Thursday, June 6, 2013

Motherboard Books- TOS Review

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We recently had the chance to review Let's Make a Web Page, created by the owner of Motherboard Books, Phyllis Wheeler. Her vision for her company is simple: “ computer literacy in every homeschool. ” While we are techno-savvy enough to make our way around the inter-net and a bit more, we aren't computer geeks by any means. That being said, I'm always on the look-out for resources to hand my kids so that they can make their way around the Internet with more aplomb than me.

This program is just the ticket. While it is geared for kids aged 8-12, I had all 3 kids at home use it, despite the fact that their ages range from 10-18.  Feeche (18), went through the entire course in one sitting, Cub (13) took a couple of days, Flower (10)  was a bit more reticent about the course, but went through it with no problem. The program consists of a 60-page ebook and encourages fun and exploration. In addition, there are safety tips included for parents. It's great for kids (or adults) of all ages who want to have more mastery on-line, and for a mere $19.95, it's affordable enough for about everyone.

The course is as straightforward as the price and includes the following chapters:

Table of Contents: Introduction for Parents
Lesson 1: An Interview
Lesson 2: Download and Set Up the Program
Lesson 3: Add Text
Lesson 4: Make a Table
Lesson 5: Add Photo
Lesson 6: From the Internet, Add Animations
Lesson 7: Browser Check, Backgrounds, Photos
Lesson 8: Sound
Lesson 9: Links
Lesson 10: Post Your Work
Appendix: How to Upload to the Internet

We appreciated the ease of use with this course, the relaxed writing style and the affordability. It utilizes a free software from Coffee Cup, so once you purchase the course and download the free software, it's just a matter of sitting down and following the directions.

One of the major bonuses about this course, from my point of view, was the fact that the kids can work independently; it is just that easy to use. Honestly, I look for curriculum like this: effective, inexpensive, muli-age and grade, and something the kids can use independently. It's not that I don't like working with them, it's that the skills that they will need to know go way beyond my scope and ability. And because computer skills are a must have in today's world, you owe it to yourself to check this one out and see if it's a good fit for your family's needs.

Motherboard Books offer several other products, including a free internet scavenger hunt. If you really want to inspire your kids to computer creativity, have them check out Motherboard's gallery.  I was impressed to see kids as young as age 9 featured! I also want to draw your attention to the Motherboard Blog (cause we're blog lovers, right?!) as well as the tutorials. You'll be glad to know that this product comes with a satsifaction guarantee, as well as support if needed. What's to lose? Motheboard books is a gentle introduction to creating a web-page, even without previous computer knowledge.

Content -excellent
Presentation -excellent
Organization -excellent

 
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