It looks like, for kids, tablets are the new TV – at least that's the way media companies are viewing these handheld devices that kids are taking to bears to honey. When I started reading this New York Times piece about Dreamworks's new "DreamTab," I thought, "Shades of the days when cellphone makers made kids' phones," which never really took off for phone and toy makers. But this is different. … [Read more...] about Kids’ tablets the new TV sets?
iPads
Consider the possibility of kids’ self-regulation of digital media
Are iPads bad for little children? I ask that metaphorically, for two reasons: because iPads represent a host of tablets and other touchscreen devices children seem to play with joyfully and intuitively, and because that attraction makes it extra hard to imagine kids could self-regulate that iPad play. And yet they do. Take Gideon, for example ("Giddy" to himself and his family). In some of the … [Read more...] about Consider the possibility of kids’ self-regulation of digital media
High expectations tablets will be huge in K-12 schools
News Corp's unveiling of its tablet for schools at SxSWedu in Austin this week was definitely a sign of the times. Its 10" Amplify tablet, which runs on the Android operating system, will cost K-12 schools $299 and come complete not only with curriculum but also training and customer care, the New York Times reports. It's the project of Joel Klein, the former chancellor of New York City schools, … [Read more...] about High expectations tablets will be huge in K-12 schools
Virtual, tangible, interactive & mobile ‘toys’
Remember Pokemon cards? My kids were crazy about them when they were little, and I didn't mind supporting that passion because the cards were part of what seemed like a whole field of child anthropology. At a very young age, kids were learning about the traits, customs, physical abilities, relations, culture, etc. of an imaginary species – and sharing that knowledge in collaboratively designed … [Read more...] about Virtual, tangible, interactive & mobile ‘toys’
1 iPad per student: Experiments in 2 states
Greater student engagement and higher test scores are the results teachers are reporting, since hundreds of California middle school students started using school-issued iPads, eSchool News reports. In the four-district pilot, the students are "using curriculum apps for their classwork and homework" in a variety subjects, including language arts and math. One district told eSchool News that "90.5% … [Read more...] about 1 iPad per student: Experiments in 2 states