Recently I came to know of someone who visited a movie file-sharing site. He was trying to see if he could get episodes of the latest season of a TV show that is no longer playing here.

So, why did he visit a file-sharing site? Reason: Couldn't wait for the DVD set to be out to buy, which is his normal modus operandi.

Now he is being spammed with emails from sites with highly questionable material! Obviously, he must have used his often used email address (duh!) to sign up for something or other which appeared at the file-sharing site or some site linked to it. Yes, most of us take things at face-value...a consequence of our basic decency! But it can get us into trouble too. He now has to learn to use spam filters in his internet security software (ensure it is current and updated regularly) with greater diligence!

What instructive lesson for those of us who are not so "gian" about getting "latest episodes", and who are willing to exercise a bit more patience for the DVDs to come out?

My advice: don't visit such sites. Or exercise great caution if you want to visit one! Okay, I'm sure there are those out there who might take serious umbrage at my former suggestion which may appear draconian. Well, then for you people, all I can say is that you probably have taken into account the inherent risks that any email address you use could be sold to any number of third parties, and you could subsequently be spammed like this guy.

Why this blog? Because we know many teens visit music file-sharing sites...evidence is their high traffic. Just like movie file-sharing sites, spammers usually take advantage of the popularity of such sites to use various tactics (maybe lead-on innocent-looking links, etc ) to get surfers to sign-up for apparently valid stuff and thereby divulge their email addresses. The savvy internet user would probably use specially created email addresses that can be shut down if it gets hijacked by spammers.

But most of us are not that well-versed in the ways of "skilled" internet usage! Especially tweens starting out into cyberspace who are enthusiastic and not as risk-savvy. The dangers are real. Not just from spammers, but also from other types like online predators.

As responsible adults who have, I hope, learned to exercise caution (a lack thereof has led to global economic decline!) over the years, it's incumbent on us to be proactive in advising and monitoring our children. Yes, they too need individual experience for effective learning and navigating the internet on their own, but responsible adult oversight in their tween years would be prudent, like maybe surf the Net with them so that witnessing your caution can be a source of teaching...before your influence over them in such matters wanes as is usually the case when children grow older!

 

What is it about computers that reduce our capacity to process information effectively? Noting that being computer literate is different from being information literate, most of us computer users are quite adept at manipulating this tool to our advantage. But does this skill help us to think and analyse better?

A Royal Economics Society study of 100,000 15-year-olds in 31 countries around the world recently concluded that avoiding computers in the classroom and at home improved the literacy and numeracy of the children studied. The authors, Thomas Fuchs and Ludger Woessmann of Munich University found that when social factors were taken into account, computer literacy should not be more valued than our ability to use a telephone or the internet.

 "Holding other family characteristics constant, students perform significantly worse if they have computers at home," the authors conclude. By contrast, children with access to 500 books in their homes performed better because children with computers neglect their homework more.

 

The quantitative conclusions mirror similar concerns raised elsewhere about technology in education, that children awash with "facts" don't know how to handle them effectively.

Is your child developing a "problem-solving deficit disorder", and losing the ability to analyze? To encourage creativity, some experts advise to turn off the computer and stimulate children's imagination.

What is the lesson for us parents? At the very least, we need to be proactive about the time our kids spend on computer activities, and make a concerted effort to implement a reading programme.

Editor: See also
Literacy and thinking in a digital age

I have been into mind mapping for a long time and use it almost daily at work and home. It is therefore not a surprise that I had my kids into it as well.

My girl got a hang of it quite quickly and readily. She would not start her composition without first drawing her map and it has definitely helped her in her structuring. While my son does make use of it especially for Science when he was in Primary 5 and 6, he did not quite enjoy the mapping process and had to be pushed to do it. This year at Secondary 1, he has many more content-heavy subjects such as History, Geography, Literature, etc. I know mind mapping will help him a great deal if only I could convince him to use it willingly and more frequently.  Finally, I decided to work at where he would find most interest in - computer! I downloaded the mind mapping software into his PC and after a few minutes of tutorial with him, he has since gotten hooked! In fact, he so impressed his classmates and teacher when he presented his last History summary presentation using the mind mapping sofware. Today, he uses the mind mapping software willingly, frequently and with such ease. This entire holiday, it’s just mind mapping for all his revisions and I need not utter a word to convince him further. The wonders of technology!

Visit www.freemind.com for the free source mind mapping software  if you face similar challenges.