Most parents of preschoolers may not yet be thinking about which computer will be their child's first. But IBM and Rubbermaid are.
Last week, the two companies began marketing their Young Explorer computer to parents of 3- to 7-year-olds. The cubicle-style workstation, originally designed for the institutional-education market, features IBM silicon and software inside a colorful plastic workstation designed by Rubbermaid's toymaking subsidiary Little Tikes.
While the Young Explorer's US$2,299 price tag might eat up Santa's budget for an entire neighborhood of kids, many other educational toymakers now offer less-pricey versions of the family's favorite tech plaything for the under-10 set.
Three years of age may seem early to stick kids in front of computers. But some educators believe it may become increasingly important as education itself evolves from the traditional knowledge-based learning of flash cards and math exercises to the process-based learning that many feel is the future of education.
"What computers can do that other media can't is give the user a sense of control and manipulation of the information environment. [Children] can try to create things, guess at something, and see what happens with their own thoughts instead of simply repeating or mimicking things that are organized by someone else," said Dr. Michael Hannafin, director of the University of Georgia College of Education's learning and performance laboratory.
"Unlike when you stick an adult in front of a computer, kids will hit a key just to see what happens," said Hannafin. "At an early age, it's the power that appeals to kids. So products that take advantage of this and make things happen with each keystroke will help encourage more creative ways of learning."
Of course, there's a simpler reason why toddlers like to play with laptops: They make funny sounds and pictures. "If a child gets used to things around them buzzing, beeping, and flashing, then a regular set of alphabet blocks or flash cards may not stimulate them as much," said Emil Heidkamp, president of VTech Industries, which offers a range of laptop- and cellular-phone-simulating educational toys. "Young children are intrigued by computers and other things they perceive as grown-up activities, and so we try to integrate educational activities into products that mimic the form of a computer."
Computer-style toys now exist for every age range. VTech and Fisher Price both market laptop-like electronic toys (both with LCD screens and simplified keyboards) designed for kids as young as 9 months. For older children, computers such as Tiger Electronics' Webstart Computer or Team Concepts' Junior Computer Gold offer language, math, and even hyperlinking exercises.
As might be expected from its price tag, the Young Explorer is a different animal altogether. Under the spilled-juice-proof plastic shell is a fully upgradeable, networkable computer based on a 300MHz IBM processor, with a 3.2 GB hard drive, CD-ROM drive, 14-inch color monitor, speakers, and a full-function membrane keyboard.
Any Windows 98-compatible software can be added to the program's pre-installed list of Edmark "edutainment" titles.
"This is a fully integrated solution for kids' futures," said Michele Riggs, a product segment manager for IBM's consumer division. "Technology and computers are central to the ... tools [children] need to learn with."
Agreed, at least in principle, said Hannafin.
"With so much knowledge out there and available, you can't expect everyone to know everything," said Hannafin. "It's all becoming a question now of who's going to know how to know, not so much knowing the information itself right then and there, but rather knowing how to go about finding a solution."
