Did you happen to catch the piece in Parade Magazine this past Sunday called Parade Picks? Their Back-to-School Tech article reviewed “gizmos” for all ages and recommended the following:
- Preschool– Computer Cool School (ages 3-6) and V.Smile: V-Motion Active Learning System (ages 4-7)
- Elementary/Middle School: Tag Reading System (ages 4-8), The Speaking Spelling Bee (ages 8+), Smarty Pants for the Wii, and Buzz! for the Playstation.
- High School/College– HP 2133 Mini-Note and the Pulse Smartpen.
I love that Leapfrog’s Tag made the list since it is a favorite in our house but I think the editors should have separated out the categories to make them more distinct for the age groups. It has been my experience that children of different ages use technology in varying ways. Elementary students use technology to supplement their classroom learning through interactive software, websites for research, and are beginning to use computers as productivity tools.
While I do agree with the fact that high school and college students “use technology more as a tool than as a teacher,” I don’t know if my school system would allow high schoolers to bring in such devices to classes, making them better suited for college age students.
Based on reader feedback and comments from other parents, I think that parents of high schoolers could have used some recommendations for products that can be used to monitor their teens’ internet activities.
By the way, can someone with a Wii who owns Smarty Pants weigh in with their opinion as the game as a learning tool? If you own a Playstation and have Buzz! let me know your thoughts too.
We don’t own a gaming system. I know. We’re old school about that so far. Kinda like me and my paper calendar!
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Original post by Tech Savvy Mama
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I use a paper calendar still too!