media.
CyberTipline
Spells: C-y-b-e-r-T-i-p-l-i-n-e
What it means: the national reporting system, run by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, for online exploitation of children.
A sentence to remember it by: Report the serious parts to police and the CyberTipline.
Data
Spells: D-a-t-a
What it means: the information a program works on — names, scores, pictures, maps.
A sentence to remember it by: Data scientists find patterns in huge collections of information.
Data structure
Spells: D-a-t-a-s-t-r-u-c-t-u-r-e
What it means: an organized arrangement of data, like a list or table, so it can be used quickly.
A sentence to remember it by: Data scientists find patterns in huge collections of information.
Debugging
Spells: D-e-b-u-g-g-i-n-g
What it means: finding a bug by making it happen again, shrinking it, and testing one guessed cause at a time.
A sentence to remember it by: Debugging is patient, honest detective work.
Decomposition
Spells: D-e-c-o-m-p-o-s-i-t-i-o-n
What it means: breaking a big problem into small problems and solving each one.
A sentence to remember it by: Computer scientists call this decomposition, and you already do it.
Digital footprint
Spells: Digital footprint
What it means: everything you post, send, and share online, which can be copied even after you delete it.
A sentence to remember it by: Digital footprint — everything you post, send, and share online, which can be copied even after you delete it.
Doxxing
Spells: D-o-x-x-i-n-g
What it means: posting someone's private information, like a home address, so others will bother or scare them.
A sentence to remember it by: Doxxing — posting someone's private information, like a home address, so others will bother or scare them.
Evidence
Spells: E-v-i-d-e-n-c-e
What it means: screenshots, dates, account names, and saved messages that show what happened.
A sentence to remember it by: Evidence — screenshots, dates, account names, and saved messages that show what happened.
Exclusion
Spells: E-x-c-l-u-s-i-o-n
What it means: leaving someone out on purpose as a way to hurt or control them.
A sentence to remember it by: Social bullying is exclusion campaigns, rumors, and turning a group against someone on purpose.
Fake website
Spells: F-a-k-e-w-e-b-s-i-t-e
What it means: a copied page that looks like a real login page but records what you type.
A sentence to remember it by: (4) Protect others: report the fake account and tell a trusted adult.
Grooming
Spells: G-r-o-o-m-i-n-g
What it means: when someone slowly builds a child's trust in order to use or harm them.
Where you meet it: in the lesson “Strangers, Fake Friends, and Pressure” in this school.
Impersonation
Spells: I-m-p-e-r-s-o-n-a-t-i-o-n
What it means: pretending to be someone else online, for example with a fake account using their name and photo.
A sentence to remember it by: Impersonation — pretending to be someone else online, for example with a fake account using their name and photo.
Location sharing
Spells: Location sharing
What it means: showing where your phone is to people on a list you can check.
A sentence to remember it by: Myth: Turning off location sharing means I did something wrong.
Passphrase
Spells: P-a-s-s-p-h-r-a-s-e
What it means: a password made of several ordinary words together — long, strong, and easier to remember.
A sentence to remember it by: A passphrase of several words is stronger and easier to remember.
Password
Spells: P-a-s-s-w-o-r-d
What it means: a secret code that locks your account, like a house key.
A sentence to remember it by: Demanding a password "or else" is control.
Password manager
Spells: Password manager
What it means: an app that safely remembers a different strong password for every account.
A sentence to remember it by: Myth: A short password with lots of symbols is the strongest kind.
Phishing
Spells: P-h-i-s-h-i-n-g
What it means: a fake message pretending to be a real company or person, trying to trick you into clicking.
A sentence to remember it by: Phishing — a fake message pretending to be a real company or person, trying to trick you into clicking.
Power difference
Spells: Power difference
What it means: an imbalance that makes it hard to defend yourself, such as numbers, popularity, age, or holding secrets or photos.
A sentence to remember it by: Power difference — an imbalance that makes it hard to defend yourself, such as numbers, popularity, age, or holding secrets or photos.
Predator
Spells: P-r-e-d-a-t-o-r
What it means: a person who targets children to harm or use them.
A sentence to remember it by: The person counting on you staying silent is the predator.
Public Wi
Spells: P-u-b-l-i-c-W-i
What it means: Fi — shared wireless internet in a public place; convenient, but not private.
A sentence to remember it by: Updates, Public Wi-Fi, and Backups Updates fix holes.
Roster
Spells: R-o-s-t-e-r
What it means: the list of people and apps that can see your location.
A sentence to remember it by: Roster — the list of people and apps that can see your location.
Safe device
Spells: S-a-f-e-d-e-v-i-c-e
What it means: a phone or computer the watcher cannot see.
A sentence to remember it by: Save proof from the safe device.
Secret watching
Spells: S-e-c-r-e-t-w-a-t-c-h-i-n-g
What it means: checking someone's phone, messages, or location without their free agreement.
A sentence to remember it by: The person who chose secret watching is responsible.
Sextortion
Spells: S-e-x-t-o-r-t-i-o-n
What it means: threatening to share someone's private images unless they send more images or money. A crime committed by the person threatening.
A sentence to remember it by: If the person threatens you, that is sextortion — a crime against you.
Software update
Spells: S-o-f-t-w-a-r-e-u-p-d-a-t-e
What it means: a fix from the maker of your device or app; updates repair security holes.
A sentence to remember it by: Software update — a fix from the maker of your device or app; updates repair security holes.
Stalkerware
Spells: S-t-a-l-k-e-r-w-a-r-e
What it means: apps made to spy on a phone, often hidden from its owner.
A sentence to remember it by: Federal Trade Commission — ftc.gov — stalkerware actions and guidance checked.
Trusted adult
Spells: T-r-u-s-t-e-d-a-d-u-l-t
What it means: a grown-up you know and trust — the person you tell fast when something goes wrong.
A sentence to remember it by: Block, and tell a trusted adult.
Two
Spells: T-w-o
What it means: factor authentication — a second proof it's you, like a code on your own device, after your password.
A sentence to remember it by: Two-factor authentication — a second proof it's you, like a code on your own device, after your password.
Upstander
Spells: U-p-s-t-a-n-d-e-r
What it means: a bystander who acts: supports the target, refuses to feed it, saves evidence, and tells an adult.
A sentence to remember it by: That is what being an upstander means, and kids who were targeted say one steady ally changed everything.