Young minds crave more stimulation & response than most parents, caregivers, siblings & peers can ever offer. Parents everywhere are already entertaining even very young children with smartphone & tablet apps, and it is obvious how engaged the kids are. How young is too young? How much is too much? Do we even know sufficiently about how learning happens in early childhood to author software to support it?
Opportunity Statement
Companies marketing progressive learning into early childhood using tablets, etc, already exist, but we’re close to a tipping point of size, cost, safety, performance, interface, etc, that will transform the current focus on distraction into one of accountable development and accelerated learning. Preschool is about to get some rocket fuel, and this will likely change the trajectory of the entire home-school market.
Prediction Source(s)
Xtreme Labs – Three Technology Trends
This interests me a great deal, as I work with young students and I do struggle with the questions you’ve mentioned above “How young is too young? How much is too much?”…
This is a huge potential market, and as I am about to be a first-time father hits me close to home.
Although I personally believe organized ECE should rest in the realm of the less-technological, I do think that this is an extremely opportunistic field as far as ventures go. There is a huge market for parents who wish to provide every advantage from younger and younger ages, and are willing to support the industry to do so. Although there have been ECE edutainment debacles in the past (see: Baby Einstein), this market and the research to drive it has nowhere to go but up.
The elementary school teacher who has been my mentor cringes at this possibility which makes me want to explore further. I do not work with children but can see their obvious delight with devices. There is a market here but carefully we must go.
I am interested in this as well. Since now I am working with kids and have kids of my own, I have many questions in mind. You nailed it David when you said “How young is too young? How much is too much? Do we even know sufficiently about how learning happens in early childhood to author software to support it?” I would add could we be doing more harm than good?