The Web 2.0 tool I chose was KIDOZ, a web browser specifically with the young child in mind ( ages 3- 10 years old). One of the things I noticed right away was the kid- friendly graphics and large print which make navigation easier for children. Since a parent ( or a teacher) must set up the account, it offers great security features. Although technology is a great teaching tool, it is also a dangerous place for children. KIDOZ keeps the child's identity, privacy, and access ability in mind. Also, parent controls allow for what websites, games, or videos the child can view on any given day. This is a great feature that will give many parents and educators a peace of mind. The browser is set up with sections for videos, websites, and games which are educational and developmentally appropriate for this age child. THere are many teaching tools which enable a child to use skills such as matching, letter recognition, story comprehension, number recognition, and how-to videos. There is a blog section for updates. The interactive graphics allow a child to see a cause and effect relationship and immediate results. I like the Statistics tab which gives overall feedback from consumer reports as well as business journals and parents/ teachers who use this tool. Tabs on top of the labeled topics can add new websites, videos or games as the parent discovers them making this a personalized web tool. In addition, parents or teachers can block certain choices as well. I feel that this web tool would be great technology tool for the parent at home or the early childhood teacher at school. I will be looking at using this in my classroom with some of my k-3rd grade students. This is a great site to train students how to use the internet safely as well as how to increase their basic learning skills. I can see myself using this on classroom computers as well as on the SMART BOARD for a group lesson. Stop by and take a look http://www.kidoz.net/site_tr is a basic package which is free and the upgrade is not very much considering your child's safety and learning is priceless !!!
Screen shots retrieved from http://www.go2web20.net/site/?a=KIDOZ
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