BP4

Kids and teens are bombarded by technology in most aspects of their life, which can make it hard for parents to keep up with them and stay savvy on the technology front for themselves. Thanks to web 2.0, there are a number of exceptional tools that are fun and engaging for children, and can also track their interests and progress. Parents can look at your typical homework assigned by teachers, they can talk with their teachers to make sure their student is progressing, and now they can literally track students development by the games they play, the art and stories that they create online. One site that I found interesting and engaging, and that I would recommend to the families that I work with is www.tucoola.com. Tucoola is an interactive site that is safe and appropriate for 2-8 year olds, and has a system that monitors and analyzes the kids progress.  This is a way for parents to have a sense of security in their child's pass time, and access the work they've done to gain a perspective of their development in terms of learning and general skills.  Tucoola also offers resources for parents if if potential deficits seem to be present. The graphics are lovely, it's easy to navigate, and I look forward to offering this as a resource to many parents in our school.

Photo compliments of Flickr, Creative Commons