Web Browser for Autistic Kids

I ran across this AP article by Brian Bergstein today. Grandfather builds Web browser for autistic boy Basically, it's about a web browser that was created especially for autistic children to help simplify the web experience. But really, I think this would help any child. The majority of web pages are poorly designed, and for anyone using the web for the first time it's like learning an entirely new way of reading. Simply learning how to click on a link is difficult. For example, on this page alone anything with blue letters is a link, but so are some of the pictures (but, not all of the pictures). We are so steeped in the web, that we forget how hard it was to learn. Every time I help a child with research or finding pictures on the web I am amazed by how much they don't see or don't understand. Simple skills like scrolling down the page, are just something they have never encountered or never been taught. In general, I think librarians need to be assisting patrons more with learning this new information literacy. The anyone-can-do-this attitude leads people to settle for low quality information, and there is so much fantastic content out there that they are missing. Browsers and browser add-ons are underutilized resources in libraries. I wish I knew more about programming myself because I would love to create kid and research friendly browsers. Wouldn't it be amazing if your library had a catalog search right next to the google search on public access computers? Or tabs accessing news and databases right under your patrons noses? Ah, to dream (and to have a team of programmers at my disposal)! Until that day comes, you might find this Zac Browser to be useful on library computers, or simply a recommended resource for concerned parents. More information and the download is available at http://www.zacbrowser.com/.

Internet Safety

I went to a round table discussion yesterday where MySpace and internet safety were discussed. I didn't learn anything ground-breaking, but I gained a lot of new perspective. Sometimes I forget that although I'm not cutting edge, I am so steeped in internet culture that what is a basic concept for me is gibberish to another. For example a MySpace "friend" is not a universally understood entity, and I would never think to explain it to anyone. I've also come to the realization that I feel about internet filters the same way I feel about abstinence education. Just telling kids not to have sex will not stop them from experimenting, and some of them will end up in trouble because they didn't protect themselves. Similarly, if you just tell kids to stay away from social networking sites they might experiment anyway and put themselves and their family at risk because they don't know what to be on the lookout for or what information shouldn't be disclosed. MySpace has an excellent link list for websites on internet safety. The original list is here. The links they have are as follows: OnGuard Online: FTC Safety Tips Specifically geared toward teens and tweens this site has safety tips. More links are available. The site also has a place where complaints can be filed for fraud, ID theft, computer viruses, etc. Has a Spanish option. Internet Crime Complaint Center "The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). IC3's mission is to serve as a vehicle to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints regarding the rapidly expanding arena of cyber crime." Enough said. NetSmartz.org This site has long been one of my favorites because it is flashy. Good looking websites always seem to be more positively received that badly designed websites. This looks cool enough not to be off-putting to kids-- and actually, it looks kind of fun. Also in Spanish. SafeTeens.com This one is for the parents. It defines commonly used acronyms and discusses safety tips. It also has some creepy examples of tactics pedophiles use. It seems more like fear-mongering, but if this is what you're getting asked to provide, here it is. WebWiseKids.org This flash site looked good, but I was having trouble maneuvering through it. It says it had videos, but I didn't bother looking through them. This site has a quiz and an "internet safety plan". BlogSafety.com Extremely useful. This site has information about safety and how to work many popular social networking platforms. And as a bonus it's in forum format, so the questions are from real teens and parents. This is supported by AOL, Bebo, Facebook, Livejournal, MySpace, Xanga, and more. SafeFamilies.org This site looks pretty similar to others on this list. It does have an option for pastors, which I didn't see on the other sites. This site also has free internet filtering software. I don't think filters are the way to go, but if someone wants one it is here. Also has some Spanish. National Crime Prevention Panel This site is relying pretty heavily off of McGruff, but it has some good information about cyberbulling. I would use NetSmartz instead of this. They did have some nice banners that librarians can use though. See below.

Internet Filters and Online Safety

This quote is from a young man named Tom Wood who was able to crack an $84 million dollar internet filter in 30 minutes. Article is here Student cracks Government's $84m porn filter "Tom stressed the filters were missing the mark by a long way regardless of how easy they were to break. 'Filters aren't addressing the bigger issues anyway,' he said. 'Cyber bullying, educating children on how to protect themselves and their privacy are the first problems I'd fix. 'They really need to develop a youth-involved forum to discuss some of these problems and ideas for fixing them.'" So many people are focusing on the issue of filters for keeping kids away from things adults would rather they did not see. Many of the arguments I hear center around librarians being unable to work in loco parentis, and that it is a parenting issue and not the library's responsibility what kids view online on our computers. Are filters censorship? Of course they are. So, therefore they have no place in our public libraries, right? But, don't we also keep certain titles away from our children's departments because they are not age appropriate? In essence I am not against filters, per se. I can understand their function, and the desire to protect children and to respond to community needs. But, I think they are more trouble than they are worth. This article perfectly displays how expensive it is in both effort and money to create these filters. Kids are smart! They pick up on tricks to get past blocks and filters so quickly it will blow your mind. If they want to see it, they will find a way. What I find fascinating about the quote from this precocious teen is that I think he's being quite astute. The trick isn't to blindfold kids, but rather to teach them the skills necessary for safely travesering the online world. How to protect themselves, their information, and their families should be a priority.