GoFetch Kids
While developing GoFetch, I was inspired to make a browser for kids. The functionality of GoFetch revealed numerous security and collaborative opportunities that parents would appreciate while introducing the Internet to children.
The news media frequently tells stories of how the Internet played some role in a tragedy involving young people. With GoFetch Kids, parents and teachers could introduce the Internet to young people and direct the child’s surfing to approved web sites. This is a different approach then filtering software. With filtering software, it is necessary to configure the software to block specific sites or block sites that contain certain keywords. The configuration can be complex and it doesn’t guarantee all malicious sites will be blocked.
GoFetch Kids provides parents the opportunity to add approved websites while teaching children about the Internet. Instead of blocking sites, parents get the chance to look over a website and decide if the content is right for their kids. Once children learn about the Internet and develop “Net” etiquette, they can graduate to an adult browser. This provides parents the opportunity to become more involved in teaching kids about the pitfalls of joining certain chat rooms, or giving away personal information, and avoiding certain websites.
GoFetch Kids is like a game, where children and parents are engaged in an important learning process. The software has four built-in bookmark profiles and parents moderate this list. There are profiles for math, spelling, government focused websites, and kid focused entertainment and news. If a kid wants to add a website, they’ll have to ask their parents permission. The parent may go to the site; review the content, see any advertisements on that site, and decide whether or not to add the website to GoFetch Kids. The profiles are secured. In order to add a website, you have to know the password.
Check out the movie on www.gofetchkids.com. GoFetch Kids provides a fun, safe, and learning environment for teaching young people about the Internet.
Steps Taken
• PDF 1 click download enabled
• Updated the website with a blog pg, GoFetch Good News (only good news from several RSS feeds), science news, and popular Digg’d news
• Made a T-Shirt and it’s available on the website
Next Steps
• Movies movies movies, more movies for GoFetch Kids
• Offer PayPal
• Call Sesame Street
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This is such a good idea and the market for it is huge.
ReplyDeleteYou would think it would be simple to find a browser that just lets kids go only to pre-approved sites. It's not at all.
There are complete kid security packages that can do it, but they are overly bloated with crap and can be way too invasive to normal computing!
This simpler solution of GoFetch Kids is a significantly better way to go.
Rockin, Bullet! This is brilliant!
ReplyDeleteWhat I see here is a massive opportunity to build community-ever deepening our human connection. Which in my opinion is rare in the IT world. With a safe environment kids will learn valuable skills to effectively and efficiently utilize all the web has to offer. It holds the potential to revolutionize what is possible for children to learn and network with teachers and peers. Who can imagine what these children will be capable of in 20 years? I, for one, believe that we are desperately in need of a higher purpose within the internet experience. I think this browsing tool has these capabilities and I am certain the man behind it all is driven by this very ability. I can't wait to see what Go Fetch does for the future of internet accessibility.
ReplyDelete