Computer skills for kids

Two door prize winners from my talk at TOS’s Online Expo have been selected and received their free copies of Let’s Make a Web Page.  They are M.Z. and T.W.  Congratulations!

Stephanie Buckwalter of Bristow, VA, had some kind words for me this past week:

“I can vouch for Phyllis’ Computer Science Pure and Simple curriculum. I
have taught it (both books in one year) for a local homeschool co-op
these last two years for both middle and high schoolers. It is a popular
class and I always have people ask me if I’m going to teach it the next
year.

“The kids love it, it’s easy to teach (Phyllis did all the hard
work of explaining the concepts in the book), and most importantly, the
students learn programming basics, HTML basics, and are introduced to
using word processors and spreadsheets. I highly recommend it for anyone
who has a kid who loves computers and wants to learn programming.

“I love the material and it makes me a very popular teacher. There were
at least 2 or 3 families who joined that co-op just so they could take
that class.”

I’m glad to hear that the HTML editor software I chose to use with my ebook Let’s Make a Web Page has won an award.  This is CoffeeCup HTML Editor, voted the best Windows Web editor for 2010 at About.com, reader’s choice.

I chose it because it was easy to use and worked with Windows Vista when Vista was new, indicating that the people behind it are forward-thinking.  It does cost about $50 if you want to use it past the free trial download, but you know what? The free software I considered wasn’t very good and wasn’t being updated for Vista. So paying for something that’s worthwhile is no surprise.

Of course, you don’t have to buy the software if you buy my ebook Let’s Make a Web Page. You can just use my ebook and the free trial for 30 days and get a lot of fun out of it, and get to keep your files too.

Source: http://webdesign.about.com/od/awards/f/readers-choice-10-windows-web-editor.htm

by Phyllis Wheeler

In Star Trek, there’s the purely logical guy, Mr. Spock, and the purely emotional guy, who is just about any other character. Real life isn’t like that–we need to be able to function both ways, with our minds and with our emotions.

Unfortunately, learning logical thinking doesn’t just come naturally for most people. But it’s an important skill. Logic traps are everywhere.

Here’s what you can do about it: teach logic to your child. Why?

1. Your child will be able to understand cause and effect, and make better life choices. For instance, a child who understands logical consequences will be more able to counter the voices of “friends” who urge him to misuse his money and his time.

2. Your child will be a good problem-solver. Good problem-solving involves coming up with a list of options to consider. This will help later on in a range of situations, from how to deal with a plugged-up sink to what to do about a car that breaks down.

3. Your child will be better prepared to challenge advertising. He will be able to identify fallacies such as circular reasoning. For example, an advertiser might tell us, “Happy folks buy Toastie Puffs.” What he means is, “Buy Toastie Puffs, and you’ll be happy!” This is circular logic! Can your child recognize it?

4. Your child will be able to carefully consider persuasion from politicians and the media. What if a TV reporter interviews five people who say the US should allow illegal immigrants to stay? Then the reporter concludes that everyone in the state wants illegal immigrants to stay. What is the problem here? This is an error in generalizing from too small a sample group. The reporter needs opinions from a much wider sample group. Can your child see the error?

5. Your child will be able to evaluate what someone says by looking at who said it. For instance, if your dentist tells you how to take care of your teeth, you should follow his advice–he’s an expert. But if he tells you how to fix your car, you might not consider him an expert on that!

6. Your child will be able to understand how computers think. Computers think in nitty-gritty ways: if statement A is true, then do action B. Otherwise, do action C. Our brains tend to skip around in comparison. But learning to program a computer to follow a logical sequence helps the child learn to think logically, too. In the Information Age, this is a very useful skill to develop, now or later. The more your child knows about computers, the more he will be master of that device that is mastering our lives.

Kids and teens can learn logic through computer programming and create Web sites through computer curriculum from Computer Lady Phyllis Wheeler at MotherboardBooks.com

Practical Homeschooling Magazine’s readers chose my homeschool computer curriculum, Computer Science Pure and Simple, for first place in the magazine’s Interactive Learning awards, February 2010.

Thousands of families have enjoyed this curriculum, which teaches reasoning and programming in a way that kids love–using the Logo programming language, developed at MIT.

You don’t have to know much about computers at all for your kids to dive right into this. So many have! And I am so thrilled that so many were willing to vote in this awards poll.