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KID&COMP.PRS
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1993-12-20
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èêâÆ Çìâ éÄîÅöôäæÆ ╬╠╧╧╬╠╬╠╬╠╬╠╬╠╬╠╡
σΣα≤⌠±Σ α±≤ΦΓδΣ
│ My first experience with
│ computers was during the early
▄ ▄ ▄ │ │ seventies. My brother had a job
█ ▄ ▄ ▄▄█ ▄▄▄ ┌┐┌┐┌┤ │ as a programmer and he brought
█▄▀ █ █ █ █▄▄ ┌┤││││ │ home some 'work' toshow us. Were
█ █ █ █▄█ ▄▄█ └┘└└└┘ │ these program listings? Fred
▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄█▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ │ Flinstone and Bugs Bunny?! Did
█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █▄█ █ │ that influence my decision in
█▄▄ █▄█ █ █ █ █▄█ █▄█ █▄ █▄▄ █ │ 1983?
█ │
│ I've been a mother for 19
ß√ ëεταφφα òαµµ │ years and a computer owner for
α ∞ε≤τΣ± εσ ≥Φ≈ │ half of that time. I have four
│ teenagers, an eight-year-old and
│ a two-year-old. We got our first
" éε∞∩⌠≤Σ±≥ ÷Σ±Σ ⌡Φ±≤⌠αδδ√ αφ │ computer in 1983 so two of our
⌠φΩφε÷φ ≡⌠αφ≤Φ≤√ ≤ε ⌠≥, ß⌠≤ ÷Σ │ kids are younger than our first
πΣΓΦπΣπ ≤τα≤ ε⌠± ΩΦπ≥ ≥τε⌠δπ τα⌡Σ │ computer. We still have it. It
εφΣ - 'φε≤ ≤ε ∩δα√ µα∞Σ≥, ß⌠≤ ≤ε │ lives under the table on which
δΣα±φ'. àα∞ε⌠≥ δα≥≤ ÷ε±π≥." │ our new computer sits.
│ in the manual and had a lot of
êφ ¢úó¥ ÷Σ τΣα±π ≤τα≤ ≤τΣ ΩΦπ≥ │ fun. For a while.
εσ ≤τΣ σ⌠≤⌠±Σ ÷ε⌠δπ φΣΣπ │ There's a song that goes, "Is
Γε∞∩⌠≤Σ±≥ α≤ τε∞Σ. Computers were │ that all there is?" That is how
virtually an unknown quantity to │ we felt after a few months. We
us, but we decided that our kids │ put some life back into our
should have one - not to play │ computing by buying Mega-bug - a
games, but to learn. We were not │ pacman type game! It even had
going to play lots of games. │ speech - when a bug caught you,
Famous last words. │ you heard "We gotcha!"
│ Then we found the pot of gold
The computer was a 32K, tape │ known as Rainbow magazine - full
based Tandy Color Computer, later │ of facts and BASIC program
to be referred to as CoCo. I had │ listings to key in. One of my
seen one running a word processor │ boys (then aged eight) loved to
at the TAFE. We had no use for a │ fiddle with the programs - he'd
word processor at the time so │ try to find things to change so
bought Maths Bingo as our first │ that he could get more lives
program. It was great. For a │ and/or a higher score.
while. We typed in the programs │ I pretended to disapprove. ê
÷α≥ ≥ΣΓ±Σ≤δ√ ∩δΣα≥Σπ ßΣΓα⌠≥Σ τΣ │ some extent, on my eight-year-
÷α≥ δΣα±φΦφµ τε÷ ≤τΣ ∩±εµ±α∞ │ old, but not on the teenagers.
÷ε±ΩΣπ. I thought that if I told │
him how I really felt, he might │ We don't key in programs any
not want to do it. There would be │ more but I recently caught a
more fun in doing it if Mum │ glimpse of 'what used to be' when
disapproved! │ I watched my sister-in-law key
│ her first program into her pocket
There were some games which │ computer. There can be a lot of
made the players think. These │ satisfaction in getting something
would not be beneficial to my │ to work, and even more in
kids if they didn't play them. │ changing it do something a little
The trick was not to let on that │ different. She thought that was
I thought they should have a go, │ the best part too - printing
so I should be playing one of │ something like "so long, loser!"
these games when they came home │ on the screen at the end of the
from school. Kids being who they │ horse race program.
are, usually want to have a go at │
whatever they see someone else │ Now that we have an IBM
playing. This still works, to │ compatible with VGA, we are not
satisfied with little BASIC │ will probably be misleading. The
programs. There is so much more │ kids might think they want it,
available. │ and they might think they will
I have bought quite a few │ use it, until you get it home.
books during the last 19 years. │ Just as they grow out of their
It is usually the story book │ clothes and books, they grow out
which gets read and the book with │ of programs, or simply grow tired
the facts which will be │ of them - sometimes within hours!
neglected. │
I have also bought lots of │ I bought LOGO for my kids and
clothes for my six kids. │ thought I had a winner when they
Occasionally I was convinced to │ played with it nearly all weekend
buy something like an ALF sloppy │ for two weekends. They haven't
joe or Bugs Bunny T-shirt. These │ touched it since. That was 1986.
do not retain their appeal │ If a program is called
indefinitely. │ educational, my kids will
│ generally 'run a mile'. This
ïΦΩΣ Γτεε≥Φφµ ßεεΩ≥ αφπ │ wouldn't be so bad if they
Γδε≤τΣ≥, Γτεε≥Φφµ ≥εσ≤÷α±Σ Φ≥ φε≤ │ literally ran a mile - they could
Σα≥√. A trial run might help, but │ do with the exercise, and I would
have more of a chance to use the │ Instead she looked around and
computer! Commercial software is │ started playing a multiple choice
too expensive to sit around │ quiz on the capitals of the
gathering dust. At school, the │ States of America. She was
same programs could probably be │ determined to keep going until
used and enjoyed as they don't │ her score was 100%. She memorised
compete with games. Also, the │ the answers. She knew none of the
same age group will be there │ names of the capitals or the
again the next year. │ states, but knew which answer to
│ pick for each question. She
àε± ≤τΣ τε∞Σ, ≥τα±Σ÷α±Σ ∞Φµτ≤ │ didn't learn any facts, but it
ßΣ ≤τΣ αφ≥÷Σ±. You can get │ may have been of some use as a
shareware programs for around $5 │ memory builder.
per disk and try before you pay │
more to register. │ Miss Eight wanted to get a
ÆΓτεεδ îε∞ is a shareware │ high score and she did it. When
program with a range of │ she was Miss Six or Seven, she
activities. I thought MIss Eight │ wanted to get a high score in
would be interested in the │ another game. It was just a
programs in the music area. │ simple on screen maze. She spent
quite some time just moving │ time you heard the little bugs
around the maze without actually │ talk was when you got caught.
getting out - just to see the │ Ever since then, one of the first
'score' (number of moves) build │ things they say when they play a
up. │ quiz type game is "let's see what
│ happens if we get it wrong!"
I have often read that the │
nasty noises in some programs can │ Kids can be unpredictable. The
damage a child's self-esteem. I │ clothes they simply 'had to have'
usually have a quiet little │ last month or last year, are
giggle. The nasty noises can │ probably lying in some dark
actually be fun to kids. Back in │ corner of their rooms while the
1983 when we played Maths Bingo │ plainest T-shirt has become a
my kids discovered that it was │ favourite. The book you thought
fun to select wrong answers │ they wanted or needed is probably
repeatedly - and drive Mum crazy │ hidden under those discarded
with the noise! │ clothes.
When we got Mega-bug, it was │ The computer games which you
more fun to get caught than to │ thought would appeal to them
get a high score because the only │ might not be the ones they play.
The flavour of the month could be │
a really impressive game with VGA │
graphics and beaut sound effects. │
Next month it might be something │
which only uses CGA graphics and │
no sound. │
│
When it comes to educational │
software, remember the theory of │
relativity: E=mc^2 - ûτα≤ α │
∞ε≤τΣ± Γεφ≥ΦπΣ±≥ Σπ⌠Γα≤Φεφαδ, τΣ± │
ΓτΦδπ±Σφ Γεφ≥ΦπΣ± ≥≡⌠α±Σ ñ │