As you know, although I with both social media and networking sites, I don't like the way they can make certain users ' asocial ' because they almost addicted to the world of social media instead of life in the real. Yet, this is the same for children or social sites can education?
My own children use social networking sites that are specifically designed for younger children (under the age of 13). They use the Neopets, MoshiMonsters and Whyville. They are less and less Neopets now if they focus on Whyville use most often. If you ask them why they want to check out, differences, Whyville their answers.My oldest, the accession all clubs in Whyville myself and my youngest likes to chat with other children in the US, as we in the United Kingdom they takes the view that it is amazing with other children all over the world talk. but is this they do more harm than good?
I'm quite an old fashioned Mommy. I like my children to be polite, all their food (you don't have your dinner, you're not the pudding!), do their homework, as soon as they get school, so it's job and so on. but I let them use the family computer much as they use laptops on school and they know how to use, and not to mention, the need to learn from the safety of the Internet.
The reason why I like Whyville, more than the rest of these social networking sites 'kiddie safe "is because every child has to Whyville school before them through the website of the school they will learn internet safety and they have to endure before the site can be used.
But children social networking sites offer other educational purposes? Surprisingly, Yes. Most of these sites, use a form of currency to buy things in and around the site.For example, Neopets Neopoints you earn playing games, items sold and go to work.Whyville uses of cockles, they earn by playing games and public works contracts. MoshiMonsters uses rox, again earnt by playing games and work.This teaches kids the value of the "money" in any of these sites have been a large number of games, this helps with coordination, reactions and spatial awareness.Some games are trivia based so that it also helps them think.
All of these sites have ways of communication, it goes straight to a person on or through 'neomail Whyville, Neopets ' own email system, in order to talk with each other. This helps with the basic PC and typing skills, not to mention the spelling, grammar, social interaction and Internet safety awareness.
My children are "time" on the PC. this way I can see and limit how much time they spend on these sites, and because I have two children, it's a fair way for them equal time on the computer.
So if you have kids internet aware and you can sit and guide them, they learn of these sites, although can not tell you that!
Read more from Sally Walker at Squash Box Media-http://www.squashboxmedia.com or email her at sally@squashboxmedia.com