Today’s generation of preschool “mobile kids” are being raised with wireless technology that is revolutionizing the way they learn. Compared to desktop computers that are tethered to a mouse and keyboard, kids today are treated to portable devices that provide an all-in-one enriching experience. iPhones and iPod Touches are designed perfectly for little fingers complete with an intuitive interface. These “mobile Kids” are the first generation to be raised with mobile technology from the earliest age and will surpass older children who were weaned on desktop computers wired to the web.
It is no surprise that there are hundreds of apps targeted toward this emerging market. In fact, 60 percent of the 25 top-selling paid apps in the iTunes store is geared for the education category focussing on toddlers and preschoolers, according to a new content analysis by Sesame Workshop’s Joan Gonz Cooney Center. If done in moderation along with the personal contact from a caregiver, handing a preschooler an iPhone could be a great tool to enhance a child’s development.
Education experts, such as Warren Buckleitner, founder of Children’s Technology Review and PhD in educational psychology, has observed that “the future that we envisioned for so long is finally starting to happen.” Buckleitner is excited about the way an iPhone allows a preschooler to manipulate elements in apps, making it easier for them to go from concrete to abstract. With the iPhone’s multimedia touch technology, kids can receive a multi-sensory experience. They can hear a concrete word spoken, see the abstract letters of the word and then watch a video of the word in action. As the whole experience unfolds, the child is in control through touch.
If the iPhone can do for preschoolers what Sesame Street did for kids in the 70s and 80s (before the introduction of the personal computer), it will revolutionize the way children learn. However, parents need to find a way to rise above the pollution of all the poorly developed apps to discover the truly educational ones. At the same time, parents need to be mindful of not maxing out on one activity, such as iPhone use. Parents need to stay involved and not use the iPhone as a baby sitter distraction. They need to learn how to use it in moderation and balance. Now, with the introduction of the iPad, mobile learning has reached another dimension. It will be exciting to witness the benefits of this new technological revolution in learning.
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Interesting insight about “mobile kids” and how they don’t have to be tethered to a desktop. It’s this point that helps us use the technology in a much more interactive fashion. Great article. A resource I’ll suggest for finding quality educational apps, developed by parents, is http://www.momswithapps.com.
I wonder how much larger that percentage of apps would be if you included books like Dr. Seuss and iStoryTime’s ‘How To Train Your Dragon- Kids’ Book’? The amount of content out there for kids on the iphone/ipad is amazing.
You have ‘pinned the tail on the donkey’ ~ today’s children are drowning in media-stimuli, the ‘nuclear’ family’s living room can have Dora on the plasma, music coming from the docking station, PBS Kids on the desktop, toys on the floor, Mom working with her laptop, and the child concentrating on her new app from Dad’s iPhone (JUST LIKE THE PICTURE ABOVE!!!) – Growing up in the Sesame Street Era, I feel cheated out of a good time…nice post!
Apps like zooSpelling (http://bit.ly/dekPlk) and KosmicMath (http://bit.ly/bO3JBa) do a great job of balancing education and fun. What is your kids all time favorite ?