Strollerderby : computers

Charter Schools go Online

JeanneSager — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:24:00 GMT

Thinking about homeschooling but not sure you have the chops? What if you could school your kids at home, but leave the actual education up to a "real" teacher?

Charter schools are making the jump to online, where a curriculum is laid out, tests given and students have the advantage of doing it all from home. And, because it's a charter school, the bulk of the costs to parents - from the price of a (loaner) computer to their art supplies - are taxpayer funded.

It's a movement that could expand homeschooling opportunities to parents who have always been uncomfortable with the idea of the burden of their child's education resting entirely on their shoulders but who are equally uncomfortable with the public school system in their area. That's why charter schools are usually created anyway - chartered by parents who want an alternative to the traditional school system that will be open to all kids, kids whose parents often can't afford private school tuition. Taxpayer funded, they're meant to extend choice in education to more families.

But while homeschooling parents have been making use of the internet practically since it began, if they signed on to a particular program, parents have often paid out of pocket. By granting the charter school label to an online school, taxpayer funds come into play.

And parents who've signed their kids up say they're loving it. In a recent Chicago Tribune piece, Michelle Koss, mom of a child with learning disabilities, said this has enabled her daughter to take her time mastering different subjects. Where she was lost in a traditional school setting, Sarah Koss is gaining momentum by working online at home.

As a mom who is pro-homeschool but knows it just wouldn't work for our family, the idea intrigues me most because it would take some of the onus off of me as teacher. I don't have faith in myself to be her educator, but with this kind of help, I could see it working. And knowing my taxes were going to fund it, instead of paying into a school system she would never use, would be a bonus. Too bad it's not available in my hometown.

Is this option available in your area? Would you take them up on it?

Image: Media.Canada

Forget Thank You, Teach Your Kids Netiquette

JeanneSager — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:33:00 GMT

Your kids finally have down when to say "please" and "thank you?" Looks like it's time for the next round of manners training: how to be polite on the 'net.

South Korea has launched a program in its schools dedicated to teaching little kids to be nice on the 'net. It sounds like they need it.

Not that South Koreans are particularly obnoxious! But according to research, South Korean kids are among the youngest internet surfers in the world. A group called the National Internet Development Agency of Korea, determined that by December 2007, Korea's "internet penetration rate" of people above age six was more than seventy-six percent. The international average is closer to twenty-two percent for kids six and up.

The nation's heads of education have taken a serious look at cyberbullying and its devastating affects on kids (including notable young TV stars who killed themselves after receiving threats online and a teenage girl who hung herself after her appearance on TV about her challenges with weight drew significant amounts of online snark). Here in America, cyberbullying is said to affect at least forty-two percent of our kids who use the internet. Fifty-eight percent of our kids have admitted to having had mean or hurtful things said to them while online. The same number said they didn't bother to tell their parents when it happened.

It seems smart to start the kids young on being respectful and using good manners despite the anonymity of the 'net. But is this something they really need to teach in schools? Check out this video of the little South Korean kids singing netiquette songs:

They're guardian angels to their internet friends, but what about their in-your-face friends?

Via Lemondrop

Worksheets Die a Green Death, Kids Celebrate

JeanneSager — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:34:00 GMT

Oh what I wouldn't have given to skip worksheets in grade school. The totally useless (in a kid's mind anyway) busy work handed out by bored teachers to get us to sit down and shut up.

I guess I was just born a few decades too early. Sigh.

Teachers are saying bye bye to the worksheet in an effort to both cut costs and cut their carbon footprint, and today's kids are loving it.

They write their papers on a computer, read books on the computer, even do their homework on scanned PDFs available via the Internet. The teachers are finding themselves spending less time at the copy machine (or less time sending their assistants to the copy machine) and more time for classroom instruction or preparation for instruction. And the kids, they say, are more engaged. Used to cell phones, Wiis and constant electronic connections, being plugged in inside the classroom has meant better student engagement.

And, of course, there's that cost issue - even in better economic times, schools across the country could always used more money. Now, the financial issues are dire in some districts - where teachers have sold ad space on testpapers, administrators have called for kids to bring their own toilet paper and all classroom appliances have been yanked.

With kids learning about Twitter and Wikipedia in England and these efforts, are you worried our kids will never be able to unplug? Or are you just happy to see a greener planet that costs you less green?

Image/Source: Boston Herald

Microsoft Says Computer's So Easy a Kid Can Do It

JeanneSager — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:53:00 GMT

It's supposed to answer all those Apple claims that PCs aren't user-friendly with the simple premise - Microsoft has made it so even a kid can do it. Does that mean the computers got easier or kids just got a whole lot smarter?

It doesn't become clear that the four-and-a-half-year-old taking a picture with a digital camera, uploading it, using editing software and e-mailing her shot off to her parents is an advertisement for Windows until the tail end. Considering they're signing middle aged folks up for college classes in how to use Facebook, maybe this is just the right approach. You might be completely computer illiterate, but your four-year-old can figure it out!

Except, parents - who, it can be argued, are more likely to tune in to commercials featuring kids - are more and more computer literate these days. At least the parents of kids whose ages fall in the range of the new Microsoft "rookies" commercial stars (four-and-a-half and seven). The nineties hinting that if you can't figure out your cell phone, you can always call your kid in to do it has been replaced - by those "kids" of the early nineties HAVING kids in the new millennium. Even so-called "older" parents are more likely to be computer literate; because while they were waiting to have children, they were working . . . in a corporate environment where computers are ubiquitous. I highly doubt President Obama called on Malia the first time he unleashed that Crackberry.

Of course kids in 2009 might be even more technologically savvy than their parents were as teens in the early nineties. Many of us wonder if our kids would recognize us without the glow of a computer screen forming a halo 'round our heads, and just yesterday my three-year-old grabbed the USB cord to my iPod and slipped it directly into the slot on the PC tower - no questions asked. Just like Microsoft's rookies, apparently she too is a PC.

If you've got a decent-enough handle on computer literacy, do you think your kids are gaining on you?

Image: Microsoft

Can Your Kid Doodle the Google Doodle?

JeanneSager — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:31:00 GMT

They've got down Noggin's doodle of the day, so can they doodle the Google doodle? And can you say that three times fast?

Google (yes, THE Google) opened up its second annual kids art contest this week to find the American school kid who will draw the logo rendition seen on the site's homepage.

With more than one hundred million daily site views, that means your kid could become an artist whose talents are appreciated by, well, one hundred million folks in one day.

The Doodle 4 Google contest is open to kids in kindergarten through twelfth grade (ages five through eighteen), and it's as open as their imaginations. The basic theme is "What I Wish for the World," which seems just right for a kid's contest - after all, their wishes are tomorrow's future (cue the cheesy music).

Last year's winner was Grace Moon, a middle schooler from Castro Valley, Calif. "My doodle, "Up in the Clouds," expresses a world in the sky," she told the judges. "This new world is clean and fresh, and people are social and enlightened. Every person here is treated as family no matter who they are. The bright sun heats this ideal place with warmth, love, and brightens everyone's day"

She earned the day's prime spot on the Doodle site plus a scholarship. This year, the national winner walks away with $15,000 for college, a trip Google's New York offices, a laptop and a t-shirt with their doodle. The kid's school will earn a $25,000 technology grant to be used in the school computer lab.

Another three national finalists will get the Google New York trip and laptop, plus their doodle on a Google tee, while the thirty-six regional winners get the tee and the trip (sorry, no computer). The company has added a District Quality Participation Prize of $10,000 for a school district that encourages "high quality participation." Also geared toward improving the school's technology, the grant must be used on the computer lab.

So whether your kid's a pint-sized Picasso or your school district just really, really needs the help, check out last year's winners (by age group) for some inspiration, then tell your kids to get doodling (registration is required by March 17, and the doodles have to be in by March 31).

Image: Google

They Say: Internet's Not Really That Bad for Kids

JeanneSager — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:36:00 GMT

The irony isn't lost on me here - I'm a writer on the Internet, and I get to tell all the folks who run around running down the Internet that somebody just shot a clip full of holes in their argument.

The number one danger to our kids isn't the Internet. It's themselves.

The Internet Safety Technical Task Force, formed by the attorneys general in forty-nine states in cooperation with Myspace, Facebook and a number of other Web companies, found kids who surf the Web are at a much lower risk for sexual predators than often reported. Of the kids who did report any type of sexual advances on the Internet, forty-eight percent of those advances reported in 2000 were made by other kids. In 2006, the number was forty-three percent of sexual advances made by kids under the age of eighteen.

Only nine percent of kids who reported having been solicited sexually on the internet in 2006 were actually approached by an adult over the age of twenty-one.

Interesting to note, the report also correlates the online risk to that of kids who are at a heightened risk off of the computer with those at a lower risk off the computer, noting, "Those who are most at risk often engage in risky behaviors and have difficulties in other parts of their lives."

It only stands to reason - kids who have it ingrained in their heads by their parents not to give out personal information to a stranger at the mall or walk into a dark alley when they're out with their friends would be more likely to be more cautious online, not giving out that same personal information or agreeing to meet with someone in off-line in a private place. As a parent, you have to be able to tell if your kid is a risk taker in a real life, and have suspicion they would live a virtual life on the edge as well.

This is the kind of news I like to see - and not only because I'm a parent. As a teenager, I met the (then teenage) guy who would one day become my husband. It's our dirty little secret! But we were also both teenagers and cautious (by the time we met in person, he was an adult, and he still brough his dad!), and neither of us ever saw anything un-toward - at least not anything we can remember. If some creepy guy talked to me on the internet, I ignored him.

What has made the internet so scary for parents? I'd wager the bet it isn't the teeny, tiny hint of a possiblity that there's a sexual predator out there. It's one less place parents can get to. It's one more time they have to let loose the reins and hope their kids have listened to all they've taught them. And they can't sneak into their rooms and slip their hands under the bed in search of a diary or root around in the drawers for the hidden pack of cigarettes.

This report proves teaching your kids to act appropriately in life and online is all you can. Otherwise, they just might put pics of themselves tea-bagging a guy friend . . . and you'll be hiding your head in shame.

Image: Daily Mail

U.S. Military Making Virtual Mom and Dad

Satellite TV Debuts Family Channels for Your Backseat Driver

Is Facebook Making You A Bad Parent?

Aussie Firewall: Stepping into Parents' Shoes?

They Say: Kids Need To Be Taught to Handle School Stress

Kids Can Build Habitat Houses Without Lifting a Hammer

Kids Digital Cameras Come Loaded with Computer Virus

JeanneSager — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:01:00 GMT

Did your kids just get a camera for Christmas? If you picked up the Fisher-Price "Kid-Tough," you might want to update your anti-virus software before you plug it in to print out their pictures.

One Minnesota family contacted their local TV news crew after powering up Dad's laptop, and trying to upload their daughter's fresh-minted pictures. No sooner had they pulled the kid's eye views up, when dad Jeff Tapper says his antivirus software alerted him that there were two viruses on the camera.

In other words - not on his computer. News station WCCO put in calls to Fisher-Price only to be told the office is closed for the holidays, but the Tappers have found they're not the first to have this problem. Other parents have put out the warning in reviews on Amazon, over at Consumer Reports and other spots around the Web.

It doesn't seem to be a United States-specific problem, as parents around the world are making the reports, nor is there one specific virus to beware of as parents are reporting different warnings from their anti-virus software.

There's no recall out yet, but is anyone surprised that these things were made in China?

Image: Amazon

Stranger Comes out of Family's Attic on Christmas

Aussie Firewall: Stepping into Parents' Shoes?

Why They Shouldn't Eat the Snow

One in Five Teens Having Tech Sex

Learning to Read through Video Games

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:30:00 GMT

Increasingly, books for children and young adults are being released with related video games. Since 97 percent of children ages 12 to 17 play computer and video games, this seems like a surefire to draw at least some reluctant readers into books. But when libraries host gaming tournaments and elementary schools incorporate video games into English lessons, you have to wonder, “Is this still reading?”

A large number of writers, publicists, and educators believe it is—and that, in the age of digital media, computer skills may be more important than proficiency with print media.

PJ Haarsma is a former advertising consultant who now designs online games about his science fiction novels for preteens. He argues that pairing video games with young adult literature “brings the book into their world, as opposed to going the other way around.”

But, as I pointed out in my tribute to Roald Dahl, the mark of a good book is precisely the ability to get lost in it, to live inside a world of which one has no experiential knowledge. This is particularly important for children, who largely learn empathy, respect for the imagination, and the value of introspection through reading. When one is being tested about a book’s plot in order to advance in a video game, the quiet, self-forgetful pleasure of being lost in a good book gets obliterated completely. Children learn that the only character who matters is the one holding the controller.

Photo: New York Times

Banned Books Week

They say: Sarah Palin should step down

Brett Singer — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 21:50:00 GMT

A few they's are saying it, including "Prominent conservative columnist Kathleen Parker," who was a big fan of McCain's VP choice a few weeks ago.

See, if the Democrats had done this, you would have heard a chorus of "Flip! Flop!" But hey, what's bad for you is good for me, right?

In a column dated September 15, 2008, Parker wrote, "Both a frontier woman and beauty queen, the square-jawed Palin not only neutralized the sisterhood, but she animated the brotherhood. Men are suddenly riveted as never before by the frontal lobes of the vice-presidential candidates." In a column at NationalReview.com dated September 26, 2008, Parker writes that Palin is, "out of her league." Other comments about the woman she thought was just ducky a couple of weeks ago: "If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself." (Emphasis added, for obvious reasons.)

So how can Palin get out of this gracefully? "She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first." Gawker says that this is how we all got permission to be sexist. That sounds about right to me. No one with any sense is saying that Palin isn't qualified to be Veep because she lacks a Y chromosome. It's because she seems to have no idea what is going on in the world, or even a working knowledge of John McCain's record. Also, it needs to be said that Parker is suggesting that Palin blatantly lie about her reasons for dropping out in order to engender sympathy. Hey, maybe she could cry a little bit too! That'll really make the men weak in the knees!

It's worth noting that other writers are calling for Palin to go back to Alaska and keep an eye on Russia, including Peggy Noonan, David Brooks, George Will, and David Frum.

In closing, here are a couple of the numerous comments from the CNN article:

"Palin should take a flying leap."
Followed by:
"Be nice. She could just float away on her own HOT AIR!"

This one makes no sense at all:
"Let the smear campaign continue…"

Um, how is it a "smear campaign" when writers who support McCain are calling for Palin to get out of the race?

This one is my favorite:
"Ah.. the link was just to some little blog site. Sort of ironic when a tiny blog site says that someone is out-of-their-league."

Dude. That "some little blog site" is the NATIONAL REVIEW.

Same comment, gets better:
"Kathleen Parker needs to READ what the job of VP actually is. A squid with one brain cell would be over qualified for that job! The major thing you need to do is stay awake in the Senate."

Riiiight. Except that the "P" is VP stands for PRESIDENT. As in "next in line to be leader of the free world." Nuclear codes. (Or, as Palin would say, Nook-you-lehr codes.) That type of thing.

Lastly, it's worth pointing out that some random person at Yahoo! Answers was posting the "Should Palin step down?" question three weeks ago. Meaning that perhaps, at times, commentators, even nationally syndicated ones, can be a bit slow on the uptake.

Source/Image: CNN
Other Source: Gawker

Read more:

Sarah Silverman says: make granny vote for Obama

Are your kids aware of the election?

Palin family online - real or fake?

Vice Stay-at-Home "Dude" ... or Something

Sarah Palin, Sportscaster

Muppet Op-Art

Sarah Palin Has A Penchant for Really Beautiful Scarves and More Tidbits For Those Obsessed

Dora the Conservative

McCain, Palin oppose teen pregnancy aid and sex education

Teaching Abstinence Doesn’t Work: Palin’s Preggo Kid.

So – who ya voting for?

Palin's Email Hacked and posted online; UPDATE: Anonymous Hacker Speaks

What Bristol Palin Can Expect, After Baby Algebra

Sarah Palin's Daughter Caught Doing Drugs On Tape

Morning News: Bipolar Markets, Campaigns, Now in Manic Phase

Maxed Out Moms Leaning Towards McCain & Palin

Morning News: No One Told Hillary That Palin Would be There!

Another 8 year old on the terrorist watch list

Palin's Email Hacked and posted online; UPDATE: Anonymous Hacker Speaks

Brett Singer — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:15:00 GMT

UPDATE: The "hacker" speaks out! From ZDNet:

A college student identified as Rubico has claimed responsibility for hacking into Sarah Palin’s personal email, and provided a detailed 1st person account of how he hacked into the email account using the password “popcorn” which he managed to reset by successfully answering her security question “Where did you meet your spouse?” by Googling for the answer.

So I guess I was right -- Sarah Palin definitely flunks Computer Security 101. This wouldn't matter if all she was using her Yahoo account for were baby pictures and personal messages, but she used it for Government business.

My original post follows below:

*-*-*-*

I have a few things to say about this so I’m going to just dive right in.

The basics: some computer nudniks got into Sarah Palin's Yahoo email account. This is the account she uses for government business; it has been previously reported that she did this to because "e-mail messages sent to a private address on a 'personal device' like a BlackBerry 'would be confidential and not subject to subpoena.'"

By using a public email account for state business, Sarah Palin is doing something that is so incredibly stupid it defies comprehension. First of all, if the quote from the New York Times is accurate, she doesn't understand how email works. Web based email accounts are not tied to a device. They exist on the server of the email provider, in this case Yahoo. Second, if she told her staff to use accounts like these in order to avoid a potential subpoena, the first question should be – why? If you're conducting state business, shouldn't that be done in a proper manner? If Barack Obama said the same thing, do you think for one minute that the McCampaign wouldn't have an ad out saying, "What is Barack Obama trying to hide?"

The main reason to avoid using a public email account for any sort of sensitive information is that, frankly, those accounts are easier to break into. On the most basic of levels, anyone can tell you where the login page is for Yahoo Mail. But I bet they don't know where the webmail log in page is for the government of Alaska.

So how did the group, who are called Anonymous (clever!) get into Palin's account?
My guess is that the "hackers" just tried a few passwords and eventually got the right one. ("Trig", perhaps? Or "Bistol"?) This article on ChannelWeb points out that "password hacking" is extremely common. For my part, I'm avoiding using the word "hack into" because I don't think guessing a password qualifies as "hacking." It certainly isn't complicated, "Wargames"-level hacking.

None of this excuses that fact that the group who got into her account and emailed some of her messages broke the law and, if they can be found, should be punished. But the fact that Governor Palin put herself in this position should tell us something about a person who could potentially be the President of the United States.

What does this have to do with kids? My children are learning about computers, both by osmosis (they see grown-ups using them) and more formally at school (my oldest is learning "keyboarding" at school.) We expect them to be computer savvy and to understand certain basic things about these wondrous devices we used every day. It's not unreasonable to expect the same level of computer literacy from our candidates as we do from our kids.

Is it November yet? Because I've had a headache for two months.

image: Amazon.com

source: CS Monitor

Important news stories depicted by five year olds

Another 8 year old on the terrorist watch list

7 year old on terrorist list

McCain said lipstick on a pig to Hillary

So – who ya voting for?

Are your kids aware of the election?

Palin for aerial wolf hunting

Was Trig Palin drugged?

Palin family online - real or fake?

McCain, Palin oppose teen pregnancy aid and sex education

Man ejected from Yankee Stadium for lack of patriotism

Sarah Palin, Sportscaster

Is Facebook Safe for Children?

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:00:00 GMT

As the days of “Can Jimmy come out to play?” give way to “Can I invite Jimmy to be my friend on MySpace?,” social networking sites are faced with an obligation to protect youth from predation and inappropriate content. Following in the footsteps of MySpace, Facebook has agreed to implement increased protections for young users. From now on, users under 18 must affirm that they’ve read safety tips when they sign up; a “report abuse” icon will be prominently featured throughout the site; users will not be able to change their age from over 18 to under 18 without being reviewed by Facebook staff; and material flagged as inappropriate will be removed within 24 hours. Facebook is also working on developing behavioral technology that will make it easier to identify when a user is lying about his or her age.

Naturally, no matter how “safe” Facebook becomes, it’s up to parents to make sure their children fully understand the importance of Internet safety. How have parents out there dealt with this issue? What age is it appropriate for a child to join MySpace or Facebook? Do you monitor your children’s online interactions?

There’s also the simple danger of youth wasting far too much time on the computer. Call me old-fashioned, but I miss the days when a “friend” was someone you built a fort in the backyard with, not someone you gossiped with while sitting in front of a computer screen.

Photo: srenrique.com

Facebook Fighting: Kids and Online Bullying

Kelly Mills — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:32:00 GMT

In general, I'm suspicious of hysteria surrounding how kids use the latest technology--nine times out of ten, they just do the same things kids have always done, but in a more high tech way. However, I'm a little torn as to whether social networking sites are bringing changes to interactions on middle and high school campuses. The Washington Post had one piece on a few fights that started on Facebook, and later became physical confrontations, prompting the principal to ask parents to monitor their kids online.

Frankly, that doesn't seem much different than an argument starting in any off-campus physical space. But Facebook and MySpace have brought some changes to bullying. See, it used to be only the kids with social or physical power over other kids could do big-time bullying. But now, kids can post things about classmates anonymously, and that stuff can spread quickly across a campus. In some ways I suppose it creates more equal opportunities for cruelty, but I have to tell you, nowadays many kids who gets seriously picked on find some of the worst stuff comes from webpages that can be viewed by tons of people. Trust me, we'll be hearing about this one for a while to come.

Laughing At, Not With, Yo Momma

Madeline Holler — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:36:00 GMT

It'll be years before I send text messages to my kids and a cold day in hell when I exchange them with my own mother. Not that I'm opposed to it, I just can't see it happening, what with her arthritis and the fact that she never remembers to turn on her cell phone. But we do email. So I totally get what inspired this great new blog/side project by an editor over at an SD fave blog, Jezebel.

Called Postcards From Yo Momma, it's a collective demonstration of the universal dorkiness of moms. And I know we're the cool generation of parents. But I suspect I'll fit the bill in 2022. Sigh.

Here's the mom I want to be.

Here's the mom I fear I'll be.

You can submit your own mother's musings or just picture her when you're reading the others. I'll leave you with this:

Goji Juice

I had a moment to google and here are just a few of the comments. Most blogs were talking about the MLM aspect. The juice may not be a “cure all’ but it does have it’s benefits, especially for people who do not eat fruit.

you may have already done this, but I wanted you to know I have an open mind and am not always easily fooled.

I am still looking for your sock.
Love Mom

Have a Scary Merry X-mas Cuz Santa is Talking To YOU

Kelly Mills — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 18:33:00 GMT

I should've known I was in for it when I misread the e-mail to get a personalized video greeting from Santa as a "personalized video greeting from Satan." (As Mir from Droolicious said, ""Ho ho ho... why hello, BEELZEBUB! I remember you from last year... you live in THE BOWELS OF HELL, home of ETERNAL DAMNATION, and you turned FIFTY THOUSAND this year....") But in truth, the video greeting was more terrifying than anything Lucifer could have created.

You've heard of these? Using the magic of computer generated voices and video editing, you can get a video message for your child where Santa uses their name and certain key details to make the whole thing real special. Oh god, after the jump you'll see how special it can be.

See, Santa got my number on this one. And I'm very frightened. If you'd like to see what Santa said to me, click the link, but be forewarned. I am clearly not very emotionally mature, but while i was having some fun with this one I sort of ruined Christmas for myself. Now when I see mall Santas I turn and walk away the other direction. To avoid punishment.

The Internet Really is That Scary

Matt Wood — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:40:00 GMT

Surely you've read a bazillion stories warning about the dangers of kids using MySpace, Facebook, et al, and giving up personal information, exposing themselves to predators, etc, and those fears are founded. Just ask Megan Meier's parents. But at least those sites are popular enough that if you even get a whiff of your kids using them, you can stay on top of what they're doing. Plus, they're run by massive media operations that maintain a semblance of ethical responsibility, if not always the best marketing judgment.

What would be scary to me if I had a kid who was of the age to want to join social networking sites (I'm hoping I at least have another four or five year break from that) is the number of copycat sites targeted at kids that abuse the online community concept simply as a way to gather marketing data, or worse. The Texas attorney general filed civil complaints against two such sites this week for failing to protect users' privacy and safety.

Thedollpalace.com, a site devoted to "the art of making cartoon dolls," and Gamesradar.com, a video game site, both asked users for personal information before verifying that they were at least 13, which violates the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Besides asking about height, weight, and eye color, The Doll Palace also asks questions about whether a user "would like to meet someone older than myself" and their "idea of a fun date." Yikes, creepy.

I suppose they could hide behind the veil of ignorance, claiming that they aren't geared toward kids, but c'mon, look at that site. What self-respecting adult would be caught looking at a page like that? Of course, I think the same thing about half the MySpace pages I see, so I'm just a grumpy old man.

The answer is to watch your kids when they're online and keep the family computer in a shared room. This sounds great and all, but of course they can check most of this stuff on their phones now anyway, so good luck with that. I can't wait.

Photo: News8Austin.com

Greedy, Nerdy Kids Should Have Taste Too

Matt Wood — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:26:00 GMT

So your little Scrooge McDuck just wants more and more expensive tech gear for Christmakwanzukkah to toss in his money bin? Well you might as well get him *good* stuff.

Michael Rose from The Unofficial Apple Weblog has written a gift guide for kids who love shiny silver and white Apple computers. And don't worry, it's not loaded with crazy expensive laptops and iPhones; the priciest item on the list is the iPod nano at $150.

The rest of the list is filled with excellent graphics and animation software aimed at kids, educational tools, non-brain-rotting games, and even an internet filter because trust me, your kids know where to find the porn whether you know it or not. For further reading, there's also a link to a larger, unfiltered list of kid-oriented Mac software from the mothership itself.

Whether you usually shop online or not, if anything this gives you a reason to visit the wonderland that is known as an Apple Store, if you're lucky enough to have one in your town. A certain blogger may have used this excuse to buy himself an iPhone as an early Christmas gift this year. He's enjoyed teaching his son how to use it, which means, "Sit there and watch while Daddy flips through pictures for you. Don't touch it. No, give it back to me! Give it back to me!"

Apparently Kids No Longer Beaten Up for Liking Computers

Matt Wood — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:11:00 GMT

Pause for the annual holiday season hand-wringing: our kids are materialistic! But the more troubling part this year is that they don't just want the coolest bikes and the giggleinest Elmos, they want electronics, just like Mom & Dad.

A piece from yesterday's New York Times points out that Amazon's Hottest Toys of 2007 list is loaded with high-tech gadgets like MP3 players, digital cameras, and mini computers. It then pads that observation with anecdotes from parents, tut-tutting from nervous pediatricians, and menacing sound bytes from toy flacks. The gist: our kids want high-tech toys, they won't settle for rounded, plastic facsimiles of the real thing, and they're all going to be fat, lazy, selfish, and get carpal tunnel syndrome because all they do is stare at screens and peck at keyboards.

First of all, I resent that last implication. All I do is stare at screens and peck at keyboards, and I am neither fat nor have carpal tunnel. Second, I distinctly remember wanting a Nintendo more than anything in the world when I was a kid, and you know what my parents did? They held out. They didn't buy one for me until long after all my other friends had one, and I don't think I suffered any lasting mental anguish. Sure, when I finally did get one I played the shit out of it, but I also spent plenty of time outside playing baseball, riding my bike, lighting myself on fire with chemistry sets, etc, because by then I knew there was (almost) more to life than Super Mario Bros and Zelda.

Michael Tiemann from parent.thesis makes a good point in reference to the pre-teen "social networking" sites attached to the Webkinz toys, apparently one of the prime culprits in this high-tech toy assault. "Is that really social networking, or is [it] a generational take-down sponsored by media conglomerates with the complicity of unwitting caregivers?" he writes. Yes, it's terrible that toy makers and media companies are taking advantage of kids' insatiable desire to keep up with the Briannas and Braydens by pushing ever-more expensive gadgets and online services, but when it becomes problematic, all a parent has to do is reach down and turn off the power strip. Done.

And Nicholas Deleon from CrunchGear makes a good point from the other perspective, "If a child is able to set up an IMAP account on my BlackBerry, more power to him. And shame on me for ruining that kid’s life," he said. I'll be excited if my kid shows an interest in technology, because it's been an incredibly enriching part of my own life. It's not such a bad thing that kids are interested in tech gear, just be reasonable about it.

Of course, it's very easy for me to sit on my high horse when he's still in his train phase. I may be completely steamrolled when he starts asking for his own expensive gear. But I like to think that if I did give in and thought he was playing with it too much, I'd have the good sense to turn it off and kick his lazy, selfish, claw-handed butt outside.

Save Room for the Porn Button

Matt Wood — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 20:22:00 GMT

This story originated a few months ago, but it's no less fascinating now. A group of first-, second-, and third-graders at a Montessori school in North Carolina formed a "laptop club," in which they used construction paper to create their own mock-ups of computers. The club started entirely without adult prodding, and they played with them so much that they eventually fell apart.

Kids have been playing make believe since the beginning of time, of course. My parents were never wild about me having toy guns, so I raided my dad's workbench and hammered together my own out of scrap wood and rusty nails (much safer). But what's fascinating about these laptops is how they betrays the kids' desires. "Reminds me of the letters to Santa we wrote in grade school," wrote blogger Jason Kottke.

The laptops all have keys dedicated to games, shopping, friends, pets, and my favorite, "speshools," along with many other indicators of an obsession with social life and pop culture, basically what makes their world go around at that age. Sounds about right. If I had to design my own laptop keyboard, I'd have keys like "bank," "news," "coffee," "baseball," and of course, "boobs." All in the interest of convenience, of course.

Original link via kottke.org.

Geek: Back Up Your Damn Hard Drives, Already!

Madeline Holler — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 19:33:00 GMT

Last year, a mom at the library storytime was telling us how she had been recently robbed. Insurance would cover the stolen guitars, the rings, and various electronics, including her laptop. Problem was, insurance wouldn’t and couldn’t replace the biggest loss: the digital pictures and videos of her daughters’ first two years of life.

This mom didn’t have many printed photographs. And she didn’t have any of her digital information backed up. Gone, gone, all of it gone. “How careless,” was my first thought. Then: “Crap!” We hadn’t backed up any of our stuff either.

According to a tech writer at Newsweek, Americans and Brits are the most negligent about backing up our data to some kind of external storage. So I'm thinking you need to do a little external saving too. I mean, is anyone still using film (besides my mom)? All those digital pictures just waiting to be wiped out by a computer virus. Think of it! The birth photos, babies first solids, how you caught her first steps on digital video, today's Halloween costume!

I know some writers and I am surprised – stunned, really – at how many novels exist in one single file on an aging and mobile laptop. Just think, a life’s work, all your memories and your entire music collection could just disappear during a quick bathroom break at Starbucks.

There are some solutions, the Newsweek geek says. Sharpcast will automatically sync your documents, pics and multimedia files to the company’s servers and any other machine you choose. There’s also Windows Home Server, which backs up all the machines on your home network. And Apple has Time Machine for Macs. Ugh. What a pain. Are you going to do it?

Oh, and another surprising fact. Half the people who have lost data in the past still don’t back up their hard drives. Hmmmmm. I wonder if the library mom does.

Educators Brought Down By Porn, Death Wishes

Madeline Holler — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:10:00 GMT

I think people who use a computer for work and also view Internet porn should probably just invest in separate machines for both. Especially if their work is anywhere near a school, or children, or schoolchildren, or teachers, or an overhead projector.

Case in point:

An Arizona high school teacher, whose computer was linked with an overhead projector, left his machine running while he stepped out of the room. Shortly thereafter, naked ladies replaced pie charts and, for once, every student in the room faced forward and paid attention. The teacher has been assigned to a non-classroom position, pending an investigation. Does he get a computer for this new assignment?

For our next little demonstration of dangers in mixing impulse, technology, and education, my only advice is this: if you’re a school superintendent, don’t send emails suggesting you’d like to kill teachers.

The Catskill, N.Y., superintendent lived everybody’s worst nightmare and sent an email to some unintended recipients, namely, teachers, asking the intended recipient this rhetorical question: “Why don’t you kill these people,” referring to ... teachers. Ouch! She tried to retract the email and immediately apologized to the teachers who received it. But damn if that forward button isn't the most convenient double-edge sword ever -- can't live without it/can't keep your dignity with it! -- and now it's a pretty big deal for the entire district. Despite a public apology at a school board meeting, 100 teachers who have never made a regrettable mistake in their lives walked out.

Third World Kids Catch On Quick

ChagHolland — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:01:00 GMT

In 2005, Nicholas Negroponte devised a simple and admirable concept: create $100 laptops and distribute them to children in Third World countries. But the project, One Laptop per Child, has hit a little snag as some of the students have been using their laptops to view pornography.

"Efforts to promote learning with laptops in a primary school in Abuja have gone awry as the pupils freely browse adult sites with explicit sexual materials." I would argue that the explicit sexual materials are still promoting learning, just not the kind the project's founders were anticipating.

Does this really surprise anyone? Kids are naturally curious, especially when it comes to sex. To thwart the little porn seekers, all future versions of the laptop will be equipped with filtering software. Killjoys! But at least this will make the kids more computer savvy: now they'll have to figure out ways to circumvent the filtering software just like American schoolchildren.

I wonder if the RIAA has filed lawsuits against these children for illegally downloading MP3 files.

Geeky Kids Get Good Camp

Kelly Mills — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 21:00:00 GMT

Tech camps are on the rise, with 16 percent more computer camps now than in 2000. Many summer camps are offering science, robotics, game programming, and whole bunch of other subjects to appeal to the tape-on-the-glasses set. A number of people are concerned that with childhood obesity rates rising, too much summer time in front of a monitor might only exacerbate the inactivity problem, and recommend throwing a couple of weeks of general interest camp into the mix. There's also the concern that we as a society spend too much time plugged into various devices, and not enough time having real live human interactions.

Some camps address these issues by offering field trips to places like NASA and behind the scenes at Disneyworld. And the director of marketing for one camp, Cybercamps, says, "'It's not just everyone sitting in front of the computer until the wee hours of the morning by themselves... We are getting them out of their bedrooms and basement and getting them to play in a social environment, which is a huge plus.'" I think that helping geeked-out kids interact with each other and introducing them to other kids with similar interests sounds like a great thing. If I remember correctly, summer camp often had a Lord of the Flies element to it that relegated the nerdy, unathletic children (like me) to ostracism and bunk sabotage. The only real danger I see here is that if you get that many geeky kids in one room with a bunch of state-of-the-art computer stuff, you could end up with the World Bank being hacked or something. But shoot, sign me up now for the sleepaway program, cuz I wanna learn 3-D modeling.

Mothers Fess Up About TV as Babysitter

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Wed, 23 May 2007 12:38:00 GMT

Mothers. Those layabout ne'er-do-wells. Always with the complaining about being "tired" and not feeling "in the mood." Come on!! Women (especially strong righteous pioneer women) used to make their own butter, for chrissakes! And we're not even talking about the women who used to work in kitchens of harvest golds and yellows.

Seriously. What is UP with modern mamas? If you read the likes of Silicon Valley Moms Blog, where they have the nerve to discuss the freewheeling unapologetic use of "screen" time to do things like cook dinner, shower, and read books, you'd think raising children was indentured servitude.

And you'd be RIGHT! Right? Raising kids is a tough business in a day and age when "go outside and play" might as well be "go find the freak neighbor who likes to touch little people!"

I think the mamas in the Silicon Valley have it right. Sometimes, screen time is a perfectly acceptable babysitter. Cause even mommies have to go potty once in awhile.

SnoopStick Lets You Spy on Your Kid's Computer Use

Karen Murphy — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:09:00 GMT

Okay. So say your tween is safe at home doing homework and you're off having a nice martini somewhere. Nice picture, yes? Maybe not, especially if your tween gets a sudden hankering to check out that MySpace place "everybody" is talking about and finds themself talking to some 40-something sex offender posing as a twelve-year old. What's a responsible parent to do? Why, simply put that martini down a moment and plug in your handy SnoopStick and spy on your kid, that's what!

CYBERsitter's new SnoopStick promises to be completely invisible to your techno-savvy kid and allows you to monitor both sides of IM conversations and emails, to block access to certain sites, to record everything they do whether or not you're spying in real time, and even has a handy "you're so busted" popup feature that allows you to send a message to your kid. So you can get back to that martini.

With Kids in the House, Windows XP User Switching is a Bad Idea

thezeroboss — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:06:00 GMT

I have four kids in my house. (Yes, they're all mine. No, I'm not running a day care.) When Windows XP first launched, I fell under the sway of Fast User Switching, a new feature that allowed users to have different desktop settings and switch between them without having to log out the previous user. At the time, three of my kids actively used the computer. (The 3-year-old has since picked up their addiction.) I thought Fast User Switching was a godsend. I set myself, my wife, and every child up with their own pseudo-account.

God, what a bad decision.

It's bad enough that having multiple user accounts with their own running applications slows down even the most buff machine to a crawl. Even worse is the neat little "feature" whereby sound playing on one account continues playing even after you switch to a different account. At least once a day, I'll sit down to watch something on YouTube, or listen to an NPR feature story - and the instant I crank up the volume, I'm bombarded with theme music from some game on Disney.com. Rather than hunt down the one application across six accounts that's poisoning my ear canal, I usually hard-reset the box and start with a clean slate.

Warning to parents everywhere: don't even think about going there. Let your kids use your account and lock up all "sensitive information" (a.k.a. your gay porn stash), using either Windows' built-in encryption or a program like AxCrypt. Unless being serenaded by Disney.com when you're attempting to watch Ze Frank is your cup o' tea.