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BBC does it again with BBC micro:bit

The BBC Micro Model B. Source: Wikipedia
The BBC Micro Model B. Source: Wikipedia

It was 1987 when I first got introduced to the BBC Micro computers, it seems our school got two with help from British Council. It was fascinating beyond imagination for someone who thought seven segment Casio LED calculators were so cool. That was also the first introduction to programming with Logo and BASIC.

An article this week in Computerworld reminded me of those days. BBC has now finalized the design of BBC micro:bit, a tiny computer that they will give to 1 million children in British schools. The good part is that hardware will be open source, which means other manufacturers can adapt it or re-use it.

BBC Micro:bit
Source and Copyright BBC

The BBC micro:bit is smaller than a Raspberry Pi and has integrated LED and connect to various other devices including the Pi, Arduino and more.

Good on you BBC for introducing computing to kids, and good on you for keeping it open source!

What’s your little one watching on YouTube?

Many a times we let our kids  wander on YouTube or access Internet while we are busy with chores. Do you always know what your little one is watching on YouTube? Is it the harmless Bob the Builder or a nasty adult version of Bob the Builder, or Dora or whatever character your child fancies, filled with swear words and filthy language? Yes, it is true, just like cover versions of songs there are cover versions of harmless looking videos on YouTube (or Vimeo for that matter). The difference is that these cover versions have their audio altered.

Last week New Zealand Herald published this article Children discovering R-rated content on YouTube. From a harmless looking SpongeBob to a swearing SpongeBob, thanks to the Related Videos feature of YouTube.

Getting involved with your kids, checking in, making sure they are watching age appropriate content. As the article in Herald mentioned, no one wants to watch Dora for 10 hours, but having that sight and visibility helps. With the number of devices available and options to access Internet increasing everyday, the problem increases too.

Although YouTube is the favourite among the kids (and adults), outside of YouTube there is the search engine, one wrong search could lead a child to explicit websites, images or videos which could only do harm to a young mind. However, unlike YouTube some help is available there in the way of SafeSearch. Most of the search engines allow that option, however it needs to be set.

Here is what I have setup and how I manage this at home. Under no circumstances this is fool-proof, but every bit helps.

  • Access to YouTube is allowed with a parent in sight
  • Setup safe browsing using OpenDNS Parental Controls. It is free for personal and home use.
  • Restricted user sign-in to Android tablets to allow specific apps (I am sure there is something similar for Apple).
  • A dedicated kids computer, which runs an operating system customized for kids (more about this in a later post).

Colmar Brunton group did a research for NZ On Air and Broadcast Standards Authority and a very interesting finding was that by age 10 75% of children may be allowed to find content online themselves. The full report can be accessed at NZ on Air. Although the samples are from NZ, the findings may find common grounds globally.

Online

Source: Children’s Media Use Study, NZ On Air and BSA

Safe browsing!