Computers at Home

While many of your child's interactions with educational technology are going to take place at school and will, for the most part, be determined by his or her school's policies, home computing is one area where you are entirely in charge.

This section of "How Can I Help My Child?" is designed to help you answer some of the questions that you may have about home computing and your child. Here are just a few of the questions that usually come up:

1. Should I buy a computer for my child?
   
2. My child wants a laptop computer. Is this really a good idea?
3. How can I make good decisions about purchasing educational software?
4. Should I install Internet filtering software, and just how well does filtering software actually work?
5. How can I keep my child safe on the Internet?
6. Should there be household rules governing computer use?
7. Should I place time limits on my child's computer use?

Just click on the above questions for tips and suggestions on how you might want to go about answering each of them. As you will see, there are some definite "dos" and "don'ts"—especially when it comes to Web safety—but there is still a lot of room for parents to set their own policies.

How Can I Know Which Educational Software to Buy?

Here are a few important questions to ask when you're purchasing educational software for your child:

• Does the software have a clear educational purpose?
  
  
• Does the software make your child an active participant in the learning process? Programs that dazzle with fancy graphics but require only minimal interaction with the computer are, from an educational standpoint, less useful than programs that require children to interact with the computer (by pointing, clicking, or typing) in order to solve problems or reach goals. This latter kind of software places an emphasis on what is called "active learning" (as opposed to less effective "passive learning").
  
  
• Is it age-appropriate? Most children's software has its intended age range indicated on the box.
  
  
• Is it entertaining? Just because it is educational software, that doesn't mean it should be boring. Make sure that the graphics are of high quality (but not distracting) and that it will hold your child's attention.
  
  
• Does it have depth? Educational software should be rich in content, so that your child can keep learning from the software, even months after it was purchased. If the software teaches problem solving skills, can it generate new problems every time your child sits down at the computer?
  
  
• Does it have an intuitive interface? Educational technology—even when it seeks to educate about technology—should never be obtrusive or difficult to use.
  
  
• Does the software become progressively more challenging as the user accomplishes tasks? Can the level of difficulty be adjusted?
  
  
• What kind of reviews has the software received? Read reviews in parenting magazines and on the Internet (see below for some suggested Web sites) before you buy.

Don't forget to check with your local library to see if it has any educational software available for check out.

Web Sites of Interest
DiscoverySchool.com
http://school.discovery.com/parents/reviewcorner/software/
From the people behind the Discovery Channel. Hundreds of programs are described and reviewed here.

SuperKids.com
http://www.superkids.com/
SuperKids reviews and rates educational software. According to the site, all reviews are written by teams that include educators, parents, and children from across the United States. In addition to reviews, SuperKids also features online educational tools, including math worksheets, vocabulary exercises, and logic games.

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