Echo Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 I tend to agree with Icecream...kids today do seem to spend a little too much time on their computers. I understand that a computer can be a learning tool, but too much computer time often goes along with an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle. Kids need to get outside more and play sports, or just run around. I think it's hard for parents because they didn't grow up with computers the same way that kids today are. I don't believe in censorship, but parents should be aware and responsible for what their kids have access to. It seems that, like the TV, the computer is a convenient babysitter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 I'm quite lucky that my 2 seem to manage pretty well. They both enjoy using the computer, and at least the kiddies sites offer some good educational type games, but they don't stay there long, and also love running around outside! Also, when my 8 year old is on there, she likes writing stories, so no problem with her using her imagination there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Also, when my 8 year old is on there, she likes writing stories, so no problem with her using her imagination there. That's so great that she's writing stories at her age! My family didn't get a computer until I was about 11 or 12, but right away I started writing stories. They were all a little bit strange - the first one was something about a haunted piano which drove its owners to suicide. My parents, needless to say, were a bit disturbed. But at least I was using my imagination! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Hers are also a little strange, and at the moment, they're all about Dr Who , but at least that imagination is whirring away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Well then parents should be supervising their children when they are online rather than letting them go wherever they want. At least when the child is at the computer you know where they are, we have seen recently what happens when parents leave children alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nici Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 If Robbie had his way he would be on his laptop all day long playing internet games so he restricted to 2 hours a day up until 7pm and then it's turned off. I also have parental controls on there to make sure he doesn't stumble across anything he shouldn't on the internet. On the plus side though, he spent an hour and a half on his laptop tonight doing his homework and a very good job he did too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 I I think it's hard for parents because they didn't grow up with computers the same way that kids today are. This is absolutely true and as a parent you have nothing to compare with but your own childhood so consequently there is always the danger of turning into one of those 'in my day' parents. I've tried to consider the changing world we are living in alongside what I believe to best for my children. My girls in all fairness do a variety of things on the computer - my eldest enjoys creative writing. I think where it impacted most in our household was lack of communication - I'm just trying to keep that alive really. I know that my generation were the telly generation 'the potential evil of the day' and I'm sure that there were plenty of debates surrounding TV viewing and effects on childhood and I try to remember that when making the rules to keep things in perspective - I'm sure our own children (as parents) will be faced with new technologies that suddenly seem scary and will find themselves making decisions about them. Like I said before everything in balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 This is absolutely true and as a parent you have nothing to compare with but your own childhood so consequently there is always the danger of turning into one of those 'in my day' parents. I've tried to consider the changing world we are living in alongside what I believe to best for my children. My girls in all fairness do a variety of things on the computer - my eldest enjoys creative writing. I think where it impacted most in our household was lack of communication - I'm just trying to keep that alive really. I know that my generation were the telly generation 'the potential evil of the day' and I'm sure that there were plenty of debates surrounding TV viewing and effects on childhood and I try to remember that when making the rules to keep things in perspective - I'm sure our own children (as parents) will be faced with new technologies that suddenly seem scary and will find themselves making decisions about them. Like I said before everything in balance.As much as i hope this is not going to be the case it probably is going to be. I would hope my own generation has a kind of "adapt or die" mentality due to the huge change in computing in our lifetime, when i was at primary school we had one bbc computer, now it would be unthinkable that a school would have *a* computer. and im only 19! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 As much as i hope this is not going to be the case it probably is going to be. I would hope my own generation has a kind of "adapt or die" mentality due to the huge change in computing in our lifetime, when i was at primary school we had one bbc computer, now it would be unthinkable that a school would have *a* computer. and im only 19! 'a' computer!! I'm in my early 40's and my schools had no computer as they were a sci-fi thing of the future!!!!!!!! I very much follow the same principles as Judy - the max time is 2 hrs each. Now that IT is part of the school curriculum having the skills is paramount, so allowing my 2 to create on the computer often consolidates what they have been doing at school. Like all kidsthey do need remindidng that there is a world out there beyond the keyboard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 I remember going to work with my Dad and the computer there was so big that it had a room to itself! (That was the 70's). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 I remember those - it was inconceivable then of how technology would progress!! Always reminds me of that programme Joe 90!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 I'm desparately trying to remember the name of those cards they used to put in them to make them compute. I have vivid memories of the 1974 Blue Peter competition in which viewers had to draw a picture showing what life would be like in the year 2000. I remember seeing a lot of silver suits and rockets! I missed seeing whose picture had won as the telly was off that day due to a power cut (remember those!!!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 I vaguely remember that programme - in fact there were loads of programmes on then trying to predict the future. It seemed so far fetched to be believed. How we all thought that space travel would be the norm! I remember the power cuts as well - although it didn't seem to bother me back then! Now I pay the bills and I live in an area which frequently gets them I do now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 I'm desparately trying to remember the name of those cards they used to put in them to make them compute. I have vivid memories of the 1974 Blue Peter competition in which viewers had to draw a picture showing what life would be like in the year 2000. I remember seeing a lot of silver suits and rockets! I missed seeing whose picture had won as the telly was off that day due to a power cut (remember those!!!). punch cards? the little progams that were on card and you fed them in? as for kids learning at school - i know a fair bit about computers, not a damn bit learned at school. Schools tend to have apple as they cut deals with schools, which im all in favour of, the problem being microsoft have a 90%+ market share of computers and what your children (and me) learn on mac means zip once your into the "real" world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Computers have not changed in 20 years. Yes, they have been made smaller, but they can't do anything now that they couldn't do then, and the only reason we all have computers is because of microsoft giving them away (which is also why they don't work). As for space travel, where are all the advances in tht that were promised in the 60s? Nothing has been done. Anyway.. Well then parents should be supervising their children when they are online rather than letting them go wherever they want. At least when the child is at the computer you know where they are, we have seen recently what happens when parents leave children alone. Yes Beef, but children must have fresh air. It is not always possible to supervise them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Computers have not changed in 20 years. Yes, they have been made smaller, but they can't do anything now that they couldn't do then, and the only reason we all have computers is because of microsoft giving them away (which is also why they don't work). As for space travel, where are all the advances in tht that were promised in the 60s? Nothing has been done. Anyway.. Yes Beef, but children must have fresh air. It is not always possible to supervise them. ..what?? of course they can, a computer now can do in 1 millionth of a second what used to take years. They can now compute things they never could have before. They can be joined in ways they never could, they can funtion as they never could, they are not even built the same way as before, they are not only smaller but they are more standardised more reliable and more fixable, for anyone to say computers have not changed..they dont know computers, computers CONSTANTLY change, something thats standard one year can be obsolete the next (somteimes months or even weeks, or days, depending of course on what it is.) *edit* as for M$ giving computers away..eh? Microsoft dont make computers they make (shoddy) operating systems, its why they are called micro*soft*. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 You are wrong Beef. People could do all that stuff with computers back in the late 80's early 90s, as for microsoft, Bill Gates gave the operating system away for free which is why everybody has one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 They really really couldent, as the physical resources to do these things as well as the programming languages/skill to do tasks just did not exist. And computers were nto just suddenly "given away" in some vast ploy to make people feel like they dont know how things work, they were mass produced because of demand which in turn made them cheaper to make and that drove down their market value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 re mass marketing - if that is what you think. I am telling you that these operating systems did exist then. My OH was a systems analyst then, He was the best in the business and he used to work on these systems. The plebs who ran everything decided not to use them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 re mass marketing - if that is what you think. I am telling you that these operating systems did exist then. My OH was a systems analyst then, He was the best in the business and he used to work on these systems. The plebs who ran everything decided not to use them. And what mythical OS would this be? also- i got to ask, how exactly is it you think bill gates put together his huge fortune ? was it before or after he "gave away" windows? or afterwords? or was it, as i think (nievely apparently) he *sold* it to people? im going to say this slowly and clearly since you seem a bit..nutty. OPERATING SYSTEMS EVOLVE and what they can now could NOT be done before. If they could, they would, operating systems originally did not need to have a gui, now they do, so they evolve, windows, apple, *nix, they all got a gui, then they needed networking abbility, so they got it, now they need internet functions, they have them, they need clustering ability, they have them, they need blu-ray and hd-dvd functions- they got them. its not rocket science. as for the "my OH was the best in the buisness" this being the internet these statments are made al the time, and if he was what you say i think you would have a better understanding of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Is that right? Well for your information the internet has also been around a lot longer than you might think. We were just slow to catch up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Is that right? Well for your information the internet has also been around a lot longer than you might think. We were just slow to catch up Actually being as this is my field of interest its not, i know all about ARPA etc. Still not answering my above questions tho... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 You questions.. Bill Gates gave away Windows, MSDos and other things, which made it systems available to joe public, but he sold Word and other programs. The internet has been around since 1966. Do you know anything about quantum computers? BTW: My OH was very highly paid he was that sought ater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 You questions.. Bill Gates gave away Windows, MSDos and other things, which made it systems available to joe public, but he sold Word and other programs. The internet has been around since 1966. Do you know anything about quantum computers? BTW: My OH was very highly paid he was that sought ater. "the internet" has not been around since 1966! and bill gates did NOT give away a damn thing microsoft sells word, office, etc AS WELL as windows, however since your what most people call a "troll" or what i like to call "a complete idiot in need of care" i wont be wasting more of my time pointing out the flaws in your frankly worrying viewpoint. by way of proof- go look for the windows source code. oh whats that? you cant? cos bill gates et all own it? oh what a shock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Ask Apple where the source code comes from. The internet was invented in the 60s to duplicate the software for the american armies to transfer data between bases. In the 80s PCs were invariably sold with free Windows and MSDos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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