Two years ago my son, then age 8, invested $2.50 in a large box of popsicles. By setting up a table in our yard adjacent to our neighbor's garage sale, he sold all his popsicles and doubled his money, even after paying some of his buddies to "watch" the popsicles when he had to run inside. His entreprenuerial spirit soared when he realized the potential profits to be made in working for himself. Ever since that time, he's been creating business scenarios and running them by his dad and I. Unfortunately, most are impractical or unavailable to him at this time. In order to prepare him for a time when he will be able to take these ideas and run with them, we have been looking at computer classes, since he could do freelance work long before he might find outside employment. We were thrilled to see Web Design for Kids, from Click Drag Solutions, on the list for the Schoolhouse Crew products.
Due to other scheduled activities, we weren't able to view the DVD for about a week, but a day didn't go by that he didn't ask to watch it. Finally, on a Friday, I told him he could watch the DVD as soon as his chores were completed. His chores were well completed in record time. With laptop at the ready, he popped in the DVD and began. After a brief introduction, Brian Richardson jumped right in with html code to type in Notepad. Within minutes, my son had created a header, inserted text, and changed the background color of his first webpage. He then learned how to change the font color, size, and appearance, as well as instruct the browser to move the text right to left, left to right, or even up and down. Despite my obvious bias toward my offspring, I was impressed with the results after just 45 minutes of watching the DVD.
Web Design for Kids (and curious grownups too) is a DVD course in basic HTML programming. The goal is to "demystif[y] the process of creating a web page." Rather than spend a lot of time introducing html, giving the history of web pages, and expecting the students to learn the code, he provides "hand on the keyboard" practice in using html code. My son immediately began thinking about the code and interpreting it, saying "BG must mean background" and similar comments. Mr. Richardson draws the student’s attention to concepts when necessary but keeps the lectures short and to the point. When he interrupts the process to explain something in greater detail, the DVD jumps to a different backdrop, with the instructor in a different outfit, so you are aware this is an interruption. The DVD, which runs a total of 1 hour and 22 minutes, contains seven sections with the following topics:
- The 10 Basic Lines of Code
- Coloring the Background and Letters
- Making Letters Move Across the Screen
- Designer Backgrounds
- Changing Fonts
- Adding Pictures
Some others have commented that some of the training is outdated, with older standards (using all caps rather than lower-case, for example). This isn’t a problem for us, as our son is so fascinated by what he has learned that he has already checked out every book on html from our library and is continuing his education himself!
Other things I like:
- The instructor moves a pace that doesn't put you to sleep but allows you to follow along.
- Even my 7 year old daughter, who isn't into computers, wants to give it a try.
- Students see immediate, impressive results.
- The company donates portions of the proceeds to various charities.
While the positives far outweigh the negatives, I would change several things:
- The package design shouts at me and is hard to read because it is in all caps.
- Include time signatures for the DVD so I know how long to allow in my plans for each lesson. It would be helpful to have a study guide with the session times and topics listed.
- Include a list of suggested resources would help kids who want to go on in their html training.
For the summer, the DVD is available for $19.99, which is half of the original price of $40.00. You can't find an introductory computer class for anything close to even the regular price!
The rest of the story…One of my son's friends is starting a betta (fish) breeding business. Nat has been hired as the webmaster, with the understanding that he will continue his education in html. On the following Monday he began asking immediately after breakfast if he could watch the DVD again and work on his code. I said yes, but that he had to earn computer time by weeding the flower beds (somewhat akin to torture around here). He grabbed a portable CD player, some Odyssey CDs, and his stop watch. An hour later he had completely cleaned up one bed and was working through another.
Anything that provides this kind of motivation, as well as practical, hands-on knowledge, is a winner in our home. We are already planning to purchase the 2nd DVD in this series, hopefully available in late 2009. Web Design for Kids has answered a need in our home and provided an excellent addition to our curriculum.
