Happy App Friday!
Check out the new winter themed activities in the freshly updated Khan Academy Kids, and keep those reading skills sharp with Christmas stories in Reading Train Christmas. Plus, things to be aware of regarding kids and digital privacy.
We wish you and your family a healthy and happy holiday season, and we will return in the new year.
Garry Froehlich
Jellybean Tunes
Reading Train Christmas Books, Songs & Games
by The Learning Station, LLC
Free for the holiday season. Reading Train contains simple stories designed to help a child learn to read. Each story has three versions that vary in complexity so you can tailor the experience to your child’s reading level. Kids can then create sentences, or match words to concepts based on the story they just read, and earn coins to plug into a jukebox of songs.
Khan Academy Kids (New winter update)
by Khan Academy
Khan Academy Kids has been updated for winter! From the app description: Check out the fresh snow at the Kids’ Club! Kodi and friends are all bundled up and ready to play. Grab your sled, and come see our new winter activities in the library. You can reach us at khankids@khanacademy.org. From the tip of your nose, down to your paws or your toes, wishing you a warm and wonderful winter!
Technology, Kids, and Privacy
There is a certain amount of speculation in this article that I’m not always a fan of, but it does highlight some practical things to be aware of this holiday season.
Digital photos are tagged with the precise date and location where they were taken, so if you don’t want to share that with the world, turn off that tagging in settings or remove it before sharing the photo.
Internet-connected smart devices like monitors or toys may have a default password that should be changed, or anyone will be able to connect to it. And unfortunately, cheap internet connected devices do tend to have security vulnerabilities so be aware and do your research.
