Sometimes when I look at my kids sitting for hours playing some online computer game, I start to think they really don’t appreciate the amazing resource they have at their disposal.  In the mid 90’s I started to teach internet computer classes in the evenings and the adults were truly amazed at what they saw.  Sure it was slow but we could look at web pages hosted thousands of miles away, we could talk to people on the other side of the planet using our keyboard and collaborate with anyone – anywhere.  It was amazing what that little box – the 14.4k modem could transform your computer into – a box that could take you around the world.

It all seems fairly common place now and perhaps we’ve slightly lost sight of some of the amazing possibilities.  How many of us have wasted hours just watching TV online or playing Candy Crush instead of using this resource for something better.

Of course some people actively use the internet every day for personal development.   Universities and educators operate on a global level now, information can be transferred with amazing speed  not just via periodicals slowly published by professional bodies.  In fact it is perfectly possible for the lay person to get access to pretty much the same level of information as a graduate at a top university preparing their PHD.

What I try and do with younger children is to slowly introduce more interesting web sites and how they can incorporate them into their learning.  Take for instance language skills – if you are learning a foreign language  why not try and watch your favorite show in that language once in a while.  It works amazingly well especially if you pick an episode you are familiar with.  My eldest child watches episodes of the Simpsons on the French media site called M6 Replay for example.

Anyone learning English is of course spoilt for choice but may I recommend investing in a VPN or proxy service so you can access iPlayer abroad – like this – http://www.anonymous-proxies.org/2009/02/using-iplayer-abroad-viewing-bbc-via.html.   Here you can find some wonderful shows for kids and the English is generally spoken without strong accents and broadcast in top quality.  You can even watch and download High definition versions if your internet connection is up to it, here’s a useful video demonstration of the procedure.



The video is also accessible directly on YouTube and should be available in all locations.  It should also be mentioned that there is a great education section on the BBC websites called Bitesize which covers all levels of children’s education and much of it linked directly to the UK school curriculum.  Especially useful if you’re taking holidays or home schooling children.

The internet is full of such examples and possibilities, often for free to develop your skills in any area you can think of, it is a truly a wonderful resource for the children of today if we use it wisely.