When all four blades spin the same speed, the copter goes straight up. By varying the speeds, you can make it tilt, and move forward or to the side.
The Sky Viper QuadCopter is controlled with something that looks like a video game remote.
The control on the left is thrust, and the one on the right governs direction.
I spent a few minutes flying it, and started to get the hang of it. Even for an adult, its pretty easy, because the copter has a tilt sensor (just like your cell phone) and does a pretty good job, by itself, of flying level. Kids, who’ve already mastered the art of game controllers, will be chasing robins and annoying the squirrels long before the critters realize there’s something new in the air.
The Sky Viper shown is designed for outdoor use. There’s also a body, easily interchangeable, for indoor use that has a housing around the blades, so that collisions with walls are a bit less exciting. Speaking of those exciting moments, aka crashes, the toy is pretty durable and can survive a lot of tumbles, but it also features all replaceable parts, so that when something breaks, you can replace it and continue play.
Skyrocket Toys is providing a lot of fun for $69.99.
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Sixteen percent of all K–12 parents, and almost one in four parents of high school students (24 percent), report that their child’s school allowsstudents to use family-owned mobile devices in the classroom—often called a “bring your own device” (BYOD) approachThe study found that just over half (51%) of high schoolers bring a mobile device to school with them and 16% percent of all K–12 parents, and almost one in four parents of high school students (24 percent), report that their child’s school allows students to use family-owned mobile devices in the classroom—often called a “bring your own device” (BYOD) approach.
The study: Mobile Device Ownership, Use and Attitudes points out the nuances and variations regarding the use of mobile devices as a part of the learning and education process, but see the emergence of the “superuser” parent as cental.
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To unlock the new virtual world you’re going to need to shell out $75 for a starter kit of characters. The characters are endowed with NFC (Near Field Communications) much like the popular Skylanders game. When you place the figurine into its base, the online game is activated.
According to a pre-release notice from Disney, Infinity will have a Toy Mode that lets you build your own world and populate with characters. So go ahead and build racetrack for Jack Sparrow if you’re so inclined.
A second, more challenging mode involves a logic editor that allows you to create a full game or adventure, where actions have reactions.
You can pre-order the character sets now and there’s no doubt that Disney will be releasing lots of accessories both real world and on. The packs support PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita.
While you won’t find any of the old classics like Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella, if you’re kids love modern day Pixar/Disney tales they should be happy from now to InfINity when Disney releases the product this August.
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ADD and ADHD have been featured in lots of news stories this month. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent out the alarming message that 11 percent of school-age children in the United States—and 19 percent of high-school-age boys—have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Over 6 million kids have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives, a 16 percent rise since 2007 and a 53 percent increase over the past decade, The New York Times reported recently.
Of course, the symptoms of ADD and ADHD: inattention, hyperactiveness and impulsiveness, make it pretty easy to make a case for an attention span being the impossible dream of the information age.
Michael Apstein, CEO of Focus Education, takes a different tack. He and his colleagues have developed an “As Seen on TV” program to help kids focus and pay attention. The standard edition, just $14.95, includes a computer game, audio cd, and other materials. There’s also a $199 deluxe edition that extends the program into the areas of fitness and nutrition. ifocus has shades of the old Hooked on Phonics approach, but for an ADD generation.
ifocus is based on a series of kids games called Jungle Rangers. The nine games in the series emphasize simple, repetitive tasks to increase the length of attention span, selective attention (being able to focus with distractions), and recall. The program uses a leveling mechanism so that children who need extra help with these tasks master the basics before moving on. And the parent gets reports on the each kid’s progress.
The web demonstrations of the game don’t give you much to go on. They all seem reminiscent of games like concentration or Simon or other simple task games, but leveling and some serious science in the sequence of the tasks give it a legitimacy that goes beyond most kids software games. Besides, like most As Seen on TV products, there’s that “money back/satisfaction guaranteed” clause that makes it seem like a good bet, regardless of outcome.
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Change has always been the domain of the young. From the end of the Vietnam War to the Arab Spring, it’s not parents who are out there advocating change, it’s the youth. In the online world, it’s time to get kids, especially the web-savvy ones, to take a stronger role in their own safety and etiquette.
I attended the annual meeting for FOSi (Family Online Safety Institute) a few weeks ago and was gratified that instead of the decades of scare tactics about how much trouble kids can find on the internet, there was a commitment to good research and to working hand in hand with kids instead of trying to hand down ultimatums.
What Kids Know That Parents Don’t: For one thing, they know how much of a mess the Internet really is, and how ill-equipped their parents are to serve as guides. The research FOSi commissioned found that while 84% of parents felt they monitored their teen’s online behavior very closely, a much smaller percentage of teens (39%) actually felt as if they were being monitored closely. The same perception gap was reported when 91% of parents felt they knew about their teen’s activities, while teens reported that their parents were not particularly well informed. Parent’s biggest knowledge gaps were in social networking areas, especially with newer sites and topics like Pinterest, Instagram and mobile apps. Parents and teens both claimed to worry about identity theft, invasion of privacy and a blotted school record. Teens expressed concern that parents didn’t fully understand the ferocity of images that are posted without consent, and “regrettable” comments online.
A Platform for Good: Most of the research underscores that kids are a bit more in touch with the realities of connected living, and learning quickly how to show caution when necessary. That’s real evolution. One of the best things to come out of the sessions was the launch of Platform for Good, where parents, teachers and kids can band together to effect positive change in the world using online connections. In a nice sway from the predictable, the project features high school students that appear in small vignettes teaching parents about what goes on that they ought to know about. They use a little charm, a lot of humor and offer up good honest kid advice on subjects as wide ranging as: mobile apps, setting up mobile phone features, reputation, and gaming.
For parents who don’t know a Pintrest from a pint of milk, an hour on this site goes a long way towards a reality check.
]]>Nolan Bushnell, David Pogue & Warren Buckleitner among Featured Speakers;
Registration open at cesweb.org
(New York, NY) October 31, 2012 – Learn what today’s digital kids expect and what their families want to see at the Kids@Play and MommyTech Summits at the 2013 International CES®. These conference sessions bring together industry leaders to examine the epicenter of consumer technology as it shifts to the family consumer, discuss how to reach the coveted $2.1 trillion mommy audience and connect with kids who have grown up in a digital world. Owned and produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) ®, the 2013 CES is scheduled January 8-11, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Produced by Living in Digital Times®, the Kids@Play Summit is scheduled for 9 a.m. and the MommyTech Summit is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Wednesday, January 9 in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC),
“This year’s kids are digitally connected, almost at birth. Fifteen new tablet devices made expressly for kids are now on the market,” said Robin Raskin, founder, Living in Digital Times. “We’ll explore some of today’s hottest trends, from the rise in kids’ tablets to apps, books and virtual worlds. Participating companies include a broad spectrum of influencers, from Lego and Leapfrog to new brands like Wanderful Storybooks and Wizards 101.”
In the afternoon, MommyTech will heat things up with a discussion about how technology is changing the sex lives of women, the business of blogging and what it means to be a woman in the CE industry. Featured products include a bevy of smart solutions to mom’s most onerous problems, including remote home monitoring, e-wallets, new mobile devices and child monitoring.
Other Session Happenings
Kids@Play: Nolan Bushnell, often referred to as the “father of digital kids,” creator of Atari and founder of Chuck E. Cheese, will offer a sneak peek at his latest projects and discuss why kids learn best when they’re engaged at 9 a.m.
MommyTech: Women in CE – Join some of today’s most successful women in a variety of careers from engineering, publishing and finance in a lively discussion about bringing a woman’s touch to the manly world of tech at 4:30 p.m.
“By the end of the day, attendees will know how to find their inner child as well as think like a mom when it comes to technology purchases,” added Raskin.
In addition to a full day of sessions, the Kids@Play and MommyTech Exhibitions, located in the Venetian Ballroom, will be open January 8-11, 2013.
Registered summit guests will be able to join Living in Digital Times for evening festivities including the Kids@Play interactive (KAPi) Awards and a spotlight on wearable high tech fashion. To register for the 2013 CES, go here: http://registration3.experientevent.com/showCES131/Default.aspx.
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