A long time ago, okay, so not really far or long away since I am still not that old – so back in the in the 90s, when I was a kid I had a go-to toy to play with like Hot Wheels, or a remote car. When my parents were tired of running after me in our living room and since there were no other kids around for me to play with, I always found recluse in my “go to toy”. In fact, it wasn't even a toy, It was a part of my life, something I connect with and I carried where ever I went
Throughout most of human history, children got little or no formal instruction. Instead, they learned by imitation, and by honing new skills through pretend play (Lancy 2008). Toys and materials that promote active learning motivate children to pursue their own ideas and interests enthusiastically. Toys encourage children’s imagination, develop curiosity and help them know that the world is a diverse and wonderful place. It is through these experiences, children learn about themselves, their environment, and the people in their lives; experiment with different ways to solve problems; develop body control; practice social skills; and express their creativity. While I observe my kids play with a particular toy over a long period of time, I can see higher levels of thought form in all areas of development from language, social-emotional, and cognitive.
The recent generation of parents dwelling in nuclear family cultures are especially interested in toys that teach. But "smart" toys are a relatively recent invention. Being a parent myself it seems reasonable to ask if toys can provide my kids with meaningful educational experiences, and surely the answer is yes.
Sesame Street and IBM are working together to bring personalized learning to kids around the world—because the best education in the world is one that is unique for every child. Now, as part of a three-year R&D agreement, Sesame Workshop and IBM will collaborate to try to develop a new category of adaptive learning that will complement the roles that parents and teachers play. Sesame Workshop’s nearly half century of expertise in education and storytelling will join with IBM Watson’s cognitive technologies, capable of accessing much of the world’s knowledge, interacting with children, learning from those interactions and iterating from there.
As summarized by Harriet Green, IBM’s General Manager for Watson IoT, Commerce and Education. “The potential for IBM Watson to absorb, correlate, and learn from huge amounts of unstructured data and then deliver very personalized educational experiences is unprecedented. Working together with Sesame Workshop, the aim is to transform the way in which children learn and teachers teach, and envision having an impact on the lives and education of millions of children.”
This project will be a great equalizer, ultimately providing children from all backgrounds with the opportunity for meaningful, personalized education in their most formative years. I am happy that my kids will have a toy that could be their best friend and a teacher as well
