 Creative Intelligence @ Your Service |
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Creative Intelligence @ Your Service |
Site Map +1 214 234 9283 | Send Email |
It's official! Summer is over! Kids go back to school this month! Wish the heat would abate...
Kids will be doing homework on computers soon, surfing the Internet. Which generates genuine security and safety concerns. Please read the article “Defensive Security Practices” in the Support Tips section of our web site. Can you answer yes to all of the following questions?
Our computers are connected to the Internet via a hardware firewall.
The accounts our children use are limited or user accounts.
We update our software every six months (or more often).
Our children use a web browser besides Internet Explorer, such as FireFox or Safari.
If your answer is “no” or “I don't know” to any of the above then Houston, we have a problem! Remember: spyware and virus authors use predatory practices that fool experts. How can we expect our children to keep up?
Here's a thought: give every student a USB drive, costing about $20, for their school homework. USB drives have no moving parts, so they are less likely to fail then a hard drive. They are portable: no excuses about my homework files are on the other computer! And they're small, so they can fit into an end-of-school notebook or scrapbook.
Our “Parent's Guide to the Internet” discusses things we need to be aware of when kids go Internet surfing. This article discusses topics like access control: restricting computer use so students will sleep instead of play games all night.
There is a simple command one can type to shut down the computer at a given time of day. And if students have limited or user accounts, there is nothing they can do to prevent this. We can email parents a script based on some desired household policy, such as no computer use on school nights between 11:00 pm and 7:00 am. Drop us a line or call if you are interested in getting a free copy of this script.
Articles in the popular press recently linked increases in ADD and autism to the increase of computers and video games in the home. While such devices may not be the cause, they do amplify problems for students with these disorders. Here are some tips for concerned parents:
Delay the use of computers and video games until third grade. There are plenty of games that do a good job of educating our children. But traditional methods still work just fine in the earlier stages of child development. And some psychologists are worried we are introducing a new learning mentality, how to deal with a computer, before traditional pen-and-paper methods have had time to settle.
Balance computer and “real world” use. As a general rule of thumb, we all—parents included—should spend just as much time with people as we do a computer. Played video games for two hours straight? Balance that with playing two hours of board or outdoor games.
Enforce the idea that computers are tools, not worlds. When our children do use the computer, do so as a tool for engaging with other people. Make a card or gift for another person, as an example, rather then just using the computer for its own sake.
Q: Why do Texas kids go back to school so early? A: Indoor air conditioning.
It's our last month—we hope—of 100º+ temperatures, so let's further our education and visit a museum. We have a staggering number in the DFW Metroplex. Chances are there is more then one you would enjoy visiting.
So take a look at homework assignments for the next month or so. Pick a museum that's related—somehow—and make an outing of it.
Q: How many aviation museums are in the metroplex? A: At least three: Cavanaugh near Addison airport, C. R. Smith near DFW, and Frontiers of Flight near Love Field.
Just contact us with any comments, concerns, or questions about items contained in this document. Or IT issues in general. Or call us at the telephone number below.
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