This article has been cross-posted from our partner site, Technologizer.
His name is Bridger Wilson, and he’s two years old. He’s just like any other toddler, full of imagination. But Bridger’s father Mike has bought him an iPad. It’s not immediately clear how much experience that Bridger has had with the device previous to the taking of this video (which we should mention is about 8 months old now), but the results are seemingly rather stunning.
He appears to have the basic methods of navigating the device down, which is somewhat amazing since he likely cannot read and is just learning to speak. But Bridger’s father Mike says in the comments that “his speech, understanding, word recognition, and even hand eye coordination have improved within just a short while.” Quite an an accomplishment for a gadget from Cupertino, no?
See for yourself:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGMsT4qNA-c?w=450]
The above video is not the only one on YouTube. Here’s another showing a 2 1/2 year old on an iPad (questionable if it’s her first time as claimed), seemingly having no trouble getting around:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT4EbM7dCMs?w=450]
And yet another:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3tam2Pwyqk?w=450]
So in our ever-digital society, may the iPad be an important tool in education? I think so. At this age children are very impressionable, and have a sponge-like ability to soak up new . Developers understand this and the potential marketability of the device to parents, and there seemingly is an ever increasing number of educational apps in the App Store for both the iPhone as well as the iPad.
These devices can assist the child at learning at his or her own pace, and possibly in his or her own individual way. Is this better? I’d leave the answer to that question to the education professionals — I’m just a journalist.
There are definitely some downsides to this digitized method of learning. Growing up in front of a computer limits interpersonal communication and inhibits development in how we deal with each other. It also replaces the parent as the teacher. We shouldn’t leave the experience of raising our children to somebody else.
I’m interested in hearing the opinions of Technologizer readers when it comes to technology and its role in education (not just limited to the iPad example I’ve given here). Is it good for kids to be exposed to these screens early? Or do you think technology is playing too big a role in their development? Sound off in the comments.
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