The school year always brings a certain amount of anxiety to parents about their children’s supplies, safety, and progress. Nowadays, these concerns also extend to their kids’ online lives as well. But while the Internet presents new challenges, it also provides a fantastic wealth of opportunities and helpful resources as well.

Basic Necessity

Perhaps the most important school supply nowadays is a computer. They’re cheaper and more durable now than ever before. One reason is a visionary project called One Laptop per Child, www.laptop.org . Its lofty goal is to supply schoolchildren in the Third World with low-cost, simple, rugged, and easily-networked laptops made just for kids and education. The computer that was designed for this, the XO, brilliantly meets those needs.

Unfortunately, the devices themselves are no longer available even to donors to this worthy cause. But a very similar model that can be bought is Intel’s Classmate, sold only through Amazon.com, www.classmatepc.com . And the success of the XO has opened up an entirely new market in notebooks. Now a number of different models are on the market for less than $500 with more all the time. These include the Asus Eee PC which runs Windows XP or Linux, the Everex Cloudbook, which also runs on a different version of Linux, and the most expensive and largest of the class, the HP 2133 Mini-Note, running on Linux or Windows Vista. 

Plus, there are plenty of used and refurbished computers of all kinds available just as inexpensively. Naturally, buying used is a little riskier and a number of problems could exist. Check out models thoroughly before purchasing, and if possible, get a warranty.

Online Safety

Among the wisdom parents need to share with kids these days is how to stay safe online. Unfortunately, beyond “don't give out personal information” and “watch out for creeps”, many adults are themselves at a total loss.

There are sites such as Safe Kids, safekids.com, with good advice. The FBI even has a guide for parents at www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm.

The simplest way to make it easier to monitor your kids’ Internet activities and limit time spent online is to place your home computer with Internet access in an open public area, rather than in a bedroom. But if so, you’ll also have to forbid them to use their laptops to get online. And you should be aware that certain gaming consoles like the Wii and XBox also have Internet connectivity built right in.

Giving your kids secondary email accounts (only $2.50 per month from SWCP) attached your primary can give you some control over their email. But staying involved is vitally important. Encourage your children to tell you about online bullying or any inappropriate messages or pictures they receive. And kids should be taught basic Internet etiquette, too.

Actively checking out your kids’ computer from time to time is an excellent practice. Everything should be looked at from browsing history to the working state of its firewall - the latter to make sure your budding geniuses haven't disabled it to make online gaming easier or to download new (and potentially spyware-ridden) software.

If you need to get more ruthlessly Big Brother about it, there are numerous programs and gadgets that claim they can help. These include:

Website blocking – but the technology is still debatable. Claims are often made that some sites that should be blocked aren't or vice versa, and that blocks can often be evaded by tech-savvy teens. Cybersitter (www.cybersitter.com) is for older kids, while the more popular Net Nanny (www.netnanny.com) is aimed at the younger ones.

Internet monitoring is also quite controversial though less intrusive. Programs like Webwatcher (www.awarenesstech.com) and Guardian Monitor (www.guardiansoftware.com) can both observe and block invisibly from anywhere.

If time or access control is a problem especially when you're out of the house, BOB, a “screentime controller” (usebob.com) is a lockout device that physically limits time spent in front of computers, TVs, and video games.

Worried about your kids stealing others work? Tell them about Turnitin (turnitin.com), a service for spotting plagiarism in papers and improving writing skills.It’s designed not only for teachers, but for parents and students, too.

Finally, there are devices to locate kids via cellphones, even notifying the parent by email when they wander out of a designated area, and car GPS units, which monitor locations, time parked, and driving speed.

You may not find it necessary to actually use any of these products and services. Just hinting about them to your teenagers might be enough!

Educational Resources

When it comes to learning, the Web shines with a galaxy of educational websites and academic tools for all levels from preschool to post-graduate. There’s everything from distant learning programs, online schools and tutors (most for profit) to free tips for teachers and home schoolers. You can locate many sites through directories such as Subject Finder, www.subjectfinder.com, or of course, Google.

Non-profit and government sites have many helpful and kid-safe resources. The American Library Association lists “Great Websites for Kids” at www.ala.org/greatsites. PBS, the Public Broadcasting System, has a lot of educational materials, including tie-ins with their TV programming. Their help for grownups is at www.pbs.org/parents. Access to Federal Government online resources can be found at www.free.ed.gov; for 8th grade and below at Kids.gov, www.kids.gov, and help for college students at Students.gov, www.students.gov.

Parents should be aware that even as many kid’s websites are often sneakily commercial, so too these government sites may be intent on recruitment, such as the NSA’s Cryptokids, www.nsa.gov/kids, which is touted at Kids.gov.

Caveat lector – let the reader beware.

from SWCP Portal, August 2008