Posts published in January, 2016

Scaffolded Fantasy Play

An area that interests me from this weeks reading is the intersection of children’s fantasy play and social robots or “smart” toys. Pellegrini makes a strong argument for the importance of interactive fantasy play in the development of children’s ability to communicate abstract, non-obvious concepts. Does a “smart” toy detract from that value? It could… Read more Scaffolded Fantasy Play

Week 4 Readings - Thu

I always heard how play time is important for children but never thought to ask myself why. From the readings the reasons why have become a little more clear, which has led me to see how what children play with is really important. You can’t just tell a kid to go play and expect it… Read more Week 4 Readings - Thu

Week 4 Readings - Robots and Empathy

I was really interested in the Kahn Jr., Gary, & Shen reading about children’s social relationships with robots. The report expressed a concern over children’s conceptions of robots as social entities, arguing that children might dominate the robots in ways that are detrimental to their development. What I didn’t understand about this argument was that… Read more Week 4 Readings - Robots and Empathy

Betsy's Review and Redesign

Website Name: Raz-Kids URL: https://www.raz-kids.com/ Focus: Literacy Grade Range: K – 5 Description: Raz-Kids is a subscription based e-book library with a wide selection of leveled books and reading comprehension quizzes for elementary aged students. On the website both family and classroom subscriptions are available. Elizabeth Anderson – Assignment 1

My Talking Angel

Application name: My Talking Angela Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-talking-angela/id909351158?mt=8 Ages: 13+ (but actually most likely played by younger girls) Description of Application: The app is very similar to the tamagotchi gadget of the 1990s. You have a cat (called Angela) that you need to feed, pet, bathe, etc. The difference is that this app is more interactive… Read more My Talking Angel

GoldieBlox Review and Redesign

GoldieBlox is an engineering toy set paired with stories about a female engineer named Goldie. The founder, Debbie Sterling, launched the company in 2012 after finding a lack of good construction toys available for girls. She found that when girls played with construction toys, they typically got bored quickly and prefered make-believe activities. This motivated… Read more GoldieBlox Review and Redesign

Week 4: Fröbel's Forgotten Gift

In reading “Fröbel’s Forgotten Gift…,” I couldn’t help but remember Barbie Fashion Designer from my own childhood. I didn’t own the game, but I begged my friend Victoria to play whenever I was at her house. As I recall, it was a fairly open-ended design project, though firmly within the Barbie world of “Dream Date”… Read more Week 4: Fröbel's Forgotten Gift

Lisa Goochee Redesign Assignment 1: My Password Journal

My Password Journal Link I chose to redesign My Password Journal by Mattel. This product offers a small note pad encased within a pink and purple plastic electronic case that locks upon closure. It’s aimed at girls ages 6-12. It can only be opened by the owner’s voice and chosen password. The journal will record the… Read more Lisa Goochee Redesign Assignment 1: My Password Journal

Week 4 - Adults' role in play

The article by Pellegrini and Jones, Play, toys, and language, fascinates me because they used language to provide insights on children’s play, which could be an interesting way of evaluating toys including apps. In several places in this article, the authors talked about how adults, including teachers and parents, could inhibit fantasy play and the use… Read more Week 4 - Adults' role in play

Thoughts on emotional robots

The Kahn et al article really had an impact on me. It made me think about how our logic can be hijacked by our emotions, and how vulnerable young children’s emotions are and where the world is heading. It makes complete sense that the children would feel an emotional attachment to the robots, but what… Read more Thoughts on emotional robots