Thursday, February 25, 2010

iSeuss?

Have an iPhone or iTouch? Love to read with the kiddos? Then check out this article that shows how Oceanhouse Media turned 2 Seuss classics into interactive, reading fun!

I'm still a bit standoffish in regards to giving up my hard copies in favor of ebooks, but these apps were created with a lot of care and attention to detail. What do you think? Will you test out this new platform of reading with your little ones?


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8 comments:

ChristineMM said...

This could be very bad for children. Our behavioral optometrist who treats kids for eye tracking problems, who struggle to read and to learn anything by text reading says kids should not use small screens such as video games on handheld devices or look at little screens like iPhone or Blackberry for games or reading or watching videos.

If big reading problems and eye problems are created by using tiny screens to read electronic books then is that not totally insane?

February 25, 2010 at 9:01 AM
ChristineMM said...

Should clarify, part of the issue is the child's field of vision size. By limiting and forcing the eyes to focus narrowly on a tiny screen it trains the brain much differently than the wider sweep to read text in a book. Compare this to the old days of little kids playing outdoors, moving and running, using their full field of vision to scan the landscape.

The idea of sitting still and staring at a teeny screen versus that kind of play for early childhood brain development is like the difference between night an day. Hmm.

February 25, 2010 at 9:03 AM
Lisa Roe said...

I agree that the tiny screen is an issue, Christine. Definitely something to keep in mind!

February 25, 2010 at 9:14 AM
The1stdaughter said...

As a mom who not only reads to her kids, but also has a 3 year old who has read on his own for the last year and a half, I LOVE THIS!

Yes, there are all the eye issues, with having them stare at a screen for hours, but the solution (I think) is to limit it. The same could be said of video games or anything that takes kids away from physical-healthy activities.

For kids, I don't see this as a replacement for "real" books. Personally, I can't imagine a world where I don't ever "hold" a book in my hands. But I do think these are a great quick solution in some situations.

When I've had my son read e-books on my iPhone it's been on a trip to the doctors office or in a grocery store, somewhere kids books aren't readily available. It's been great! I can't always tote around a bag of books, it's just not possible. But when I can't it's nice to have an alternative available and he loves it!

Great post!

February 25, 2010 at 12:27 PM
Kerry said...

I think that well-designed e-book apps are great for kids as long as they are used to supplement p-books, rather than replace them. Nothing can replace the look, feel and experience of a physical book, but then again, this is a really neat app, and great to get kids interesting in reading AND technology, not to mention starting them early on the concept of merging reading, learning and technology...

February 25, 2010 at 8:28 PM
Michel said...

Great discussion so far. I would like to chime in and let your readers know that these apps will all work on the iPad as well. With the much larger screen size, the iPad versions of these Dr. Seuss eBooks will be almost the same size as the original books.

Michel Kripalani
President, Oceanhouse Media

February 26, 2010 at 12:49 PM
Lisa Roe said...

The1stdaughter: as a book lover, I agree that it's no replacement for the real thing! And limiting it is a great idea. By switching up formats, it will keep reading fresh and fun!

Kerry: that's a great point that introducing children to technology via reading is a good thing.

Michel: Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! It's a beautiful product. Oceanhoue did a great job with it and you should be proud. I'm not upgraded to an iPad yet, but look forward to checking these out if I do. :-)

February 26, 2010 at 2:06 PM
Kristen M. said...

I think these are great! Although, I already have to give up my iPhone a bunch of the time so I may not show these to Z. ;)

February 26, 2010 at 3:15 PM

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