- Raise your sail one foot and you get ten feet of wind.
-Chinese proverb from Exchange Every Day http://t.co/eJ8Mf8qa #
- Just posted KidTech: Glasses With a Videocamera Inside – NYTimes.com – http://t.co/T0Z0TU0n #
- "Children shouldn't be left to their own devices — literally or figuratively." http://t.co/QCTUnqXB #
Buckleitner, 2011. You Say Software, I Say App: Welcome to the Twisted Language of Educational Technology. Children’s Technology Review Volume 19, No. 8, Issue 137
Last year, North America’s biggest educational technology show changed its name. NECC
(National Educational Computing Conference) became the ISTE (International Society for
Technology in Education). Keep reading in PDF format.
Hunter, S. 2011, A Real Virtual Playroom: Designing Media to Foster Creative Engagement, Children’s Technology Review, Volume 19, No. 8, Issue 137
By Seth Hunter
What principles should inform the design of software for children as access and exposure to different forms of media increases?
What do children expect from digital media and what is the role of the designer in shaping these expectations?
How should new media be integrated with the traditional play patterns and experiences of the child?
Hunter provides six questions you can ask to distinguish between digital and traditional media, as follows:
1) Create and Program: Can I make my own and bring it to life?
2) Pretending and Fantasy: Can I do impossible things?
3) Transformation: Can I become something new?
4) Interactivity: Can I make it respond to me?
5) Time-Based Storytelling and Playback: Can I tell a story?
6) Social Play at a Distance: Can I play with my friends?
Seth Hunter is a Ph.D. student at the MIT Media Lab. His research explores how to design media interfaces that are more socially and physically engaging. He is currently
working on mixed reality applications for children with a focus on creativity, expressiveness, and learning. Hunter has a BA in cognitive science and digital art from the University of
Virginia, and an MFA in art and technology from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has been employed as a toy designer, multimedia developer, instructional technologist, media artist, and teacher.
- 46 percent of children ages 9-11 owned cell phones in 2007 (C&R Research) http://t.co/mGrWWvCe #
- AAP's O'Keeffe "Little kids' brain development needs to evolve un-interfered with" tech "disrupts how brains are wired" http://t.co/6uuEBy6a #
- Experts, parents wonder about long-term effects of touch-screen tech – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review – http://t.co/6uuEBy6a #
- Apple's iPad 3 should have a Kids Edition | Crave | CNET UK – http://t.co/nUjFPKV0 #
- I subscribed to lockyer1996's channel on YouTube. http://t.co/BPttVuHu #
- 46 percent of children ages 9-11 owned cell phones in 2007 (C&R Research) http://t.co/mGrWWvCe #
- AAP's O'Keeffe "Little kids' brain development needs to evolve un-interfered with" tech "disrupts how brains are wired" http://t.co/6uuEBy6a #
- Experts, parents wonder about long-term effects of touch-screen tech – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review – http://t.co/6uuEBy6a #
- Apple's iPad 3 should have a Kids Edition | Crave | CNET UK – http://t.co/nUjFPKV0 #
- I subscribed to lockyer1996's channel on YouTube. http://t.co/BPttVuHu #
- In case you haven't seen yet, here's Webcam 101 for Seniors http://t.co/u08oG5HJ … proof you can die young at an old age. #
- Children's Technology Review » Blog Archive » Review: MadPad from Smule – http://t.co/9uLLY2Oq #
- @ruvim118 It works — you just plug it in and you can see the device, just like (@YouTube http://t.co/k1Bp3Gx) #
- @SuperCreagh Battery life is not so good. About 30 minutes, tops. Longer for sn (@YouTube http://t.co/k1Bp3Gx) #
- In case you haven't seen yet, here's Webcam 101 for Seniors http://t.co/u08oG5HJ … proof you can die young at an old age. #
- Children's Technology Review » Blog Archive » Review: MadPad from Smule – http://t.co/9uLLY2Oq #
Warning — once you download this app, you can kiss the rest of the evening goodbye.
MadPad ($2.99 at www.smule.com for iPad 2, $.99 for iPhone or http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/madpad-hd-remix-your-life/id460309682?mt=8 ) turns your iPad 2 into mix board with the sights and sounds of your choosing. It’s the latest project from Smule (www.smule.com), the Stanford-spawned company that also made Magic Piano and Ocarina. Designed specifically for camera-equipped iPads, iPhones or iPod Touches, the app samples sights and sounds, and then lets you play with them — making a rap or bending a sound up or down.
PRESS RELEASE FROM SONY, SEPTEMBER 15 2011
Sony Computer Entertainment to Offer Software Development Kit for PlayStation®Suite Starting This November
SCE to Provide Strong Support to Content Developers for PlayStation®Suite With the Distribution of the Newly Developed Content Starting Next Spring
TOKYO, Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that it will offer software development kits (SDK) for PlayStation®Suite (PS Suite), called “PlayStation®Suite SDK,” *1 for content developers starting this November. PS Suite is an initiative solution to deliver the world of PlayStation® to Android™ based portable devices.
- @ruvim118 It works — you just plug it in and you can see the device, just like (@YouTube http://t.co/k1Bp3Gx) #
- @SuperCreagh Battery life is not so good. About 30 minutes, tops. Longer for sn (@YouTube http://t.co/k1Bp3Gx) #
This is the first of the Berenstain Bears to be adapted for multi-touch tablets by Oceanhouse Media. In the 33 screen story, it’s bedtime for Brother Bear and Sister Bear, but they have other plans such as playing with dinosaurs, having a tea party and getting a piggyback ride from Papa Bear. When Papa Bear announces that it’s bedtime, the bedtime battle begins. Features include Auto Play, which plays like a movie by automatically reading and turning pages; Read To Me, which allows children to listen to the narrated story with words highlighted as they are read; and Read It Myself, which lets children read the book in its traditional format. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
VINCI Tab is a custom-made tablet for young children (ages 1 to 4) that comes bundled with a set of custom-made apps. It is easy to hold, thanks to a set of distinctive red handles, and wireless Internet features have been de-activated. The device itself is custom-made, based roughly on the specs of a Samsung Galaxy Tab; powered by an A9 processor running Android. It was designed by Dan Yang, a fiber-optic entrepreneur/parent. Standard features include a 3 megapixel camera (to be used for documenting your child’s growth), volume control, lithium polymer batteries that promise “up to 9 hours” and charge when plugged into your Macintosh or Windows computer via USB port. As of the launch date (August 2011), VINCI’s software library is limited, consisting of two exploration games, three ebooks and about ten songs and videos. These include Baby HaHa’s Explorations in which a child can earn stickers by exploring in seven areas: a baby’s room, a music room, zoo, farm, park, kitchen and aquarium. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This picture book is designed to introduce facts about trees. Each narrated page has one interactive element that you can try to discover on you own, or you can use a hint button to see where you should touch. You can also draw your own tree. Written and illustrated by Firecatcher design studio and developed by hedgehog lab. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This fast-paced shooting/fighting game gives you the fight you’d expect from a Transformer’s game. A new gameplay mechanic called Stealth Force lets you turn into a third, hybrid state that combines the weapons and firepower of Robot Mode with the agility and maneuverability of Vehicle Mode. Environments include Jungles of Central America, Siberian military facilities, Urban Cityscapes, and more, along with a diverse roster of Transformers characters to choose from as you try to save mankind. The PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii versions also allow for you to compete with or against friends around the world in multiplayer modes. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This app designed for preschoolers mixes limited creativity with a maze type of flying game. You start by making a robot by selecting legs, a body, a head and arms using multiple-choice style menus. Next, you are taken to the testing area, which consists of a maze with hidden stars. The goal is to fly your robot to a magnet by touching the screen to activate the foot rockets. The longer you press, the greater the power. You steer by moving your finger on the screen. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
In this app, you begin by choosing a customer from six possible human and animal options, then start combing, coloring and blow drying with your finger driving the action. Content includes 12 hair colors and five tools. The app features four characters, including animals, who make funny faces and sounds as you work on their hair cut.You can also take pictures of your creations and save them. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Good for older readers (upper elementary and middle school) this children’s magazine (by Bayard Presse) on an iPad mixes age-appropriate content with some mid-to good-quality interactivity. There’s no doubt that this is a British publication, and the narrator accent is proof. The idea is to continue stories from app to app, so there is continuity from issue to issue, like the printed counterpart. We reviewed the first issue (#1) so quality might improve. At the core of each issue is an animated story. For this issue, “How about a MOOH?” is about Stella the little calf who wakes up but does not moo. The farm animals are worried but a little cuddle with her Mom is all she needs. Features include the ability to record your own voice, or zoom into illustrations for a closer look. Content also includes Science – Why do aeroplanes leave trails in the sky? (note the British spelling); SamSam – GumGum the giant – follow the cosmic adventures of the smallest of the big heroes plus watch an episode of the SamSam TV series; Animal world – learn about Humpback whales; Games – fly your kite, join the dots, maze, match the pairs, find the correct order; and Polo – an adventure without words to lead you into the world of dreams. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
First released in 2007 under the name “EyeClops TV Microscope” by Jakks Pacific, this year’s edition has been simplified once again. To use, you put in five AA batteries, plug the yellow composite video cable into your TV and start exploring specimens at 200x power. Objects are illuminated by three white LEDs. The kit includes one SpyClops Bionic Eye, one Converter Unit and four top secret documents. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Looking for some cut and dry spelling practice for the iPad? After you create a user account, you start working through a set of 25 word lists (about 10 words in each), spelling each one letter at a time while your progress is saved. The words are presented verbally and in a sentence. A keyboard is shown beneath the letter grid. Letters can be typed or dragged into place, and it is easy to get a hint or re-arrange the letters to make a word. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This one or two player game brings together four characters from Ratchet and Clank, Jak & Daxter, and Sly Cooper. They work together (you can choose who to play) to compete in a series of challenges using the PlayStation Move controller (required). In the story, aliens have swiped chunks of the worlds of Ratchet, Jak and Sly in order to create a mysterious new planet in the galaxy. After they are abducted to this new world, Ratchet, Clank, Jak, Daxter, Sly Cooper and Bentley compete in competitions. You can use a variety of weapons including Ratchet & Clank’s combustor, Sly Cooper’s cane and super power weapons that are customized to each character. Medals are earned for completing missions and challenges; and the more medals you earn the more missions you unlock. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Turn your iPad screen into a musical busy box. There are two types of keyboards — one with eight large, colored keys. As a child explores, there are four roller balls that serve as controls to change the pitch or color of the keys. The colors and instrument sounds are spoken (e.g., xylophone, piano, drum set, and saxophone) and a Rainbow Ball changes the colors of the keys. A follow the bouncing ball (in this case floating little stars) mode leads children through simple nursery rhymes. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This 16 page ebook mixes home-made art and sounds with the story of two frogs, Phil and Freddy on their quest to become country music stars. Children can touch a paragraph of text to hear it read outloud. The app is the second book in the Phil and Freddy series. Created by Mike Rigsby and Erya Cash. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
In this seek and solve game you must unravel the mystery behind the Malgrave Island by using the Wii Remote to search for clues, solve puzzles and find concealed items in multilayered hidden object scenes. There are three multiplayer modes for up to four players, consisting of three rounds, and you can choose options such as skill level. Multiplayer games include: Swift Pick – compete to find hidden objects; Tick Tick Pick – find hidden objects and pass the bomb before it explodes; and Classic Pick – race to find the most hidden objects. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Your goal in this app is to shoot math answers from the sky. You aim by leaning left or right. To fire, you must choose from three triggers (each with a different number). If the number matches the math equation displayed on the alien spaceship, your bullets will cause damage. If you shoot with the wrong answer, the ship gets stronger. As you increase in levels you can get more lives, ship shields and machine guns. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This math app turns your iPad into a stretchable number line, letting children freely play with the relationship between quantity and space, just like silly putty. This “virtual manipulative” ability is combined with a game — a series of timed challenges that ask you to find a mark on the line. The faster you find the mark, the higher your score. Unfortunately, the only way to get this app is as a free sample that consisting of just level 1 of the 24 levels. To continue, you need to use an inapp sales feature to pay $4.99. The game starts when a bubble floats down from the top of the screen, with a number, like 1.2. Your job is to swipe up or down the number line to find the safe landing spot (in this case, on the 1.2 inches). Scale is shown by creatures lined up along the number line from fleas (for the hundredths), to bees, to rhinos for larger units. Things get harder with correct answers, so you want to see how many points you can earn, and levels you can unlock. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This game of concentration features three challenge levels — a 4×2 grid with 4 pairs of picture cards; a 6×4 grid with 12 pairs; and an 8×5 grid with 20 pairs. A correct match displays the name of the animal in one of five user-chosen languages – English, Spanish, French, Russian or Ukrainian – and is also pronounced in that language. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Turn your iPad into a small chalk board and your finger into a piece of chalk, with this free subtraction toolkit. Content starts with single digits and moves you through ten levels of addition mastery. Once you’ve solved the problem with the “chalk” you enter your answer using a digital numerical keypad. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Turn your iPad into a small chalk board and your finger into a piece of chalk, with this addition toolkit.Content starts with single digits and moves you through ten levels of addition mastery. Once you’ve solved the problem with the “chalk” you enter your answer using a digital numerical keypad. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
- I liked a @YouTube video http://t.co/BWReBTA 1927 CHARLES LINDBERGH Solo Flight TRIBUTE Recording On Victor #
- I liked a @YouTube video http://t.co/JOPwPrX Spy Net Video Glasses — Sample footage and details #
- Actually the word is "creeper" —
which I learned from you! (@YouTube http://t.co/JOPwPrX) #
- I liked a @YouTube video http://t.co/BWReBTA 1927 CHARLES LINDBERGH Solo Flight TRIBUTE Recording On Victor #
MathBlaster.com is a 3D virtual world where you are sent on various missions. The idea is to join the Intergalactic Space Patrol (ISP), a team of Blasters sworn to explore and protect the universe. MathBlaster.com requires the installation of the Unity 3D engine. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
With a shape that can slide into a large pocket, the new LeapPad Explorer is based on the discontinued didj (2008) operating system. Features include a 5 inch color screen, accelerometer (for tilt input), monotouch screen with tethered stylus, d-pad controls and a single, front-facing camera. There’s also a USB plug to connect to your computer (needed to download apps), a rather low res but fully functional camera, 2 GB of memory and no SD card expansion. For sound, there’s a microphone (in) and headphone jack and speakers (out). It is powered by 4 AA batteries. Software is managed the old fashioned way — by plugging in a $20 cartridge (sold at retail) or downloaded at less cost by tethering the device to a Windows or Macintosh computer. By year’s end (holiday 2011) the software library will include about 80 “apps” that will include 14 onboard LeapPad activities, 20 cartridges and 50 learning games that can be downloaded by way of the USB port, when plugged into a host computer. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
A faithful adaptation of “The aMAZEing Labyrinth” board game, in which you slide in and out tiles to create and change a dynamic maze and collect treasures before the other players. The game comes with a single-player campaign and computer opponents, hot-seat multiplayer (with kids passing around the DS for their separate turns) as well as single-card and multi-card multiplayer with multiple DS’s. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
In this game, you play as Po (a panda) and try to become a Kung Fu master by taking on enemies that vary in ability. This requires carefully timed punches and kicks and, with the Kinect version, plenty of room for this type of activity. The Wii version uses the uDraw Tablet, letting you customize your environment and control Po using the stylus; the DS version also gives you the ability to level up and choose from an array of moves as you perform team attacks. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Nine carefully crafted, multi-level learning games are designed for young children with special needs. But they could be used in regular ECE settings as well. Designed to be early intervention tools, this $50 app is designed to “reinforce fine motor and language skills, understanding of cause and effect, spatial awareness, memory and visual processing.” Content consists of 100 puzzles of varying difficulty; more than 50 hand-painted tracing game illustrations; eight farm-themed mini-games; scaffolding methodology to support successful game playing and subtle level changes to support different stages of development. There are also short tutorials that model how to play each game. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.