Back when I was in high school taking Information Technology as an elective in years 10 through 12, we covered topics that seem pretty tame by today’s standards – basic HTML, website design, Flash animation software and of course, the seemingly inescapable Microsoft Excel. If you go back even further to my mum’s day, “Computer Awareness” was only just becoming widespread in secondary schools and you probably had to take a college-level course to pick up the kind of computer skills that many of us take for granted today.

Fast forward to 2018 and Coding is now part of the NSW school curriculum… for kindergarteners. That’s right, no typo – kindy kids are learning coding! While that doesn’t mean these tots are smashing out lines of code on a computer, it does mean that they’re being introduced to the fundamentals of computational thinking at a very early age. That means stuff like problem solving, recognising sequences, and understanding cause and effect.

Even if they don’t wind up employed in the technology sector, these kinds of lessons can do wonders for a child’s analytical and numeracy skills. It also makes them more likely than any other generation before them to develop interests in technology, gadgets and gaming. While this is amazing, it can leave some parents (or grandparents) stumped for things to do with the kids that involve these interests.

Whether you’re a tech-head looking for some fresh ideas or tech just isn’t your thing, here are five fun and parent-friendly activities of the tech-y variety. Give one of these a whirl and not only will you and the little ones enjoy yourselves, you may just learn a thing or two along the way!

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Australian summer doesn’t mess around – with temperatures reaching in the forties, it’s vital to stay cool, hydrated and follow the sun safety rules of slip, slop, slap, seek and slide. Everyone has a plan to beat the heat, which can range from a humble pedestal fan all the way to state-of-the-art air conditioning – but have you made plans for your tech?

All electrical devices generate heat and it’s perfectly normal for them to be warm to the touch after they’ve been running for a while, but running too hot for too long can negatively affect performance and eventually cause devices to break. You may be surprised to know that we’ve seen cases of modems overheating during heat waves, particularly in desert climates where the weather gets hottest.

Although broadband modems are typically left switched on all the time, they’re not necessarily in any danger of overheating as long as you follow these simple steps. You can apply the same logic to all of your devices (including computers, laptops, game consoles and smartphones) to ensure that you and your tech stay cool this summer.

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It’s been a while since there’s been a shake-up in world of web browsers, but there’s a new browser on the web so we thought we better put it to the test!

Mozilla recently launched its latest version of Firefox, Firefox Quantum, with hopes to knock Google Chrome off its long-held pedestal of being the “best” browser (at least in terms of how quickly it can load web pages).

However, different people want different things from their web browser, so just picking the fastest one may not right way to go. You may prefer a browser that prioritises privacy, or one that has lots of custom options so you can fine-tune it to your preferences.

We decided to take a look at all the web browsers that are competing with the age-old defaults that come installed on your devices, namely Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Apple’s Safari. After all, if you don’t know what’s out there, how do you know that you’re really using the best browser for your needs?

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