COMPUTERS IN OUR LIVES Parents as partners Your child participates in ICT lessons, learning how to use technology like

computer software, the internet, e-mail and digital cameras. They will also use ICT to help them in other subjects.

Why is my child learning about computers in our lives? Modern technology is changing the way we live and work. Today you can e-mail through the TV, surf the internet from a mobile phone, or shop from your home computer. Children need to learn how to manage and make the most of this technology how to get hold of information, store it, share it with others and tailor it to meet their own needs. Thats where their information and communication technology (ICT) lessons come in.

This leaflet gives ideas on how you can help your child to find out more about ICT. It suggests activities you could carry out at home, things to do when youre out, and where to go for more information. If you dont have a computer at home, ask at your local library most have equipment that you can use. By trying some of the activities in this leaflet, you will help your child to understand and remember what they learn in school.

What will my child learn about computers in our lives? Your child will learn how to use the internet and e-mail, digital cameras and scanners, recording equipment and computer software. They will use technology to: find things out from sources like CD-ROMs, the internet enter information into a computer, save it and get it back when they need it again

Safety note When your child is using a computer, make sure they are sitting at the right height and their back is well supported. Check that light isnt shining on the screen and that they take breaks.

Dont let your child have drinks near the computer and make sure their hands are clean and dry when they use the keyboard. Check that cables are out of the way so that nobody trips over. Never put in or pull out plugs while the computer is switched on.

develop their ideas and share them with different people look back over their work and make improvements.

DISCOVER COMPUTERS AT HOME

Here are some ways that you and your child can find out more about computers when you are at home.
Living stories Lots of stories are now available on CD-ROM and the internet. Look for story CDs in your local library, or search for your childs favourite storybook characters on the internet. You and your child should be able to play an active part in the story, making things happen by pointing and clicking. Encourage your child to use the mouse to make characters move around, dance, sing or change shape Ask them questions about what is happening, for example: Where has the rabbit gone? Is he underneath? On top? Behind? In front? Encourage them to think about the result of their actions and what will happen next, for example: What happens if you click here? or What do you think the rabbit will do next?

Looking good If your child is writing something on a computer, help them to experiment with different ways of presenting their text. They could change: the font and style of letters (look under Font and Format on the menu bar) the size of letters (you can usually choose from tiny 8 point to enormous 72 point text) where the words are positioned on the page (for example aligned to the left, right or centre). If you have drawing or painting packages on your computer (sometimes called graphics software), you and your child could explore different ways of creating pictures. They could then combine their text and pictures to make everything from party invitations and birthday cards to postcards and banners. Remember that using a computer to present work isnt always the best solution talk with your child about when it is best to write something by hand. For example, is it sometimes better to send a hand-written thank you note than a word processed letter? Why?

Diary days To encourage your child to use a computer for writing, you could help them to: put together a diary about special family events, like days out, birthdays and Christmas keep a diary for a week. They could write about the weather, what they wear each day and what they do at school.

You could begin by asking your child to draw a picture about the day using pencils and crayons. Talk about the picture together and then help your child to use a word processing package to write about what happened. At first you may have to do all the typing, but encourage your child to take over as they begin to recognise the letters. When your child is happy with what they have written, print it out and stick it into a scrapbook along with their picture. Save a copy of the text on the computer, so that your child can go back and make changes if they want to. Looking back through the diary together can be a good way to remember events and to see how your childs writing has improved over time. Keeping in touch If you have an e-mail address at home, encourage your child to use it. E-mail is a quick and easy way to communicate with people all over the world your child could use e-mail to keep in touch with family, friends or an electronic pen-pal. Can they find out the email address of a friend from school and start exchanging messages? You may find that they enjoy this much more than putting pen to paper in the traditional way! It is important to keep track of who is sending e-mail messages to your child. Try to make sure that youre always around when your child collects messages. Alternatively, you can now get software that allows you to choose who can send e-mails to your child.

The web is a great way for your child to find out facts to help with their homework and hobbies, and it is important that they learn how to make the most of it. Talk with your child about using the web. Have they used it at school? How has it helped them with their work? What websites have they visited? If you have internet access at home, help your child to explore the web safely, as many sites are unsuitable for children. Supervise them as they search for information and encourage them to find sites for their age group. Talk to your internet service provider to find out if it offers a filtering service to prevent your child from seeing unsuitable materials. You can find out more about safe surfing by visiting:

www.pin.org.uk/safety/index.htm

Smart searching Using the web can be complicated it is easy to spend ages searching for information and end up none the wiser! Help your child to try finding information using these four methods. Typing in a web address Most businesses and organisations now have a website that you can visit. You can find their web address (also called a URL) on products and packaging, in newspapers, magazines and comics, on TV programmes in fact almost anywhere! Ask your child to find the address of a site theyre interested in, type it into the window at the top of your browser screen and explore the site together.

Safe surfing If you have used the internet, you will know about the variety of information that it opens up to you through the worldwide web.

Using a specialist childrens site Some specialist websites are packed with information on topics of interest to children. Try visiting www.yahooligans.com with your child, which has a wide range of colourful pages and activities, or www.parents.dfee.gov.uk which has links to other websites for children. Using a search engine If youre looking for information but dont have a website address, try using a search engine. You will find a list of search engines under the search button on the toolbar at the top of your internet screen. Ask your child to think of something theyd like to find out about, such as their favourite football team or pop group. Type in the name, click go or search, and your computer should come up with a list of websites. Asking an expert The internet has special experts who you can ask for help with finding information. You can either do this by: typing in the address of an expert (Ask Jeeves for Kids at www.ajkids.com is an expert designed for children) typing Ask an Expert in a search engine. You usually type in a question and your e-mail address, then wait for the expert to send you back an answer. Once you have found what you were looking for,make sure that your child looks at the information rather than just printing out pages and pages. Encourage them to collect information from different websites, so they can compare it and decide whether it is accurate.

At your local library Most libraries have computers that you can use with your child. Ask an assistant for advice on how to use the equipment and whether you need to book a session. You and your child will probably be able to use the library's computer for word processing, looking at CD-ROMs and surfing the net. Look out for library books that explain computers and the internet. The children's section should have resources that are written especially for younger readers. If you have a computer at home, ask if the library has any CD-ROMs that you can borrow (usually for a small fee). Which software? Educational software is often reviewed on the Parents' Information Network website at: www.pin.org.uk/ If you're looking for good software to use at home, you might find these reviews helpful. Websites www.ajkids.com/dearPare.asp www.yahooligans.com/parents/

www.kidsdomain.co.uk/kids/safesurf.html www.netparents.org www.pin.org.uk