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THE HTML'S ON THE BLACKBOARD
The Star, In.Tech, May 25, 2004
THE saying that kids today are smarter than the kids of yesterday must
be true. How else would you explain the fact that when we were kids, a fun
thing to do was to play boardgames. If we were lucky and had a phone, then
chatting with a school friend was considered fun too.
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Shivani and Nurliyana have built their own websites. |
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Today, kids 12 and below have their own websites for fun.
While most of us did not have a computer when we were kids and only saw
one when we started working, kids today have one at home. Some even have a
PC in their own room.
Lucky ducks? Or just a sign of the times?
While most primary schoolkids in Malaysia still prefer to chat with
their friends or play a game of football, the chatting and games here do
not always mean the same thing as what their grandparents think.
While Atok might think Amar is going to the field to kick a ball around
with his friends, he might actually mean playing FIFA on a LAN (local area
network).
As for “chatting” ... chances are it's using Yahoo! Messenger or even
short message service (SMS) on their handphones.
Today's kids are exposed to so much technology that having their own
website seems like a general progression. Doesn't everybody have a
website? Everybody in this case means their favourite actress, boy band,
and yes, even their favourite American Idol.
Wassup, girlfriend
Shivani Kharbanda and her friend Nurliyana Zainal, both in Year Six at
SK Assunta 1, have their own websites. Nurliyana, who is a school prefect,
has a site at www.freewebs.com/nur-liz.
It's a relatively simple site as sites go. Besides a bit of information
on her, the site offers lyrics (her fave songs, of course) and “pixel
dolls” — that's small and cute drawings of girls in stylish outfits for
those over 30 ;)
Says Nurliyana about her website: “It's (got pages on) entertainment
like American Idol and new songs ... things that we talk about when the
teacher is not around; things that we like.”
The soft-spoken and polite girl set up her own website using the
templates provided at the free hosting site. “It was easy to do,” she
says.
The site, set up in April, is her own space online where “I can do
whatever I want and promote my website to people, to let others know about
new things.”
What do her friends think of her website?
Nurliyana says that her friends still don't know about her website.
“I like it,” volunteers Shivani smiling at her friend.
To which Nurliyana sheepishly adds, “I like it too.”
Shivani's website can be found at
www.freewebs.com/vision28.
“I just like the word 'vision' and 28 because that's my birth date,”
says Shivani, explaining the name of her website.
“It's about graphics and backgrounds. I used to take backgrounds and
graphics from other free sites and I got fed up (of going to other
people's sites). So I decided to put up backgrounds and graphics on my own
site. Some are my own designs and some I took from free sites.”
“The purpose is to help others who want graphics and backgrounds. Some
I made using Jasc Paint Shop Pro 7. Later I used version 8. I started with
Paint. But now I also use Jasc Animation Shop.”
Shivani says that she used to have webpages on boy bands but took those
pages offline because they took up too much space.
Calling herself a beginner at web designing, Shivani says she took
online tutorials to learn how to use the different programs. “One of my
friends taught me the basics (of HTML) and I learnt the rest myself.”
“She is a computer wizard,” volunteers Nurliyana.
“My mum calls me a nerd,” says Shivani matter-of-factly. “One of my
friends says I can remember my HTML notes but never my homework.”
So, do her parents ask her for help with the computer? “A lot,” she
exclaims.
Shivani, who only started learning HTML last year, now uses Microsoft
FrontPage to design her website. Besides the backgrounds and graphics, her
site also offers avatars and dolls. According to Shivani, she gets about
100 visitors to her website every week.
Shivani is the eldest in her family and she has two younger brothers.
She spends about 2.5 hours on the computer daily.
Nurliyana has two brothers, one older and one younger. She works on her
website at home after school and on weekends. “Everyday the limit is two
hours (on the computer). But sometimes it is only 45 minutes, if my mother
is upset with me,” she admits grinning.
Rebuilding sites
Kaniaaseelan Sivaseelan, a Year Five pupil at SK La Salle Petaling Jaya,
says he had a website that he built using templates on a free hosting
site. He however had problems with a virus and is now building a new site.
“My friend, who is also my neighbour, helped me with my website, but
now I know how to do it myself. I thought it was something fun to do
because not everyone has their own website.”
What did he have on his website?
“I wrote about myself and put some pictures that I found on the Net. I
thought I would have my profile on it. I saw on Disney Channel a girl who
had her own website so I thought I could do it too. I am building a new
one now.”
What does he hope for his website? “I hope it becomes well-known.”
This lad says he hopes to be a software engineer when he grows up. He
has an elder sister who is now in Form One, whom he has to share the
computer with. As such he only spends an hour on weekends on the computer.
Caution needed
While it is great that children today know how to use computer programs
and design their own websites, parents adopt a more cautious stance with
regards to the Internet.
Ng Wee Gwek, a mother of three and a teacher at SJKC Chiao Chee, in
Selandar, Malacca, feels that parents and children need to tread carefully
and cautiously in cyberspace.
“I do not know much about the pros and cons of kids having their own
webpage. But I was told that we must use caution when letting our children
go on the Internet. There are too many cases of young children and
teenagers being hurt or victimised by 'bad people' who pose as friends (on
the Internet).
“I think parental guidance is important; not revealing your home
address/ contact number could be a good way to prevent unwanted 'bad
things' from happening. However, I also think the World Wide Web is a very
effective tool for children to learn and interact with the outside world,”
says Ng.
Vaasuhy Rajen, a mother of three, believes that we must not forget that
the Internet is merely a tool and a means to obtain information.
“Although it's nice to have children who are computer literate and
creative enough to design their own websites, I wouldn't encourage my kids
to spend too long on the Net chatting or updating their websites. For me,
the computer is just a tool to get some information — not to while away
one's precious time,” she says.
The times, they are a-changin'
Kids today want so much more than we did when we were their age.
You might have collected Panini World Cup football stickers when you
were a kid; today children are collecting computer graphics.
The tools that are available to children today are moulding them for
the future and hopefully, it'll be a future that's bright.The options
available to them today are so much more than what we had when we were
their age.
If we educate our children and monitor their activities online while
exposing them to the tools that technology provides, perhaps we are
equipping them for a bright technology-driven future.
Think about this: If kids are building websites at 11 and 12, what
might they be building at 25, 35 and 45?
SafeKids.com
(www.safekids.com) offers advice for
parents on how to protect children as well as tips on how to be safe
online.
Learning HTML For Kids
(www.goodellgroup.com/tutorial/index.html)
has HTML tutorials for kids.
HTML Basics for Kids!
(www.shiningstar.net/kidskarnival/bunny.html)
offers a practical step-by-step guide for kids who want to design their
own websites.
Copyright Star Publications (M) Bhd
ALSO:
Malaysian solution for Beijing hospital, March 28, 2006
Go online for retro decoration, September 6, 2005
Mobile apps developers show the way, August 25, 2005
Renting a book on the Net, August 9, 2005
The business of blogging, July 21, 2005
Still waiting for the smarthome, July 19, 2005
Appealing to old and young alike, June 23, 2005
Debunking the geek myth, June 16, 2005
What's cool, man?, June 16, 2005
Tech Doors Opening to the Blind, Oct 14 , 2004
Learning The PC Starts At 60, June 10, 2004
New Technology, Old Methods,Dec 04, 2003
Soaring Into Digital Art, Apr 15, 2003
Santa Goes High-Tech, Dec 24, 2002
Bringing Art Home, Oct 01, 2002
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