Warren Buckleitner - Children’s Tech: The Year in Review and Trends for 2015

Children’s Technology Review • www.childrenstech.com • @childtech
Children’s Tech
The Year in Review &
2015 Trends
by Warren Buckleitner
Editor
Children’s Technology Review
@buckleit

• We launched CTREX! at www.pickyteacher.com
• Narrowing “innovation gap” (iPad Air 2 is only
marginally better than iPad Air). The same is true for
apps. Greater quantity; less quality, with 136
Editor’s Choice seals (vs. 159 in 2013).
• Android apps & devices are still disappointing.
• $0 to $2.5 Billion in just 4 years = Minecraft’s
amazing, magical story.
• Maturing tech -> 3D printing & Oculus Rift 2
Looking back

We launched CTREX! at www.pickyteacher.com
• Narrowing “innovation gap” (iPad Air 2 is only
marginally better than iPad Air). The same is true for
apps. Greater quantity; less quality, with 136
Editor’s Choice seals (vs. 159 in 2013).
• Android apps & devices are still disappointing.
• $0 to $2.5 Billion in just 4 years = Minecraft’s
amazing, magical story.
• Maturing tech -> 3D printing & Oculus Rift 2

• Toca Boca is getting into the socks — it’s hard to
get ROI from $.99 app publishing.
• A maturing field — there are more conferences,
dissertations, books and scholarly activity around
children’s digital media.
• More “big box” brands in the app store; Disney’s
Imagicademy, NickJr, PBS, Lumocity’s Lumikids. But
still not leading in terms of innovation & quality.

• Amazing apps: Virtual manipulative
techniques employed by Slice Fractions, Busy
Shapes, Blek, Monument Valley, Off the Rails,
Up to 100, Bubl Draw, Endless Numbers, to
name a few ….
• STEM; 14 coding apps plus builder kits
• Smarter consoles: Disney’s Fantasia; PS4
• More console collectibles; amiibo
• Better robots that actually do something; that
might outlive their batteries; see Meccanoid

Looking forward….

2015 Influencing Factors May Be…
Economic exploitation of children (Looney Tunes Dash).
Follow Apple.
Mind blowing multi-touch design.
Widening gap between tech elite and tech impoverished.
We’ll see cultural assimilation of Moore’s Law.
See the “quantifed-self” movement
(Wolf et al).

http://youtu.be/HiwoUec109o
“Quantifed-self”

“No one will buy it, except for insane parents”
Jenna Buckleitner, 19

Kids want power….
Never underestimate a kid .…

Children’s Technology Review www.childrenstech.comSlide 17
Fire HD Kids $150
iPad Mini $250
Kindle Fire HD 7 inch
iPad
CTR’s December Issue compared
same book on different devices.

Children’s Technology Review www.childrenstech.comSlide 18
CTR’s December Issue compared some leading tablets.

Picture cropping

Contextualized illustrations
are possible on the iPad Mini
Not on the 6 inch Fire HD

CONCLUSIONS ABOUT TABLETS
Screen size matters.
iPads are best for UI and content quality and
quantity, but cost significantly more…
contributing to economic divide.
Old fashioned craftsmanship still counts when
moving from paper to screens.

The ongoing search for

An app is a
“cultural artifact”
It has ethnic and gender bias.
It has somebody’s idea of “best
practice.”
It has an interaction style…
human characteristics.

“App”
“Enhanced”
“Flowable”
“Fixed Format”
“Transmedia”See:
http://conference.digitalbookworld.com/ehome/90839/196394/?&&
Words from the categories from this year’s
Digital Book Awards include…

What is a “story?”
What is “digital?” “e?”
What is a “child?”
What is a “screen?”
These questions must be defined before you can
have a productive conversation about a digital
product:

Juror’s Commentary
http://youtu.be/bAHkW4SYaFU

• Two categories: “narrative driven
interactive media” and non-fiction.
• 258 entries, 38 countries
• 2013-14 copyright
• Any publisher, any country, no fee
• Any platform
• 4 Jurors, 1 vote each
• Deadline for 2014 was February 1
Deadline for 2015 is February 1, 2015

• Clumsy: e.g., pages flip in the wrong
direction.
• Not responsive.
• I’ve seen this before. This design was
clearly influenced by Toca Boca.
• Instructions are confusing and
unnecessary.
• Loads slowly.
• Background music loops, over and
over and over again. No mute.
• Crashed.
• Starts with a wordy introduction.
• Contains ethnic stereotypes.
• Evil. This is a “free” catalog designed
to tease children, and trick them into an
additional sale.
• Age gate is easier than the first
activity.
• Feels like a template, with sprinkled
hotspots
• Not reversible.
• Asks you to rate the app before you
play it.
• Pages get turned accidentally.
• Lots of beautiful looking art that just
sits there.
• Not much content for the price.
• Yet another page-flipper.
• Clunky mechanics get in the way of
the narrative.
• Horrible narration.
• Ending makes no sense.
• Who made this? The
author/illustrator/publisher are not
clearly identified.
Dust (Bad Practice)

Magic (Best Practice)
• Wow. Impeccable
craftsmanship!
• Interactive &
responsive — balloons
pop, eyes follow…
• “Accidental success”
• Print & animation
supports narration
• “Embedded
reinforcements.”
• Reversible
• MUC (Minimum User
Competency) is below
the intended task
• Developmentally
appropriate
• Attention to detail
• Works on smaller,
older screens
• A real orchestra!

“How not to make an ebook.”
At www.dustormagic.com/ebooks
Coming in the March 2015 Issue of CTR

Ugly Duckling, The
TabTale. www.tabtale.com $2. Ages 3-7.

Snow White
Builds reading. G4M3 Studios. www.g4m3studios.com
$free. Ages 3-8.

Spanish Colors
Little Pim. www.littlepim.com $4.99. Ages 4-7.

Baby First Puzzle Farm Lite
Open Solutions. www.babykidszone.com
$free. Ages 2-up.

Counting with the Very Hungry Caterpillar
Night & Day Studios. www.nightanddaystudios.com $2.99.
Ages 2-up.

My Very Hungry Caterpillar
StoryToys. $3.99. Ages 2-7.

Pierre et le Loup (Peter and the Wolf)
Builds music, memory, the orchestra. Camera Lucida. www.cameralucida.fr $3.99. Ages 4-10.

Toca Pet Doctor
Builds causality,
timing, fine motor.
Toca Boca. $2.99.
Ages 2-6.

Double Double
Builds perspective, spatial relations. And Then Story Designers. www.and-then.us $.99. Ages 6-up.

War Horse, Egmont, Illuminations Television and Touch
Press. Touch Press. www.touchpress.com $13.99. Ages 9-
up.

Red Riding Hood
See also: Rounds, Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk

IMAG•N•O•TRON
Moonbot Studios.
www.moonbotstudios.com $0.99. Ages 3-up.

Endless Alphabet/Reader/Numbers
Originator, originatorkids.com
$free, Ages 3-6.

Oceanhouse Media. www.oceanhousemedia.com
$3.99. Ages 3-up.

Learn from friends
See you in Bologna!

Warren Buckleitner - Children’s Tech: The Year in Review and Trends for 2015

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