TECHNOLOGY: Computer Applications for Young Users: BumperCar and KidPix

THERE IS a lot of software available for young children, but there are not all that many applications designed especially for them. I am making a distinction here between "software" that does something fairly specific, like helping students practice their multiplication facts, and "applications" like Web browsers, word processors, and paint programs. Fortunately, this situation may be about to change with the release of BumperCar and a new version of KidPix, both of which recently earned awards from MacWorld magazine. Freeverse software (www. freeverse.com) is currently beta testing BumperCar, a Macintosh Web browser designed especially for children of about 5 years old and older. I say "about 5" since it will not be known until later in the beta testing process how well children as young as 5 -- and possibly even younger -- can use the application. Incidentally, research done over 20 years ago found that very young children do better using a trackball than a mouse. The young children tended to drive the mouse like a toy car. Obviously, they can't "drive" a trackball. I hope the beta testers of BumperCar will give trackballs a try with the younger users. The BumperCar start-up screen appears below. As the image from the start-up screen shows, BumperCar has an attractive and simple start-up page. BumperCar is unique among Web browsers because it uses a series of editable "white lists" of approved children's websites. In addition, BumperCar can be set to block access to any site that is not on a white list. Lists are supplied for Science, Math, Fun & Games, Civilization, and Language. The "Tunnel of Mystery" takes the user to a site that is randomly picked from these lists. Parents or teachers can add or delete sites and can even add or delete entire lists. Of course, teachers could exchange white lists for various subjects or topics with their colleagues. Changing a list in any way requires the Mac's administrative password. Needless to say, if your children know your password, you'll have to change it. In the remainder of this column I refer to adults, but I'm including both parents and teachers. Another unique feature of BumperCar is that adults can set the time of day when children can use the program, say, for home use, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. You can also set the number of hours per day that the program can be used, say, just one hour per day. With the two settings I just mentioned, a child could use BumperCar for only one hour between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Modifying white lists and customizing other safety features of BumperCar is done by clicking on the "Grown-Ups" menu. The Grown-Ups menu contains a wide array of useful safety features. For example, adults can "prevent the use of personal data" so children cannot fill out forms. In a similar fashion, you can block access to chat rooms. Adults can prevent or allow "downloading files" and prevent or allow "Java applets." These last two features are particularly important since it is impossible to filter the content in Java applets and some downloadable file types. However, a lot of children's sites have animations that are done in Java, so blocking Java can be highly restrictive. Adults can also prevent or allow "scripts to automatically open windows." This feature can be used to prevent "pop-ups" and "pop- unders." If you don't want to be as restrictive as this description implies, you can allow "filtered" Internet use. The main filters and their default settings are: "Sexual content at this level or stronger: passionate kissing"; "Violence: violence against objects"; and "Chat at this level or higher: none or moderated." You can also specifically block access to medical, artistic, and sports sites if you choose. (I would certainly block access to artistic sites for such young children.) In addition to all of these features, BumperCar has a "curse word" or profanity control feature that can scan a page for words like "ass. …