What Do Tech Toys and Games Offer?
Used correctly, technology can help kids improve their creative, problem-solving skills, Resnick says, noting that the best software expands, rather than limits, play. “My top rule is to look for applications that allow kids to experiment, explore, design and create,” he says. “If we use computers as the medium, a new material to create with, the same way we use finger-paint or crayons or clay,” he continues, “it’s possible to use electronic toys to create with and expand the play experience.” By way of example, Resnick points to his collaboration with the LEGO company on “programmable bricks,” which led to the Mindstorms line and helped kids understand common machines. With traditional LEGO bricks, a child might construct a castle. With programmable ones, he could add a drawbridge with a sensor that lowers the bridge when activated. This demystifies real world sensors, such as automatic doors at grocery stores and street lamps that light up when activated. “We don’t want children to s
