EU Internet Safety Day

[sippo]

There was talk about this on the radio this morning. I can't beleive 80% of kids between the ages of 5 and 7 use the internet and some are on facebook! That is shocking. These children should be outside playing not stuck on a PC.

BBC News - Online safety push for five-year-olds

[russdev]

I can

Lets forget the facebook part does that say they are on it all the time no that they use the internet.

My 3 year old can use a computer, can use mouse and laptop mouse pad. Is he on it all the time? No he is limited to amount of time he is allowed on it. He uses (with supervision) the internet.

IT is life skill these days same as we teach him to read and write. We also teach him how to use IT otherwise I would say we are doing him a a big disservice.

Russ

[localzuk]

The amusing thing is - computers and the internet are so simple to use, even a 3 - 7 year old can do it. Yet some teachers can't

But I think it is important that kids get introduced to IT at that sort of age anyway, as it will be part of their everyday lives for the rest of their life.

[elsiegee40]

The point is that filtering on PCs isn't enough.

In my family home there is the following kit with internet access between the 4 of us:
- 2 Games Consoles (xBox, wii)
- 4 mobile phones
- 3 iPod variants
- 1 Pc and 1 laptop

How many parents are aware of how their children use the internet?

In the same way as children are taught from a very early age how to be safe when out on the street (Green Cross Code, Stranger Danger), children need to be taught how to use the internet ... there are, after all, benefits as well as dangers.

On a recent course, I was told about 'internet natives' and 'internet immigrants' -

Adults are internet immigrants - they didn't grow up with the internet and have to learn how to be safe and are more warey because it doesn't come naturally.

Young children are 'Internet natives'; they have never known a world without the internet, theyare confident and they need to be helped in the same way as they are with roads

The danger generation is today's teens. They didn't grow up with the internet, but they 'know everything' (what teenager doesn't?) and are unwilling to learn from adults. They are the ones who need to be taught to think.

I'll refer you to this thread that has more: Safer Internet Day 2010 - 9th Feb - What's your school doing?

[sippo]

I know its the sign of the times n'all that, but I didn't touch a PC til I was 16. Never did me any harm. I say a PC, but I actually mean a bbc.

I just think its a young age for a child to spend on a PC. Yes use a PC in school, but do they need to use one at home aswell?

[localzuk]

I know its the sign of the times n'all that, but I didn't touch a PC til I was 16. Never did me any harm. I say a PC, but I actually mean a bbc.

I just think its a young age for a child to spend on a PC. Yes use a PC in school, but do they need to use one at home aswell?

The question isn't if they need to use one - the answer to that is easy, yes they do - it is everywhere in life now. Mobile phones, school work, every aspect of life is being internet connected. Why restrict this to a single aspect of their lives when they will be using it in just a few years like they would a light switch or a plug socket?

Technologies such as augmented reality are starting to appear in life also, via the internet, and this will only become more common. Preventing access at an early age will only stunt their use of technology at a later age.

I first used a PC (well, an Archimedes IIRC) when I was 4 or 5, and was fiddling with BASIC when I was 7, and on the internet at 9.

[tsky]

My three year old can successfully use a computer (he has his own old laptop to use for his games and educational activities). He uses it at home supervised to learn about typing (he can type his own name and has started learning other people's names) and to do reading / speaking activities. I'm running him through some filtering too as I don't want the odd "oops" moment when he mashes the URL bar trying to find his games in the address history.

We've always brought him up to be inquisitive and he's just naturally in to technology like working our phones to get texts up or pictures and videos ... I'd rather he was using educational sites under supervision as a supplement to his reading activities (he loves his books) and the outdoor / indoor play time he has.
He's limited to his time on the units just as at nursery they're limited to each activity to ensure everyone gets a fair share.
Funniest thing he's said this year when I gave him his fixed laptop back after he'd been using my macbook pro for a few days:
"this is a bit different to my mac daddy"

awesome!

[Gibbo]

My concern is what effect this computer use is going to have on handwriting skills. I've seen a steady decline in the quality of handwriting over the years, and an increase in bad grammar.

I wish my English department would spend less time getting the class to do Publisher documents and more time writing stuff out by hand.

All this extra time spent on a computer has to come at the expense of somewhere else.

[localzuk]

My concern is what effect this computer use is going to have on handwriting skills. I've seen a steady decline in the quality of handwriting over the years, and an increase in bad grammar.

I wish my English department would spend less time getting the class to do Publisher documents and more time writing stuff out by hand.

All this extra time spent on a computer has to come at the expense of somewhere else.

Ah, the thing is - what value does hand writing have any more?

[enjay]

We surveyed our students a few years back, and found that 100% of them had access to a PC with broadband (independent school, which could account for such a high number). The scary thing was last week when introducing Year 6 to their cordless keyboard with built-in touchpad. I said "how many of you have a laptop at home?" - literally every hand in the room went up!

IT usage penetrates to the absolute youngest age, as others have already posted; let's also not forget web-enabled mobile phones, as many children now have (my 9-year-old niece recently told me her phone is better than her sister's because it is touch-screen - MY phone isn't touch-screen!!). We should therefore definitely be doing something about e-safety; to say "6 year olds should be outside playing not on a computer, therefore I won't teach them about them" is unacceptable and not far off negligence, IMHO.

[j17sparky]

Ah, the thing is - what value does hand writing have any more?

Very little, and hasnt done for atleast 50 years now. If handwritting mattered then 90% of the teachers here wouldnt be in a job thats for sure!!! (A good proportion of them went to school in the 1960s hense my above comment)

Im dyslexic and hold my pen like a spacker but my handwrittings certainly better than average here, if not top 10%.

[tmcd35]

EU Internet Safety day?

Pah! The internet's not safe - it's got people like me terrorising it

[CAM]

But isn't it a good way to make kids read? If they can't read they can't use the Internet, so it helps them learn to read under their own steam. No trying to get them interested in books.

The question is the content and that is where parental supervision comes into play. You aren't going to stop them completely from looking at bad content (how many of you saw films below their age limit?) but parents can take steps to reduce it. There will always be worries about content but kids have just moved on to looking at bad things on a screen instead of playing in the ruins of bombed buildings in the 40s.

[elsiegee40]

EU Internet Safety day?

Pah! The internet's not safe - it's got people like me terrorising it

Given an incident I've had to deal with this week (sorry I can't go into details) I find this comment puerile and offensive

[russdev]

Point about hand writing is this we are not an either or situation. They learn both well certainly my son is.

Russ