Weekly News Roundup August 5th

Check out these interesting articles on kids and technology!



7 obscure children’s books by authors of grown-up literature (brainpickings.org)



McDonalds recruits Mom bloggers to smooth over healthy Happy Meal rollout (cnn.com)



Toys R Us to carry Kindle (reuters.com)



16 Must-have apps for a healthy pregnancy (parents.com)



Cell phone use doesn't alter kids' cancer risk: study (reuters.com)



Nintendo says 3DS is not for kids (mnn.com)



Social media game aims to end extremism (bbc.co.uk)

 

 

For more news on kids and technology, visit the Spark blog!

Weekly News Roundup July 29th

Check out these interesting articles on kids and technology!

--- Slideshow presents the evolution of kid's computers (computerworlduk.com)

--- 5 reasons why the iPad was made to keep parents sane (cnn.com)

--- 10-year-old releases iPhone game with help from Make-a-Wish (geekwire.com)

--- The Netflix of baby clothes (plumgear.com)

--- Survey proves kids would rather be outside (guardian.co.uk)

--- Justin Bieber says, 'Don't text and drive' (mnn.com)

Read more news on kids and technology on the Spark blog...



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Weekly News Roundup July 22

Check out these interesting articles on kids and technology!

Parents will enjoy these iPhone and iPad apps (Parents.com)

Mom’s Facebook Community Helps Diagnose Her Ailing Son (Mommyish.com)

New regulations for food, beverage advertising toward children (Healthkey.com)

Using touch screens and apps to treat autism (mercurynews.com)

The Internet Is Making Your Kids Think Differently, Not Less (Mommyish.com)

Teaching Angry Birds In School (neatorama.com)

Infographic Shows Top and Bottom States for Science Education (livescience.com)

For the latest on kids and technology, visit the Spark blog!

9 Year Old Designs App for iPhone

When asked to create something, most nine year olds will grab crayons and construction paper. Ding Wen Lim of Singapore is much more likely to sit down at his computer. The fourth grader started using the computer at age two and has since learned six programming languages. At age nine, he has already completed 20 programming projects. His latest, Doodle Kids, is a free drawing program for use on Apple's iPhone. Lim says, “I wrote the program for my younger sisters, who like to draw but I am happy that other people like it.”

It seems this propensity for programming runs in the family, as Lim's father, Lim Thye Chean, also writes iPhone applications. He says, “He told me it was his wish to learn programming so I decided to teach him the basics. Every evening we check the statistics emailed to us (by iTunes) to see who has more downloads.”

Read more on the Spark blog...

Spark Project Spotlight: Story Box

Story Boxes are popping up all over town--in museums, libraries, and schools. To date, about 130 Story Box units have been produced, and that's just the beginning. So what exactly are Story Boxes, and what do they mean for children in Pittsburgh?

A Story Box is a 21” x 12” x 4” portable device containing images with "hot spots" that, when pressed, play related audio clips. For example, the "My Favorite Animal" Story Box features photographs of young children with illustrated embellishments to make them look like different animals. By pressing on a child's photo, the listener can hear audio clips of that child roaring like a tiger, describing a zebra's fur, or remembering the time they met a unicorn on the beach.

Each Story Box focuses on a specific theme. Story Boxes produced to date have included topics such as:

What I Am Thankful For
Unique Things I Know How To Do
My Favorite Animal
Bullying
Martin Luther King
Personal Narratives
Impact Of The Arts
Hope For The Coming Year
Environmental Documentaries
Career Profiles

Learn more about Story Boxes on the Spark blog...

Children Predict the Future of Technology

Can children predict the future of computer technology? Recent research says yes.

Last year, Latitude, an international research and consulting firm asked 201 children from across the globe a simple question: “What would you like your computer or the Internet to do that it can’t do right now?” The children were asked to draw a picture in response. The study was aimed at targeting the first generation of “digital natives” and discovering their desires and expectations when it comes to technology. Despite the fact that the children ranged in age (from 5-12) and location (from South Africa to Chile and many countries in between) many of them echoed similar desires.

Read more on the Spark blog...