Quote:
Physorg posted:By Anne Krishnan
Every few months, I receive a question from a reader whose computer was never the same after a grandchild came to visit.
One computer's default language switched from English to German. Another could no longer launch Firefox. A third mysteriously lost its sound. While it's difficult to figure out what buttons a child might have pressed or clicked to cause these problems, there are a number of ways that you can protect your computer while still allowing the kids to play on it.
Many computer problems can be attributed to kids' indiscriminate Web surfing. Adults (hopefully) know to be careful in cyberspace, but children are more likely to invite any old malware home for dinner.
KidZui is a Web interface that limits children's surfing to a pre-approved set of Web sites, pictures, games and videos. It even has a social networking component. The interface comes as a standalone browser for Windows or a Firefox extension. Both allow the parents/grandparents to lock the browser so that it's the only application available for the child to use on the computer. Learn more at http://www.kidzui.com.
Crazy Little Fingers is a free program that lets toddlers pound on the keyboard without the risk of accidental damage to your settings or files. What's more, this application assigns customizable images to the keys, making the pounding interactive but safe. Download it at http://www.kwacky.dcmembers.com.
Physorg posted:By Anne Krishnan
Every few months, I receive a question from a reader whose computer was never the same after a grandchild came to visit.
One computer's default language switched from English to German. Another could no longer launch Firefox. A third mysteriously lost its sound. While it's difficult to figure out what buttons a child might have pressed or clicked to cause these problems, there are a number of ways that you can protect your computer while still allowing the kids to play on it.
Many computer problems can be attributed to kids' indiscriminate Web surfing. Adults (hopefully) know to be careful in cyberspace, but children are more likely to invite any old malware home for dinner.
KidZui is a Web interface that limits children's surfing to a pre-approved set of Web sites, pictures, games and videos. It even has a social networking component. The interface comes as a standalone browser for Windows or a Firefox extension. Both allow the parents/grandparents to lock the browser so that it's the only application available for the child to use on the computer. Learn more at http://www.kidzui.com.
Crazy Little Fingers is a free program that lets toddlers pound on the keyboard without the risk of accidental damage to your settings or files. What's more, this application assigns customizable images to the keys, making the pounding interactive but safe. Download it at http://www.kwacky.dcmembers.com.
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