The Quest for the Best: Announcing the 2012 KAPi Awards
Eight Products and Two Individuals Are Awarded the Kids at Play Interactive “KAPi” Award at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
Grab your fancy shoes and dim the lights. It’s time to celebrate the best of the past year in children’s interactive media.
Welcome to the 3rd Annual Kids at Play Interactive Awards, aka the KAPis; an ambitious attempt to identify and formally recognize excellence in children’s interactive media over the past 12 months. The winners will be formerly recognized on Janurary 12 at world’s largest technology gathering, the Consumer Electronic’s Show in Las Vegas.
Children’s Technology Review • November 2011
Vol. 19, No 11, Issue 140
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We’ll Miss You, Steve Jobs
Since this is our first post-Jobsian issue of CTR, let me pause for a moment to pay tribute to *the* original magic seeker. Sure, Steve Jobs didn’t invent stuff like chips and multi-touch gorilla glass, any more than Julia Child invented butter. But he was adept at mixing them up to create magical results, and his products have empowered many, many children over the years. This is also a good time to remember that Steve wasn’t finished with his grand scheme of digital domination, and that he left a lot of key ideas in the hands of a smart team with a lot of money. According to Walter Isaacson’s biography, Steve was eyeing the multi-billion dollar textbook industry as a next target for digital transformation. One can only hope. Without Steve’s hardware, we would never had software, and without software, we’d have nothing to review. To quote one clever tweeter, “thank you Steve, for the jobs.”
Microsoft Presents “Kinect for Kids”
Last month in New York, I attended an extravagant press event targeting children. It was sure fun watching the kids try to figure out the tiny cheeseburger hor’dourves. In the past, Microsoft’s attempts at the children’s space have lacked credible titles (remember Viva Piñata?), but not this time. Besides unveiling partnerships with Sesame Workshop and National Geographic, they gave the audience a chance to try Once Upon a Monster (on the cover of this issue). Don’t miss the review of this important product, with analysis on why it is pushing innovation in children’s interactive media right now. See the review on page 15.
Learn About Pianos
What do Elton John, Lady GaGa, and Mozart have in common? They all started playing the piano when they were four years old. Learn more about this magical musical machine on page 3.
A Closer Look at Apps for Learning to Read
According to neuropsychologist Jeannine Herron, “Most of the apps currently being developed for teaching children reading skills have this serious gap of phoneme awareness that will hinder, not benefit the development of skilled reading because they produce inefficient wiring in the brain.” Do you agree? Have a look at page 4.
One iPad, Forty Kindergarteners and Some Respect
“Wow, I could really use this” said Kindergarten Teacher Chris Crowell, as he started exploring ways to tap the power of the iPad. Using the camera feature, he figured out how to help his children understand ideas related to respect. See page 6.
Research Watch: Who Said TV is Dead?
Besides the death of Steve Jobs, October 2011 will go down as a big one for new research unveiled about kids and media use, a least in terms of Google new alerts. Fortunately for us, Scott Traylor covered both events, and he had his camera. See page 7.
On Monday, October 17, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a revised position statement on the the use of screen media with children aged 2 years and younger. Personally, I thought the statement had no surprises; anyone knows that developmentally there’s very little for babies and toddlers to get from zoning out in front of a TV screens that are not interactive. But sadly, the AAP keeps on narrowly defining “screen media.” I was hoping they’d start thinking of it this way – if screen media were a disease, it would have extraneous symptoms. You wouldn’t treat every runny nose with a sulfonamide, right? Likewise, you can’t combine interactive media like the Wheels on the Bus by Duck Duck Moose, into this definition.
Scott Traylor covered the AAP press event for CTR, and he asked AAP spokesperson Dr. Avri Brown if the AAP considered iPads and other forms of INTERACTIVE media in their definition of “SCREEN MEDIA.” Scott’s questions start at 12:28 at http://youtu.be/9EuXIrWUkI0. I recommend that everyone give it a close listen. It provides an important window on the thinking of this very important group.
Dr. Brown’s answer to Scott: “We know that media now, or screens are ubiquitous and very portable. What we have research on as of today is televised programs. Televised programs can appear on multiple screens. We do not have any research on apps and games that are educational. There may in fact be some merit to those things because they’re interactive and they take cause and effect to a different level. But we don’t have any data on that so this policy does not address that.” And later “I know that this a topic that is being explored” and “it’s a good question.”
Children’s Technology Review • October 2011 • Vol. 19, No 10, Issue 139
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X Can Be More Than Xylophone. Finally.
Walk into any book store or library, real or virtual, and you’ll see dozens of alphabet books. Each follows a similar plan—one page per letter, and the author tries to bring as much meaning as possible to that letter— also known as an abstract symbol associated with a phonemic sound. Over the years, there have been some very creative approaches to alphabet books, but somehow A is almost always something related to an Apple or an Aardvark and “X is Xylophone.” A Chicago based app publisher has thrown down the ABC book gauntlet, by leveraging the iPad’s crystal clear touch screen with the ability to fetch letter-related YouTube videos. So now, X can be XO Sauce, with a movie. Finally. See the review of Peapod’s ABC Food on page 7.
Making Multi-Touch Toys: The Toca Boca Approach
When trying to figure out how to capture magic in children’s apps, Swedish app publisher Toca Boca brings a refreshing new approach to children’s publishing. What makes the Toca Boca special is that it came out of a 200 year old company, with a long tradition of making very traditional books. Recently, Toca Boca’s CEO Björn Jeffery was in the United States when he dropped by my office for some tea. The Toca Boca story is on page 5, or you can watch the interview on YouTube http://youtu.be/PiVBVVnHtmk
LittleClickers: Online Lessons About Ice Cream
Can you name the three most common ingredients in ice cream? (Answer: cream, sugar and eggs). OK, that was easy. But do you know why ice cream can give you a headache? Or how an ice cream recipe differs from gelato? Find the answers in this month’s LittleClickers, on page 3.
Kid Tablet Wars
Don’t miss the review of the $80 InnoTab on page 20, which performed significantly better than the camera equipped $100 LeapPad Explorer. Both, however, fall short of the $210 iPod Touch 4 when considering the cost of apps and responsivity.
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The September Issue
News & Commentary on Children’s Technology, September, 2011
Profit vs. pedagogy: How are children’s app developers supposed to eat?
We were thrilled to review the second app from Motion Math, called Motion Math Zoom. From a math learning point of view, it’s a doozy (read why on page 14). Rather than read about it, why not download a copy, free, from Apple’s app store. You’ll find it to be a powerful experience. But you might also be surprised to find that it comes with a hidden surprise — an in-app purchase. Once children master the first level, they find out that the only way to keep playing it to go online and buy the full version of the app for $4.99. Is putting a toll booth in such an activity unfair? We say no, as long as it’s disclosed when you’re in the app store, making the decision about whether or not to do the download. We also feel that a full version should be available, with no in-app sales features. We don’t like the practice of mixing math practice and app buying process. This is an emerging issue, as more iPads find their way into classrooms. We don’t have the answer, other than to give you the straight facts about the financial motives in every product we review.
LittleClickers: All About Batteries
If somebody handed you a lemon, could you make a battery? Do you know which batteries don’t need to be recycled — and which do? Should you store unused batteries in the freezer? Let’s learn more about the often overlooked workhorse of all gadgets: the battery. See page 4 or visit www.littleclickers.com.
A Talk With the Guys Behind Wizard101
Being the number one virtual world for kids is no small thing, especially in these days of Disney, Nick and Cartoon Network. But what’s interesting about Wizard101 ($freemium, www.wizard101.com) is that 60% of visitors are playing with another member of their family (at least, according to the publisher sponsored study, at http://prn.to/laV1Gh). What are they doing right? To find out, CTR correspondent Scott Traylor interviewed Josef Hall and Todd Coleman of publisher KingIsle on a quest for the magic formula. See page 5.
How Do You Get Good Rating in CTR?
If you’re a new to Children’s Technology Review, you may wonder why our ratings might be different than in other publications, or perhaps Apple’s app store. The answer lies in CTR’s evaluation instrument, online at
http://childrenstech.com/evaluation-instrument and on page 7. The instrument is our DNA because it helps us spot attributes associated with increased child engagement; another word for “quality.” We use this instrument every day as we encounter each new wave of unknown products that promise to entertain and educate a child. We openly share this instrument with publishers and our readers in order to help everyone better understand the in-exact craft of assigning ratings. Every so often, it makes sense to revisit our rating process.
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CTR 134 May 2011
May 2011
Volume 19, No. 5, Issue 134
ANNOUNCEMENT: Don’t miss the Children’s AppFest, May 22nd in Monterey California. It is free and public, and part of Dust or Magic AppCamp.
News & Commentary on Children’s Tech
After a disaster like a train wreck, it’s not uncommon for a flood of experts to arrive to try to figure out what went wrong. But rarely do we step back from a children’s interactive media disaster, as measured in terms of irrate parents, damaged corporate image, crying children, or bad ratings, and ask “why?”
In this month’s CTR, we’re going to take a closer look at children’s interactive “dust” as part of the talk I’ll be giving at INPlay. This includes seven factors that lower ratings (page 5), the Top Ten Excuses for Bad Ratings (page 6), a closer look at Apple’s HOME key (also on page 6) and a proposed Code of Ethics for the Publishers of Children’s Interactive Media (page 7). Also on page seven, I write a pretend letter from the creators of Tap Zoo, which is currently one of the top grossing apps in the iTunes App Store.
What do you think? Comment on the NAEYC/Fred Roger’s Center Position Statement on Technology and Young Children
In spring 2010 the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media (Fred Rogers Center) began working on a revision of the NAEYC 1996 position statement. Called “Technology and Young Children—Ages 3 to 8” the document is important for helping us all better understand how to exploit the power of technology for the growth and development of children, while minimizing the downsides. The position statement will be issued jointly by NAEYC and the Fred Rogers Center. Now is the time to review the latest draft. To provide comments, send an email to TechandYC@naeyc.org by and provide comments by May 31, 2011.
May is a great time to build a treehouse
What could be more low tech than a treehouse? That’s why it is fun to go online to learn to learn about how to build one. Don’t miss this month’s LittleClickers, where we explore such things as how to find the perfect tree, and how to make a treehouse that will be around in ten years. See page 4, or visit http://www.littleclickers.com.
The CTR Subscriber Portal is live!
We’ve done it! The Children’s Software Finder has been replaced by the new CTR Subscriber Portal, where you can search back issues and 13,000 archived reviews. Subscribers, if you are having trouble logging in, please let us know! Thanks to Don and Tony for all their help in making this huge step for us.
Children discuss apps, at last year's AppFest
Announcing the Second Annual Children’s AppFest at Asilomar Conference Grounds—Public Invited
Come explore state-of-the-art children’s apps, and meet some of the faces behind the apps your children play. Children are welcome. Details at http://www.dustormagic.com, or you can read the press release here, in pdf format
WHEN: May 22, 2010
WHERE: Pacific Grove, California at Asilomar Conference Grounds, at Merrill Hall from 1-5 PM
April 2011
Volume 19, No. 4, Issue 133
News & Commentary on Children’s Tech by Warren Buckleitner, Editor
NOTE: CTR is an ad-free, subscriber supported publication. We post select content on our site. Review and articles are sent each month to paid subscribers. You can subscribe for $24/year to get full access.
April showers bring 3D, at least for this year. They also bring iPad 2s and another wave of children’s apps.
First the 3DS. “It rocks,” said our testers when they first saw it last month. But more significantly, “it still rocks” a month later. The clear 3D upper screen, combined with the new gyro and motion detection (on par with a Wii Remote) bring something new to handheld gaming that isn’t going to fade. But the 3DS does have a few warts:
• The price. At $250, this flavor of 3D comes with a pricetag out of the range of many families. One father watched his daughter on the 3DS and groaned “Arggh — we just got our Kinect. Now this?”
• The batteries drain noticeably faster than the older DSi; a problem for long car trips. Week batteries are a big deal; dooming the PSP Go. Sure, the new charging cradle is nice, but you still need to be near a power outlet. Kids will be fighting for those scarce airport power outlets, too!
• 3DS game cartridges won’t run on the older DSi or DS light, giving parents another way to bring home the wrong game. Fortunately, the game packaging is well marked.
• Game quality varies. 3D doesn’t insure good game play, so read the reviews before paying for the 3D premium.
Hasbro’s MY3D is another interesting gadget you’ll find in this issue. It turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a 3D iMax theater. You snap your iPhone or iPod into it, to deliver 3D . Before you scoff “it’ll never work,” consider that the device costs about the same as a single 3DS title ($35) and will be able to play multiple apps that are either free or cost a few dollars. So, if you already have an iPhone or iPod Touch, 3D is within reach. See our in-office demo at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfqRiNfy2LQ
I uploaded a YouTube video — Engagement as a variable http://youtu.be/8i9-JmhvUQ4?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — HCRHS Winter Guard April 2 http://youtu.be/j4YEzaYSDRo?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — I Am T-Pain Mic — Preview http://youtu.be/kxFEvpESSgo?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — SpyNet Video Watch and Accessories for 2011 http://youtu.be/o_MtC8KQ4Kg?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — Dora Fiesta Favorites Kitchen Preview http://youtu.be/CPr6UTqWIiE?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — Beamz Player Interactive Music System http://youtu.be/u-seIq9-B3w?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — Rock Star Mickey http://youtu.be/a6qzWOYFeDU?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — Yoomi for Duo iPad Demonstration http://youtu.be/DnGtvlBJswI?a
Just posted: A New Game Accessory for the iPad – NYTimes.com http://t.co/wMOueNJ
Picture if you will, your ideal early childhood learning environment, say, in a daycare or a public preschool. Chances are, it is filled with developmentally appropriate materials. You have blocks, art supplies, room to move around and role play materials. But does your vision include an iPad in each area?
In this issue of CTR, we sketch out what such a preschool might look like, complete with base costs, logistical issues and a list of apps to support each learning area. It turns out for about $3000, you can greatly enhance a learning environment with five iPads, and for about $1,800 you can create a bare-bones model. See page 5.
This issue also contains a first look the 2011 tech toys, which we cover in more detail in this month’s LittleClickers column, on page 4. And tomorrow, we’ll see the next iPad! I’m predicting it will have a camera, better volume control and more ports. You can see my complete wish list here http://bit.ly/igunFH.
Built from the ground up for augmented reality — the Nintendo 3DS
Augmented reality (AR) has come up a lot in the past year, as cameras are married with motion detection hardware. Wikipedia defines AR as live direct or an indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input. Last week, I spent two hours with the Nintendo 3DS and I think that Augmented Reality just might be Nintendo’s secret weapon for keeping a step ahead of the competition. I provide more details, here http://bit.ly/f4Pxt9).
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I uploaded a YouTube video — colorguard http://youtu.be/kcjyM7GJO1g?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — Pocket Copter http://youtu.be/hcGqxGPHYTQ?a
Infrared radiation (same as your TV remote) @PiranhaJaw22 (YouTube http://youtu.be/safjI_DNNRo?a)
I uploaded a YouTube video — Barbie Hair-Tastic Printables Demonstration at Toy Fair 2011 http://youtu.be/k0Cg0n1yYVY?a
Just posted the #buckyball story video from #toyfair 2011 http://t.co/P63yXkR
I uploaded a YouTube video — How Buckyballs are made http://youtu.be/oBCha5ftLOw?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — Barbie Hair-Tastic Printables http://youtu.be/1RidC41zvPs?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — SpyNet Stealth Video Glasses Toy Fair 2011 Preview http://youtu.be/P6Y-0yspk9M?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — SpyNet Stealth Video Glasses Toy Fair 2011 Preview http://youtu.be/y8WjIUVdTMk?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — Angry Birds: a Case Study http://youtu.be/f0Lx4-3LPgw?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — Toy Fair 2011: Air Swimmers http://youtu.be/C39Ap0HFsPA?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — Toy Fair 2011 Air Hogs Hyperactive http://youtu.be/gnXQ5BWH49s?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — Spin Master http://youtu.be/5DHyB9rTU0o?a
What’s next from Vtech, following last year’s MobiGo? An $80 touch tablet-like platform, called InnoPad, designed for ages 4-9. Features include a 5” LCD touch screen, a tilt-sensor, microphone, headphone jack, SD card storage and a USB connection to a computer for downloading additional content.
Software will come on $25 cartridges, and will include E-books that feature Toy Story, Dora the Explorer and Disney Princesses, a music player, games and an Art Studio with painting and drawing applications, for use with either fingers or the included stylus. It also provides a Photo Viewer/Editor. There will be nine cartridges at launch, plus an MP3 player for both videos or songs, a Calculator, Calendar, Notepad, Clock with personalized voice alarm and Friends Address Book.
Visit www.vtechkids.com/download to see a list of downloadable content. VTech promises “over 100″ download titles by the end of this year. A Learning Lodge Navigator is designed to track progress.
I uploaded a YouTube video — Scott Traylor http://youtu.be/HAbp4JvJaWg?a
Mark Zuckerberg’s dad “Rather than impose upon your kids…support their strengths & things they’re passionate about.” http://t.co/XZYDxvU
Folks, February is going to be significant for children’s interactive media; hang onto your seats. Three events will be on our radar screens. iKids is a new one-day only event created by Kidscreen Magazine (disclaimer: I write a column) which will include a children’s App contest. The following day, I’ll be across town at Engage Expo to host the 11th annual Dust or Magic Journalist Huddle (4 PM at Javits Center). See the video from last year at http://bit.ly/gV1VRW. Besides these events, the American International Toy Fair which kicks off on February 13; will be creating plenty of news. Here are two trends I’ve noticed already, covered in this issue:
1. NEW WAYS TO CREATE. During a pre-Toy Fair press event for Mattel/Fisher-Price, I noticed two traditional toys that have been modified so that you can put your ideas inside of them. See Hot Wheels Video Racer (page 15) and Sweet Talkin’ Ken. Also consider ToonTastic, a new app that turns your iPad into a puppet show. See the full review on page 13.
2. WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A CHILDREN’S APP TSUNAMI. Last month, The Boston Globe’s Beth Teitell asked me to try to estimate the number of children’s interactive products on the market for an article on children’s apps, so I had a closer look at Apple’s iTunes app store, with kids in mind. See last week’s post if you’re curious. In other news:
The Future of Children’s Portable Gaming Takes Shape
They have cameras, microphones, touch screens, accelerometers, Wi-Fi, App stores, in-room game sharing, rechargeable batteries, and crystal clear color screens. They cost about $250 each (although we’re not sure on the NGP price). But most importantly, they fit easily in your pocket. Now that we have the specs on the next generation Sony handheld device (see page 13) it’s not difficult to connect the dots, to better understand the next generation of children’s portable game hardware. Some key points:
• Since our last issue, the American Academy of Opthalmology has weighed in on the 3D eye issue. There’s probably less to worry about than you think. (see http://bit.ly/dMpqME).
• The NGP has multi-touch on BOTH SIDES (front and back) — plus cameras and motion sensitivity. For the first time in Sony gaming history, software will be cartridge based, like the Nintendo DS. More NGP details are on page 17.
• The iPod Touch has a pretty important big brother (or sister) — the iPad; and more Android-based apps and hardware is arriving every day.
Also in this issue: LittleClickers with the theme of teeth, and an essay called “A Letter to 20 Years Ago.”
YouTube — Sweet Talkin’ Ken (in 90 secon… http://youtu.be/1DTEzjHeaXE?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — Hot Wheels Video Racer http://youtu.be/DyYXqdumiOo?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — Hot Wheels Video Racer http://youtu.be/fKde5uQr_2c?a
The Holiday 2010 Special Edition of "Minty Moose"
We just received the following news from Webkinz World. Here’s the full press release:
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Dec. 22 Webkinz World® has a very special gift for their millions of members — their Webkinz accounts will no longer expire!
Effective January 19, 2011, members who do not extend their accounts after one year will be able to continue to play with, and care for, all of their pets. The games, tournaments, jobs and daily and hourly activities will be open to all members, with some features limited for members with expired accounts.