Zoodles: Another Kid's Web Broswer

Zoodles is joining the ranks of Zac Browser, Kid Zui and Kido'z (kid's browsers I have mentioned before) as a means for children to safely navigate the internet. Like Kid Zui, Zoodles is free for a basic plan.  However if you want Ad Blocking and the Parents Dashboard (and you do, because it IS a kid's browser) you need to shell out $7.95 per month, $39.95 for 6 months and $59.95 for the entire year (Kid Zui is $3.33 a month).  Kido'z is also a divided service, free for basic and $50 a year for plus.  Zac Browser is free.  Zoodles runs on Adobe Air.  It allows access to educational website and tracks time spent in each subject area, displaying it for the parent to see.  All of these kid's browser's have something to offer.

Below are screen shots of Zac Browser, Kid Zui and Kido'z.

Free Kido'z Web Broswer

Kido'z is a new web broswer for children, along the lines of the Zac Browser or Kid Zui. It is free to download and ad free. (It is in beta so the coast may change.)

Kido'z runs on Adobe Air and has a smooth clean interface that would make it great for touch screens or interactive whiteboards. There are three main areas: games, videos and websites.

Unfortunately it is not switch accesible, tab/enter does not work nor do the arrow keys. Supposedly it is for children ages 3-11, but I would stick with the 3-7 year old set in order to account for age appropriateness.

Free Web Browser for Learners with Autism

The ZAC (Zone for Autistic Children) Web Browser was created by a grandfather for his gandson who has autism. It is designed to go beyond other "kid's browsers" which act as "walled garden's and limit what web sites children can see; it also stops unneeded keyboard buttons from working, takes care to have plenty of content related to areas of interest with autism.

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PBL Teacher's Toolbar

Today I am messing around with the Firefox extension from PLB, the teacher's toolbar (it is also available for IE). So far I am liking it, although I don't usually like extra toolbars or sidebars eating up my screen. The toolbar features a Google based search box and drop down boxes in a variety of catagories that hold links to check out. Some of the catagories are Professional Development, News (links to mostly ed related blogs), Classrooms, Tools, Tech, Jobs, Ask&Tell, Grants and Safety. There is also a radio tuner (love it!), Skype link, Weather button and an Email Notifier.

It is worth trying out for a week or two and seeing if it is useful.