What did you learn at Dust or Magic 2009?
Fifty people (software programmers, Website designers, toy manufacturers and educators) discussed what’s new in the world of technology and education. Exciting products on the horizon include a new line of Scratch-based activities from MIT, educational Websites for possible inclusion in our COMPUTER EXPLORERS online preschool program (eTOTS), and ... educational apps - everything from tanagrams and word recognition games to songs to sing with your preschoolers!
At least half of the new products shown at Dust or Magic involved ‘apps.’ And don’t be misled that all apps are game-based! Many quality educational activities for children as young as preschoolers are available on your phone! Companies as respected as PBS, Highlights Children’s Magazine, and Disney are developing quality applications. (If you have an iPhone and a preschooler, go to an independent apster www.duckduckmoosedesign.com to download three favorite songs with interactive screens: Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald, and Itsy Bitsy Spider - hours of fun for 99 cents each!)
What concrete (as opposed to virtual) products did I see that I want to buy for holiday gifts? I really like the LeapFrog® Tag and Tag, Jr. books – they are educational, reinforce cause and effect, and are fun. Some people might be put off by their using commercial characters (Dora, etc.), but I think that anything that encourages children to start reading is a plus! And I really want to buy one (or two) of the Fisher Price® remote controlled dinosaurs. Unlike Tickle Me Elmo® which was a “watch me” toy, the dinosaur’s activities (walking forward/backward, rearing up on hind legs, stretching its neck, roaring “ferociously”) are easily managed by a preschooler whose indulgent grandmother cannot pass it up!
Off to buy my Droid … and get some cool apps!
Cyndee Perkins
Director, Curriculum and Program Development
PS I know I have used this photo before, but it was too perfect not to use again!
Atom