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Dear Subscribers:

It's good to be back! There's lots of news to catch you up on since our one-week hiatus - perhaps a little something for everyone here. Here's the lineup this fourth week of August:

• Family tech: Password security, Disney's new online-safety site; Respecting copyrights
• The littlest surfers: Meaty feedback, background info
• Web News Briefs: Back to school; Homeschoolers, take note; Kids' and grownups' privacy; Child porn update; The Net at home….
• Parents, teachers, students: 2 great resources

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Family tech

1. Password protection

   Like many parents, you probably haven't thought too much about your kids sharing their email passwords with friends. SafeKids.com's Larry Magid writes that, according to his teenage son and daughter, it's a pretty common practice among teens, but it can lead to problems that we all should be aware of.

   One example Larry cites is that of a teenage boy he knows being accused of sending an obscene email to a girl in their peer group. It turned out that the email had been sent by another boy to whom the accused friend had given his password for a Web-based email account. In his article for the San Jose Mercury News, Larry goes on to explain how tough it is to prove innocence in a case like this when the kids are using Web-based email like Microsoft's Hotmail or Netscape's WebMail. Password security is an important family-tech issue.

2. Goofy and Tiki Bob on online safety

   Larry writes from his family's own online experience, and he tapped his daughter's by surfing with her through a new Disney site parents should know about: "SurfSwell Island: Adventures in Internet Safety."

   In his column about it, Larry points out that, though there's plenty of online-safety information "out there" on the Web, very little of it would grab and hold children's attention. But Disney, having "invested many decades and untold millions of dollars in developing and promoting characters that are beloved by children around the world," is unusually qualified to help kids want to be informed about online safety and Netiquette. Larry also reminds us that the site will hold their attention for a while, but it's no babysitter - nothing replaces good, close communication between parents and kids about online activities.

3. Respecting copyrights at school and home

   In "Teaching the fine art of respect for all copyrighted material", Larry takes a matter-of-fact look at the huge and growing phenomenon of Net-music downloading. The bottom line is, "Stealing, whether it's music, books, software, or physical goods is wrong. Artists who create music for a living have a right to control what happens to their work. The same is true for photographers and, for that matter, newspaper columnists like myself," Larry writes.

   Parents, teachers, and students, please take note: There's a very important education element to the whole Napster/copyright issue. Think about lectures we all received in school about plagiarism. Then think about how much more accessible other people's research, discoveries, and ideas are to students with the advent of the Web. With this article, Larry provides excellent fodder for classroom discussions about the ethics of using the Web for schoolwork. More fuel can be found in a student's perspective on this - that of sixth-grader Madeline, in the award-winning Web site she co-authored for the ThinkQuest Junior contest: "From Pokemon to Picasso: Art Rights & Wrongs" (see our profile of Madeline).

   For the latest Net-file-sharing/Napster news, check out a New York Times article on Xerox Palo Alto research showing that the practice may be a little more selfish than its reputation ("for fostering a communal spirit of sharing among millions of music-loving computer users") indicates. Selfish or no, though, Napster user numbers keep on growing. The Associated Press reports (via the New York Times) that Napster.com has just broken into the Web's Top 50 sites, according to Media Metrix traffic-measuring research.

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Littlest surfers: Great feedback

We got some wonderful, meaty responses to our report on the littlest Web surfers and PBS Kids's new Teletubbies feature. We heard from a children's Web publisher offering his own experience with pre-reading Web users and an independent kids' software reviewer. Our thanks to both of them. Below their responses, you'll find some interesting and timely media reports on the subject.

1. Of the new Teletubbies on the Web

   Subscriber Gen in California - whose reviews of software and Web sites for girls are archived in her Web site, Games4Girls - kindly took the time to give us her thoughts on the new Teletubbies section of PBS Kids Online:

   "When I first saw Teletubbies on TV, years ago, I was impress by how skilled the people inside those suits were at mimicking young children. The show had kids down pat - from repeating stories to the baby-faced sun. I was a fan and proceeded to tell everyone I knew about this new and unusual show.

   "When I read about the new Teletubbies site in your last issue I logged onto and was expecting it to continue in the same creative vein that I found in the original TV show. I was very disappointed - perhaps more so because I am such a Teletubbies fan. The voices are the same, but these Teletubbies are stiff cardboard cutouts. Gone are the wonderful movements that are so child-like and appealing. The home-movie quality of the belly videos, while acceptable and even charming on the TV, are too small as QuickTime movies on the computer screen. The result is a series of flickering images rather than a coherent story.

   "What I object to most is the slow and ambiguous response to clicking. A blank white screen comes up between the click and the new image. This is so bad that I am sure they will change it. From all the studies I have read, kids, even more than adults need a quick response to action….

   "This site needs more work. There is not enough to explore, not enough artistic invention, the colors are unsaturated and there is too much pallid blue and green. In another study - kids respond to bright primary colors. I review a lot of kids' games and I know how hard some designers work at creating appropriate and enjoyable kid content. An activity that I have reviewed recently, which I find suits young kids and grown-ups alike (but not teens as much) is 'Midnight Play.' It is an incredible piece of animation from a children's book by the Czech illustrator Kveta Pacovska. It is marketed as a game but it defies categorization. It is unique."

2. Of surfers under 10

   Normally we're leery of publishing feedback from kids' Web site publishers, since it looks suspiciously like free advertising. But the sites created by subscriber Jason in Mauritius (island nation in the Indian Ocean) are something we'd tell you about anyway - they're age-appropriate entertainment for small surfers, and Jason, like Michelle Miller of PBS Kids, has a substantive track record of experience with small children's surfing habits:

   "Hi, I was very interested to read your article about Teletubbies. The content of this article sits pretty plum with what we have experienced over the last two years. We started developing a site that is not too far from a CD-ROM using Flash 4 about two years ago. [It provides] games, activities, and songs for small kids based around Boowa and Kwala (characters that exist only on the Web). We are an independent company and manage some 2,000,000 online minutes per month from 100,000 kids (400,000 visits) with content aimed at kids up to 10.

   "Parents, teachers, and grandparents visit with the kids and mix participation with independent interaction for the child. The kids love to play on their own, but we often hear that the parents have so much fun that they don't want to 'go do the dishes' (or only after the 20th rendition of the song "Plip plop rain drop"!).

   "Next month we relaunch with new technology that allows even smoother downloading and instant page changes from cache (i.e. no delay at all) that should enhance the kids' experience even further. Later this year content will be personalizable…. There are many, many possibilities and many, many young kids and their teachers/parents/grandparents/siblings who are ready for a very advanced on- and off-line interactive experience. 2D cartoon/animation is the perfect vehicle, and I am convinced that very impressive content will be on-line well before low-bandwidth quality TV.

   "Thanks for taking the time to read this, and thanks for your newsletter - very informative and helpful for people like us. Yours, / Jason Barnard / Creator of Boowa and Kwala / CEO, UpToTen.com"

3. In the news

   Wired News has recently published several articles offering useful background and links to research on just this budding topic:

   • "How Young is Too Young?" offers the perspective of two proponents and one opponent of early exposure to computers and technology. They are, respectively: Ni Chang, professor of early childhood education at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater; Dara Feldman, an early childhood instructional technology specialist and head of the Technology and Young Children project, in which researchers share the best technology practices for children 0-8; and Jane Healy, an educational psychologist and author of "Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children's Minds - For Better or Worse," who believes children are better off without computers before age 7.
   • "How to Build a Budding Techie" is the 5-minute audio version of the above article, for those who prefer hearing their news.
   • "Tots' Brains Crammed with Brands" looks at one of the "side-effects" of working with technology at an early age.

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Web News Briefs

1. Back to school with the Web

   It being that time of year, there was a whole slew of stories on tech in school, with Wired News taking the prize for comprehensive coverage; here's their index page. This and other sources offer coverage of interest to teachers as well as parents and students. Most notably:

   • Acceptable use: A New York Times report looks at the latest thinking among school administrators and government policymakers on the importance of having and *updating* Internet "acceptable use policies" - those rules that govern student and faculty behavior while using school computers and Net connections.
   • Roger Schank's ed tech: A Wired News piece about how the education iconoclast would use technology to fix the way kids are taught (through software that employs "experiential and emotional learning rather than through memorizing names and dates").
   • "New Toys for Cheating Students" that make it ever easier for those inclined to cheat on tests, from Wired News.
   • "Textbook Wars Heating Up", a Wired News article about a battle between online bookstores and campus ones that spells good news for bargain-hunting students.
   • A study cited by WebTrendWatch showing that the Internet is now "indispensable on college campuses."

2. Homeschoolers, take note

   You probably know this, but it's now being "confirmed" in the media: You are the "advance guard of computer-assisted learning," according to a fulsome report on the subject in Wired News. "Experts estimate that there are more than 1.7 million homeschooled children in the United States, growing at a rate of 10-15% every year." And even back in 1997, Wired News adds, about 86% of homeschooling families reported owning a computer, compared to the 34% national average at that time. The article includes plenty of much more recent anecdotal evidence and expert commentary. And a New York Times story about a virtual school shows how one Kansas school district is using the Web to "evangelize" homeschoolers, offering those who want it "the guidance of public school teachers, the validation of state standardized tests, and the purchasing power of a large public school." Homeschoolers, if you have comments on any of this - including how useful you find the Internet in your teaching - we'd love to hear from you!

3. Online privacy: Kids and grownups

   In "Save the Children," TheStandard.com provides a wide-angle snapshot of where we are with how kids' Web sites are handling kids' privacy. For one thing, it reports, the FTC (charged with enforcing the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998), plans to start "cracking down" this fall. That's because a lot of sites say they're COPPA-compliant by simply telling kids they must be 13 to participate, then allowing them to lie about their age in order to access those marginally law-abiding sites. But things are looking up (maybe), since nearly 200 apparently well-meaning kids' Web publishers this week attended an FTC clinic on COPPA compliance, reports Wired News.

   As for grownups, "permission first" is the message that surveyed Internet users are sending Web sites that disclose users' personal information. According to a CNN.com report on a just-released study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, "the majority of US Internet users feel their rights are infringed upon by companies that track them online, and 86% prefer an 'opt in' policy that would require Web sites to get permission first from users before they disclose personal information." That's contrary to the "opt out" position currently supported by the Clinton administration, the Federal Trade Commission, and a consortium of Web advertisers, CNN reports.

   Despite their concerns, though, few Internet users are bothering to take any steps to protect their privacy, the Pew survey found, according to Reuters via Techweb. If they do want to take steps, products and services that help them do so are multiplying. The Boston Herald looks at some of those, and another service for parents seeking a convenient way to protect their kids' privacy - the WiredKids.org Central Registry - debuts next month (more on that closer to the date). If any of you have started using privacy-protection products or services, do tell us what you think of them.

   Meanwhile, "high-tech giants" are now saying a federal consumer-privacy law might be good. According to InfoWorld.com, companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Intel, and EMC are leery of the "slew of privacy bills from state governments responding to the public outcry" over online abuse of consumer privacy. Another sign of progress for consumers, it appears. Here's ZDNet's version of the story, focusing on Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina's minority view on this.

4. The mainstreaming of child pornography

   Experts say the Internet and digital technology have made it a lot easier for child pornographers to operate, providing anonymity and greater access to a global market at the same time, Wired News reports. The good news is, as Cyberangels.org executive director Parry Aftab puts it, child porn purveyors have gotten greedy - they're getting more visible, possibly more careless, and thus easier for law enforcement to catch. And arrests are on the rise. Wired News cites US Customs Service figures showing that "204 individuals were arrested on child pornography charges in 1999…, a significant increase from five years ago, when 48 arrests were made…. Nearly all of the individuals arrested were later convicted." The FBI's 580 arrests since the 1995 introduction of its "Innocent Images" program have led to 525 convictions. Cyberangels is helping these agencies, as well as the US Postal Inspection Service, with 7,000 trained, volunteer Cyberangels in 70 countries. They track cyberstalkers and sexual predators and refer cases to law enforcement. The Wired story offers a thorough, two-part update on this pernicious problem.

5. Net on the home front

   At 52%, the majority of US households now have Internet access. Some 144 million users in the United States accessed the Internet this past July, according to findings from Nielsen/Netratings cited by Nua Internet Surveys. This is a 35% increase over July of '99. Time spent online has increased, too, "by as much as two hours per month since July 1999." Reporting on the same survey, ZDNet cites cheaper computers and free Internet service as reasons, adding that this increased home connectivity is shrinking the digital divide.

   On the other hand, another study shows that not everyone is high on the Internet! A research organization called Cyber Dialogue that looks at US Internet use every year started tracking the "Internet disenfranchised" in 1998. Citing CD's research, the USIIA Bulletin reports that, yes, 77 million adult consumers are regular (as opposed to occasional) Net users now and their numbers are growing by 10% a year, but there's a flip side: "Cyber Dialogue also found a notable increase in … the number of people who once used the Internet but no longer do. In 1998, some 15 million people - about 1/3 of the number then online - had elected to drop out. Today, 29 million have elected to stop using the Internet. And Harris Online says more than one-third of US consumers claim to suffer from 'digital distress'." Comments, anyone? Feel free to share either your skepticism or your own digital-distress stories.

* * * *

For parents, teachers, students: 2 great resources

Recent research cited by Discovery.com shows that 85% of students use the family computer for schoolwork (that's probably US or North American students). It's Web resources like the following that make those home PCs so useful….

1. PBS's Kids Democracy Project

   "WANTED: Man or Woman for top government position. Must have been born in the United States, be at least 35 years old, and be a US citizen…. Must like to travel, shake hands, and kiss babies." That's the start of the job description for US President - one of the fun learning activities in the PBS Kids Democracy Project, an interactive government and election site.

   The "President for a Day" activity really gives a feel for what the President's typical day is like, adding background historical information and photos for each activity on "My Planner." Of course, the White House chief of staff is right at your side, prepping you and walking you through the whole day, packed with photo opps; meetings with heads of state, legislators, and the media; phone calls; planning sessions; and a state dinner. The President does actually have a few choices and a teeny bit of free time right before she's goes to bed!

   Other features in the site include "How Does Government Affect Me?", "Inside the voting Booth," filling out a "Future Voter's Card," and teachers resources, lesson plans, and proposed offline activities - all "based on national civics standards for grades 3-6," PBS Kids says. We're not teachers, but it seems to us PBS continues to be very smart about tying its educational resources directly to (US) national standards for specific grade levels (teachers, we'd love to hear from you, via feedback@netfamilynews.org, if you do or don't find this helpful).

2. Discovery.com's enhanced 'School' section

   Discovery.com's well-organized School area focuses on tools for after school. New resources have been added to the Homework Help section. Worth the price of admission all by itself is Dictionary Plus (with thesaurus), with a very cool "To Go" feature that adds a button to one's Web browser so students can access definitions and synonyms for words they highlight in any Web page on any Web site. Another new feature, Webmath, walks students through "tough math problems" at elementary through high school levels.

   "School" also includes a teacher channel, with lesson plans, teacher-friendly links, and a clip-art gallery (for teacher Web sites), and the inevitable e-commerce section, the just-opened Family Learning Store, leveraging Discovery's presence in many shopping malls across North America.

Do tell us what you think of these resources, or share other ones that have been particularly useful to you.

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That does it for this week. Have a great weekend!

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Net Family News

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