- Quote of the week goes to Jeff Jarvis: "It would be a mosquito bite on the elephant's butt" http://bit.ly/71xcqG #
What’s colorless, odorless and has been silently seeping into your child’s backpack, classroom, playroom and library? Your child’s digital future. After 25 years of rosy predictions from experts, there are signs that the long-awaited tipping point for technology & learning has arrived. If you’re one of the many impatient people—like me— who have been waiting for that LED at the end of tunnel, I think that this time it is really happening. Here’s why.
• Batteries. For the first time, batteries are able to power a netbook through a six-hour school day on a single charge. They’re smaller, lighter and powerful; the heart and lungs of iPods, Nintendo DSis, toys and netbooks. See the Cinemin, on page 20 (November issue) for example.
• LEDs. (Light Emitting Diods) are molded into your child’s shoes, and lighting the earrings on the new Dora Links doll.
• Wi-Fi. Thanks to eRate, most schools were wired years ago. Unfortunately the Internet never made it to the child’s desktop. There are signs this is starting to change. For the first time in her K-12 education, my daughter, a high school senior, is now encouraged to bring her laptop to school. And half of her teachers are using Moodle for assignments.
• The App store and Google Ads. Small publishers can make money from their interactive ideas, and reach their intended audience, sidestepping the retail bottleneck.
• Cloud computing. Google’s gmail, YouTube, Facebook and Flickr have earned the trust of the masses, including many of our children who are flocking to games like FarmVille (page 21).
• Flash 10. It used to be that online animation chugged. Not anymore. I just previewed a virtual world for children that is fast, responsive and — for the first time— is in 3D.
• Kinesthetic (motion based) interfaces. The Wii was magic. This year, there’s more. Besides the Wii-Motionplus, there’s Microsoft’s Project Natal, which uses cameras to detect motion. Interface guru Jakob Nielson points out two motion-based Windows 7 features: “Snap” (the ability to resize open Windows) and “Shake” (grab a window, hold your mouse button and give it a shake to hide the windows behind it). Nielson writes, “Both may herald a renaissance for the gestural interaction styles.”
• Multitouch. Apple’s multitouch/accelerometer combination is “the perfect storm” for children’s interactivity. Compare it to the DSi monotouch screen and you have “dumb touch” and “smart touch” from this point forward. Have a look:
Multitouch at NECC 2009
• There’s a Wii in the Whitehouse. Barack Obama is the first president to type a book on a computer, use a Blackberry and post speeches on YouTube. Both of his daughters play video games. This could open the door for more research and policy related to interactive media.
Now that the digital future has arrived, what does it mean? For one, there will be a lot more to review. It’s safe to say that 2010 will bring a surge in new children’s apps, sites, games and toys, and we’re ready to critique them. Enjoy the issue.
W. Buckleitner, Editor
- Quote of the week goes to Jeff Jarvis: “It would be a mosquito bite on the elephant’s butt” http://bit.ly/71xcqG #
Unlike the three DS versions of CGC (Charm Girls Club) this is a party game, specifically designed for one to eight girls, with about every imaginable stereotype, from hair dressing to pillow fights. Content includes 27 minigames that vary in quality and difficulty. As a result, there’s something for everyone. Games include Speed Hair Teasing (shake the Wii Remote as fast as you can to see how big you can make a hairstyle) and Water Balloon Fight (target your friends to see how you can earn the most points). There are several DDR style rhythm games, where you compete to earn points by following moving commands. Please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Designed to look like a pot of soup, this battery-operated phonics toy comes with an attached talking spoon that prompts children to find the letters needed to spell specific three-letter words. While he talks, background music plays in repeating loops. There are five activities including letter sounds (tells the sound a letter makes), finding fun (asks for the letter that makes a sound), counting colors (asks for you to press a certain color block), letter order (tells you what what letter comes after) and spelling time (asks you to spell a word). Includes 4 AA batteries for demo purpose only and an automatic shut-off. Please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This toy laptop comes with a small, extremely low resolution color touch screen, a membrane alphabetical keyboard and 35 reading and matching games. Content is based on PBS Kids Super Why characters (Super Why, Wonder Red, Princess Presto, and Alpha Pig). Each character comes with a set of noisy activities that vary in quality. For example, in Why Flyer you are aske
d to find the word “soup” (presented verbally) and then are asked to touch the screen when that word is shown. In the Emperor’s New Clothes, you spell out short words on the alphabetical keyboard, one letter at a time. Children used to the keys in QWERTY order will be confused, because the keys are presented in alphabetical keyboard style. In addition, there are some buttons on the side of the screen that have no function, which confused our testers at first.
Other features include built-in speakers, two levels of volume control and a tethered question-mark stylus for the touch screen. The device is powered by 3AA batteries and there is an auto sleep function if the toy isn’t used for a few minutes. Learning Curve Brands, Inc.. www.learningcurve.com, $35. Best for ages 3-up. Please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.