I know that every generation says this, but our kids today are growing up so differently than we did. I’m not sure if my parents felt as shocked about our childhood as I am about my kid’s childhood or not.
Life is Different For Our Children
The other day, I handed a cell phone over to my 10 year old. I’m thinking that is light years ahead of anything that was going on when I was a child. Cell phones didn’t exist and neither did half of the other things our kids have in the way of technology.
Since there are so many resources at the tip of our hands and that of our children, we need to come up with intentional ways of using technology to teach. In this series of “How to use technology to teach your child”, I will explore different outlets you can use to educate your children.
How to Use Searches to Teach Your Children
Learning to surf the web is a valuable skill for any child that is old enough to spell. Even if they aren’t proficient spellers, they can still search out things that they need to learn. Teaching your kids how to find the information they need online is important.
There are several skills you will want to work on to ensure they are finding the proper information about a subject or event.
Help Them Identify Keywords
Typing in the right keywords or phrasing something correctly is the first step in finding the information you need. Children have a limited vocabulary, and simply teaching them different ways to phrase information is a learning experience in and of itself. Work with your child on coming up with a question or keywords that will help them find what they are looking for.
Show Them What Ads Are
We adults are all but immune to ads, even though they are constantly changing. However, our children do not know what sponsored posts are or click bait links. You have to teach your child that the first few search results are ads and may not be where they will find their information.
Teach Them About Authority Sources and Trustworthy Websites
There are a lot of websites out there with misinformation about all kinds of subjects. As an adult, you’ve probably run across your fair share of untrustworthy sites. You have to teach your children which sites are worth reading and which ones may not be accurate.
It is a good idea to show them to go to several different websites to see if they get conflicting information. You can’t just rely on Google to bring up information that is valuable and spot on. It takes you verifying as best as you can the content that you are ready.
Whatever criteria you use to determine if a website is authentic, you should teach your child those same techniques.
Help Them Steer Clear Of Malicious Websites and Other Inappropriate Sites
Even if you have filters on your computer or browser, your child may still happen across a website that is inappropriate or malicious. Help your kids understand what to be on the lookout for when it comes to suspicious or bad websites.
Give them instructions of what they should do if they happen across a site that makes them feel uncomfortable.
It takes time to learn how to surf the web and find the valuable information you need. Starting your children out now will be of great benefit to them when they get older.
