eLearning Service

There are 4 grade school age children in my extended family so I tend to notice technology designed for kids.

Safe browsing
A new browser called KIDO’Z is an Adobe AIR-powered desktop browser app that gives kids a safe and fun environment to play games, watch videos and/or visit pre-approved websites, says TechCrunch.

When you first install the AIR app as a parent, you can configure the age and gender of your offspring as well as your location and preferred language.

The settings operate at a content level, so KIDO’Z automatically caters to the media it thinks is most suited for your kid(s) at first launch.  Parents get password-protected access to an admin panel where they can add more or restrict access to certain content, set limited time frames for usage, and so on.

The user interface is very visual and colorful  and can be used by kids who cannot read yet.  There are three main areas:  games, videos and websites.

“All media can be opened and viewed inside the app’s interface, and in fact kids can only leave the KIDO’Z environment by exiting the browser altogether. CEO Gai Havkin says the tool will later be extended to a closed network of communication tools, including e-mail and instant messaging features making it more of a social experience but without the security and privacy hazards of existing services.”

KIDO’Z is currently free of charge, but paid content packages are expected in about three months so parents can buy additional video material, games etc. for a couple of dollars per month.

Create fantasy maps at Kidlandia
Kidlandia, is a web destination where parents and kids can create personalized cartoon fantasyland maps named for the people and places that tell a child’s personal story, notes TechCrunch.

“Kidlandia lets parents and kids create maps of a fantasy land, where the child is King or Queen of their own eponymous fantasy kingdom such as ‘Leenatopia’ or ‘Michaelland.’  You can insert family members or friends names into the map, so other areas of the land incorporate family members’ names.  The map also features whimsical characters from horned Uniquills and scowling Grumps to long-trunked Yuhoos on the map.”

Parents can order prints of the map that have been created online with prices ranging from $40 for a small sized scroll to $180 for a larger sized, high quality, framed print of the map.  Maps can also be printed on scrolls, that are easy for the child to carry around, or on canvas that is stretched over a frame to be hung.

Although “Kidlandia is a creative idea and the price points for some of the maps are fairly reasonable”, poster Leena Rao says that “there doesn’t seem to be any integration with the web to create a virtual world for kids alongside the product, which doesn’t make the site very interactive.  Webkinz and Disney’s Club Penguin create virtual worlds for children to immerse themselves in a fantasy land, and have become increasingly popular.”