Two computer
savvy fathers who care to improve the minds of children can accomplish much. How do I know this? The proof follows.
Evan
and Greg Spiridellis, founders of JibJab (a company apparently known for its
funny political videos), have launched Storybots, a website that adds a pinch
of joy to the tiresome learning process.
“Storybots offers several videos to help your kids learn
their ABC’s complete with dancing robots. Their most popular site feature is Starring
You Storybooks, a mobile app that inserts kids into the stories they're
reading.
“All you have to do is snap a picture of your child’s
face, upload it to the app, and their face and name is instantly inserted into
the story.
“There are 19 different titles
you can choose from and your first book is free.
“After that each digital
storybook is about under $10 each. “The
Storybots are these infinitely curious brightly colored, little creatures who
actually live in the world beneath our screen” said Greg.”
How fun! I must
admit that I have indulged in the Elf Yourself service that attaches a user’s
face to the body of a holiday elf dancing to a Christmas carol. That was a hoot; I watched the video at least
two times, cackling in outrageous amusement.
As an adult of twenty two years, I somehow managed to
enjoy that “juvenile” game. My instincts
assert that the Starring You Storybooks application will similarly delight
young learners. Our human curiosity
naturally surges as we observe ourselves.
Why not capitalize on this behavior and transform those flashes of vain
reflection into moments of valid edification?
The purpose of technology is not to amuse and distract,
but to teach and guide. Though few
popular technologies achieve these aims, Storybots does.
When I have children, I will most certainly download such
an application. Though my kids will
never star in Hollywood’s pictures, they will star in Storybots’ pictures. Fun without fame does not a troubled teenage
actor make.
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