Kids today are much smarter than the kids we were. Little wonder then, that they're taking to the Net with such ease and confidence, automatically raising concern over the quality of kid content available online.
A majority of children limit their Internet usage to email and chat. Sites like Talkcity and Yahoo! are popular, as are instant messengers - MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and and Rediff Bol. Many youngsters visit sites like Cartoon Network, Spiderman, Snoopy, Kidsites and Marvel, where they can indulge in fun activities, hold discussions, share ideas and read the latest on subjects of their interest. Some also surf National Geographic and School Circle to collect data for school projects.
NetSense, an Internet research company, recently published findings of its latest study, NetKidz, which attempts to understand Internet usage of school-going children.
Ranjan Banerjee, who along with Dr Anand Patwardhan, was the brain behind this research, feels there's a dearth of sites providing 'learning through fun' for kids. Sites either purely entertain or educate. "Mental abilities increase rapidly among children. But there isn't enough focus on step wise learning for kids where one graduates from one level to the next based on their comfort with the last level," he comments.
"Very few children's sites -- especially in India -- are designed keeping the age of the user in mind, in terms of language, layout, etc. Hardly any devote special sections to young users, despite having a sizeable volume of such visitors. With the exception of Yahoo, very few horizontal portals have kid subsections. Of the present lot of children's sites in India, few bring out the Indian flavour - most seem to be adaptations of western sites," he adds.
Anindita Bajaj, Lead Researcher, Netkidz, chips in: "Take the case of game sites: most of them require registration. However if they have some sample games that can be accessed without registering, it will make children more comfortable."
"I'm pretty happy with the content on children's sites. Actually I just wish there were more games, though," says Paloma Monnappa, aged 12. She likes to surf Launchcast and Beatcreeds. "I also visit Sly Greetings, where you get really cool cards and songs," she says.
Tarkeshwari Adsule, an IT profesional, often observes the surfing habits of her younger sister Asmita. "Frankly speaking there are no sites that are really useful to kids, when it comes to technical stuff. Asmita is interested in learning about Networks, but cannot find anything online that caters to her level of understanding". If the Internet is really the information super-highway it was meant to be, shouldn't kids be a part of it too?
During its research, the NetSense™ team developed the 'CREATE' parameter -- a set of six elements that they feel should be part of any site meant for kids:
- C-community
- R-readability
- E-ease of access
- A-attractiveness
- T-topics of interest
- E-ease of usage
Their research reveals that sites aimed at younger audiences need to focus a lot more on readability -- language needs to be simplified. Sites need to be attractive, but not load too slowly. And clear instructions will make for easier navigation.
Also, children's sites should focus on edutainment, a middle ground between education and entertainment. Jacinta Behne, Consultant, McREL, an organisation aimed at improving education through applied research and development, says "for our site, the biggest challenge is to deliver material that is engaging for children, while offering stimulating, substantive science content that lends itself to inquiry -- all the while heightening student interest in mathematics and science through the content of a NASA mission".
Horizontal portals should attempt to have separate kids sections and graduate the user with age, providing all the core functionalities expected at each stage. A survey conducted of kids who use software such as Clickteam, revealed that such kids build higher-order thinking skills, become more engaged in the learning process, develop a deeper understanding of subject matter, and even score higher on standardised tests. (A 1998 Educational Testing Service research report, Does it Compute? The Relationship Between Educational Technology and Student Achievement in Mathematics, found that students who used simulation software scored higher on standardised mathematics tests.)
Reshma Kulkarni, mother of three school-going children, says "Children's sites should feature information on lucrative careers, to make them aware of all the options available. If they read about new things, they will try to make careers in those domains. Basically, our kids must have as much exposure, knowledge-wise, as those in the US."
Children enjoy continuity and familiarity in their choice of entertainment. Sites having a strong offline presence, like Cartoon Network, and ESPN STAR have a strong online following among kids.
Choice of sites also depends on gender. Netkidz found that girls spend a lot of time on sites of egreetings, movies and cartoons. Sports sites, especially the likes of WWF and ESPN, have steady following among boys, who also visit porn sites more frequently. Besides, boys visit new kinds of sites, like online auctions, before their female counterparts. They also tend to graduate to advanced applications much faster than girls. Interestingly, these differences were far less in school users, indicating that the gender divide will be bridged in the years to come.
Bhavesh Bhatia, Multimedia Consultant, Childkraft Kindergarten feels "it's an even fifty-fifty for those who just fool around on the Net and those who actually utilise it productively". He advocates reading and learning through conventional methods as opposed to the Net, because "there's a lot of good and bad stuff online - so youngsters generally end up browsing for fun because the temptation to stray from the original task is too great. And there's always the urge to logon to the messenger."
What if the temptation to stray becomes too great? Filters like The Family Browser 1.5, X-Detect 1.0, Surf Snoop 2.0 and LoyalDog 1.10 screen content for kids, but aren't totally foolproof. These programmes only help solve part of the problem. If you can teach your child the difference between doing the right thing and the wrong, you'll probably breathe a lot easier in the long run.
A few interesting children's sites:
Clickteam.com has come up with a language-based 2D/3D application and game creation system that gives you the power of programming in the form of an intuitive, object-based language, with a shorter learning curve and a host of tools and editors that will empower you to create impressive and professional titles.
Sites like Stagecast contain exercises to stimulate thinking skills. For example, children can learn about probability through the flip of a coin, or the basics of ecosystems and choose their own rules to see how it is affected, or see how only prime numbers remain after multiples are eliminated. What's more -- they can share their own creations with others through the site.
Youngsters can kick up some fun at Kids Domain, while wannabe programmers can check out Cocoa -- with which children can create their own programs.
Indian sites like Pitara too have some cool stuff for kids, including a kid-safe browser called Krowser.
|
Also Read
-- How much is too much for kids online