I have never given much consideration to children’s screen names and safety (except when my tween requested IM privileges with “CandyMan” — who, luckily, turned out to be a female fifth-grade friend and not the predator I’d conjured). So, I was all ears when a local Internet expert offered three great guidelines for safe screen names for kids:
1. Never use a name that indicates whether the child is a boy or girl. Obviously, this includes the child’s actual name.
2. Never use numbers in a screen name that could indicate age. …

OK, I’ll admit it: As a parent, I get tired of saying no. That’s why I gravitate to plans or programs to help kids limit the length of time they spend in the front of the TV or on the computer, rather than the endless nagging: ”You’ve already used your TV time. (And this time I mean it.)” Here are some tricks that kids often find more palatable than a more straightforward “two hours per day” mandate.

This morning I added another item to my growing “technology happy list:” Now kids can give to a worthy cause by playing online games. I’m always looking for ways to help my kids see how important it is to look beyond themselves, and I love that this ties together kids’ passion for games with doing good. An excerpt from The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society newsletter explains how Pledgeplay came about:
Taylor Carol, of Dana Point, CA, was a typical 11-year-old boy, into sports and video games. But when he got hit by a pitch during …

I totally agree with Hank Williams’ thought here that the fun factor in Apple products relates to what’s missing in education these days.