Teacher Talk Tuesday

Kids and the Digital Age

I know kids and computers can sometimes be a scary thing but technology is seeping its way into our every move and we must remain proactive. I am a big supporter of prevention via communication and starting at a young age can really only help you. Just like with anything, if kids are aware of their limitations and the limitations are reinforced consistently... you'll be on your way to raising a tech. savvy, and trustworthy youngster. 

#1- Keep any and all "kid use" computers in common areas of the home. This is trickier nowadays with portable laptops but you must enforce that the computers stay in the common areas of the home. There is simply no reason for any kid under the age of 13 to have a computer in their room, no reason. 

#2- Give your child their own set of favorites on the computer. This will give them a sense of ownership and will also allow you to control the websites they go to. You'll be amazed at how fast they learn to navigate.

#3- Be the "Ultimate Webmaster" when it comes to your home computer. This means that you hold the power to type in any new websites. This way, when your child comes home from school and says, "Billy gave me this awesome website!" You can respond with, "that's great, I'll be happy to add it to your favorites after you dinner." They'll start to fight you on this as they get older... in that case I suggest you have them come up with their own reasons why they deserve independence on the computer and how they will ensure they will remain trustworthy. When kids come up with their own justifications, you can always refer back to it by saying, "we didn't come up with these regulations, you did." (Works every time)

There are some awesome websites for kids out there. 
Here are some of my favs:

The West Des Moines Library
This link brings you to the kids page, scroll to the bottom and click on Tumblebooks to find numerous children's books online for kids to read and interact with.


PBS Kids
Although this features most of the shows for younger kids, my first graders still love it.


National Geographic Kids
Awesome... awesome... awesome!


Starfall
This website is great for building literacy skills in young kids... and great is an understatement but I didn't want to repeat awesome again.


Dr. Seuss
You can make your own Seuss character and write your own story about them!