Publisher's Synopsis
Kids and computers go well together. But too often the relationship ends up mere fun and games. If you bought a home computer hoping it would be used to help your children learn and do homework, you need this new book by Jim Lengel and Diane Kendall, experienced parents and educators. In working with their own kids and hundreds of families, they found that most parents don't know where to begin to help their children get the full benefits of a home computer beyond computer games.
This book is for all involved parents with children in the third through eighth grades. The authors show how to use standard software programs like Kid Pix, The Sim series, Microsoft Word, ClarisWorks, and Grolier's Encyclopedia (on a Macintosh or Windows computer) to complete a wide variety of school assignments in new and engaging ways. Along the way they provide detailed guidelines for equipping your computer to support the needs of your favorite student. Soon you'll find schoolwork can be a learning adventure for all, as you and your kids begin to transform book reports, science projects, essays, and maps into impressive multimedia presentations.
inside you'll find:
-- Sample projects based on real school assignments
-- Tips for using the latest CD-ROMs to become a knowledge navigator
-- Techniques for adding pictures, sound, animation, and video to reports
-- Steps for creating and presenting a computer slide show
-- An introduction to the best Internet and online services for kids
-- Information about appropriate software and computer products
