Monthly Archives: September 2013

Can You Say ‘Tablettoddlers’ in Russian?

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A new study from Digital Parenting Russia and Tvidi.Ru, a substantial internet platform for children between 6 and 16 year of age, conducted a survey earlier this summer on the e-reading habits of Russian kids.

The Russian study found that over 75% of students are using ebooks for their homework. And while one-third of the over 4,000 respondents indicated that they read on tablets and desktop computers, once students reached middle school they opted for e-readers instead.

‘Da’ indeed!

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Disney Wants Kids to Bring iPads to ‘Mermaid’

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Dubbed “Second Screen Live,” kids will be able to bring along their iPads and play games, find “hidden treasure,” and do any number of things apart from paying attention to the actual movie for the re-release of the 1989 Disney film “The Little Mermaid.”

Watch the trailer to see Disney’s full vision for the face-illuminating future of film; “movie-going,” as the narrator puts it, “has never been so much fun.”

Tablettoddlers Endorses Toca Kitchen App

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Toca Kitchen is a $2.99 iOS app from Toca Boca that teaches kids how to cook. The app challenges them to virtually prepare meals for hungry eaters.

Toca Kitchen is not a game – it’s a toy where you and your kids get to explore cooking.

From the iTunes description:

What happens if you mix a carrot and then fry it? Will the cat like it? And what is the bull’s favorite food? Toca Kitchen supports free play for all ages and is a great way to use your imagination.

 

What Parents Need to Know About Screens

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From Catherine Steiner-Adair, author of The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age via the Huffington Post:

  1. Don’t put your baby in front of a screen.  Ever.
  2. And think hard about putting your toddler in front of one, too.
  3. Teachers can tell if your child is getting too much screen time.
  4. Your kids hate your screens.
  5. Just because we can be connected to work 24/7 doesn’t mean we should be.
  6. Screens aren’t good for your marriage.  And that’s not good for your kids.
  7. In order to be a good parent, you need to take care of yourself.
  8. Sorry, but you really don’t know what your kids are doing online.  But that doesn’t mean you should give up trying.

Many Parents Letting Kids Use Their Tablets for Schoolwork

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According to a recently released Nielsen study:

Approximately 78 percent of parents with tablets admitted they let their kids under the age of 11 use their tablets at home.

More than half of parents (54 percent) who let their kids use their tablets at home replied that their children used tablets for educational purposes.

Out of this pool, some of the most popular activities were reading books (42 percent), taking notes (40 percent), and finishing homework (30 percent).

The top activity was actually “searching the Internet” with 51 percent, which could be left up to some interpretation, but the other activities certainly have merit.

71 percent of people who used tablets for educational use affirmed they are interested in using the devices for accessing textbooks as well.

It’s a chicken-and-egg situation of what needs to happen first: more parents buying tablets for educational reasons, or content providers delivering digital materials first?