Let’s get back to talking about how to best meet the current events needs for kids (and we’re asking everyone here: parents and teachers).
How do you think we can best integrate print resources with web-based ones? It seems as though parents don’t really want their (especially young) children hanging around on the Internet all day (and we concur; we don’t want our kids hanging around on the Internet all day either), so what’s a good middle?
What would you think about having a weekly news magazine, similar to what God’s World News (GWN) currently is, with an intentional weekly Internet component? This could look like links to “safe” sources for more information, more developed thinking activities for the kids to interact with on the GWN site, or even weekly webcast talks/interviews with someone who can add an extra diminsion to the news covered in the weekly magazines.
What other possibilities can you think of that would best meet the needs of how to make news current, relevant for kids, and framed in a way that mirrors your biblical values?
4 Comments
October 4, 2007 at 9:18 pm
I am totally uninterested in such a feature, so much so that it would actually discourage me from purchasing a magazine that would encourage my children to want to get online. I would go for it for high school aged students, but not for younger. That is just me, though…and I am speaking of private, in home use and I realize I am fairly conservative in this regard.
October 5, 2007 at 12:32 pm
I think you have to be careful with an internet component. It needs to be a minimal aspect to the magazine. It should enhance the article, but not be integral to understanding. Also, any links or sites that children would be sent to for more information would need to be free of advertising and monitored very closely. Especially if you are going to do a forum or something similiar.
Thanks!
October 5, 2007 at 2:40 pm
We would love some safe internet componant. We frequently “google” together for things we are interested in…how to make paper airplanes, what does the wall of China look like, etc. Alongside a great paper publication, it could be a nice bonus to know where to go for some additional photos, project ideas, perhaps even networking with other kids interested in the material. Wouldn’t it be neat if there was some material on girls in a school in another country and then there was a way to send them a note, or see some video of them in the classroom?
October 5, 2007 at 4:51 pm
I am very supportive of an internet component. My children enjoy playing puzzles and educational games, and I think it is a fabulous tool for learning and reinforcing materials.
In our house, we dont have nintendo or x-box or wii or such things, instead, my kids play games on the computer; puzzles, math and reading games, etc. They have just as much fun if it were some “commercial” game, and are increasing their academic and problem solving skills at the same time.
I would want to make sure that their were NOT links to other sites, and that their was no “chat” type feature, or manner for them to be contacted during their time online. Rather, I only let them go to sites that are fully contained.
A site that has games, puzzles and interactive play to learn and reinforce educational concepts would be very attractive to our family.