Kids-friendly technologies

The Internet: Parents can keep the family computer in a common area of the house until kids are much older and need quiet in order to concentrate on writing or other school projects. Establish rules and monitor the sites kids visit. When they are old enough to use social networking sites, parents can help choose privacy settings, to limit their contact with strangers.

Ed Suk, executive director of the New York Branch of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, says some of the most important things parents can do are to try to keep up with technological advances so they know what children's risks might be, and keep the lines of communication open so kids feel free to talk about any scary or disturbing things they may stumble across. Visit Netsmartz.org for more information on how to keep Internet usage safe.

Computer vision syndrome happens when children stare at the computer screen for a very long time especially when they are focusing so much when playing their games. Its main cause is due to the various reactions of our brain and eyes to the words and graphics that appear in the computer screen. Eyes find it difficult to focus on the words or characters on a screen due to its brightness at the center and not so well defined edges. Because of this, our eyes will continuously drift that can hamper our eyesight. Its effects vary from one child to another.

From text messaging, Skype, social networking, blogging and emails, we have never had so many ways to communicate. However, are there times when the one-on-one communication between human beings falls through the cracks and technology can take control over a family?

More and more people, from family members to hired staff, are being tasked to care for ailing seniors as the nation's population ages. They tend to use technology to help them in these daily tasks.

Raise money for your favorite cause, every time you search the web or purchase something online.

A gymnasium at an Oshawa university was so abuzz with excitement on Saturday afternoon that the robotics competition could have been mistaken for a sporting event.

The YMCA of Silicon Valley announced that it has received a grant from IBM of 19 Young Explorer™ learning centers, which are the centerpiece of IBM’s KidSmart Early Learning grant program. The Young Explorers are being donated to the Y for its early learning programs, targeting children between the ages of 4 and 7.

MouseMail.com, the social network for kids that parents can monitor, has rewritten its terms of service to assure families their privacy is protected, according to a School Safety Partners bulletin released today.

Read more: http://www.benzinga.com/press-releases/11/01/p783184/mousemail-family-social-network-pledges-privacy-protection#ixzz1BKIgio7N

Good advises to help kids safely sign into Facebook. We believe Yoocasa (http://www.yoocasa.com) is also part of the keys to help kids discover social networking, safely.

Infinite Family connects mentors anywhere in the world with South African teens in need of adult guidance, advice and support. These "net buddies" connect via weekly video conferences.

The SoloPRO is loud and not particularly pretty, but it can withstand 1500-degree heat (How much is your family photos, videos, docs, financial & tax info, other personal files are worth? http://bit.ly/gi1iBM)