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

http://www.pickyteacher.com


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

http://www.pickyteacher.com


• 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.com Slide 17

Fire HD Kids $150 iPad Mini $250

Kindle Fire HD 7 inch iPad

CTR’s December Issue compared

same book on different devices.

http://www.childrenstech.com


Children’s Technology Review www.childrenstech.com Slide 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

Today’s Rorschach Test

bat (53%), butterfly (29%)

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

http://www.dustormagic.com/ebooks

http://www.dustormagic.com/ebooks

Human anatomy

Ugly Duckling, The

TabTale. www.tabtale.com $2. Ages 3-7.

http://www.tabtale.com

Snow White

Builds reading. G4M3 Studios. www.g4m3studios.com

$free. Ages 3-8.

http://www.g4m3studios.com

Spanish Colors

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

http://www.littlepim.com

Baby First Puzzle Farm Lite

Open Solutions. www.babykidszone.com

$free. Ages 2-up.

http://www.babykidszone.com

Counting with the Very Hungry Caterpillar

Night & Day Studios. www.nightanddaystudios.com $2.99.

Ages 2-up.

http://www.nightanddaystudios.com

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.

http://www.touchpress.com

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.

http://www.moonbotstudios.com

Endless Alphabet/Reader/Numbers

Originator, originatorkids.com

$free, Ages 3-6.

Oceanhouse Media. www.oceanhousemedia.com

$3.99. Ages 3-up.

http://www.oceanhousemedia.com

Closing thoughts

Meet the boss

Learn from friends

See you in Bologna!

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

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