E-Book Overview
Children view and use the technology in their lives very differently that we adults who did not grow up with these new technologies. This book is a must read about digital natives for those of us who are digital immigrants. This collection of readings from various experts gives insights as to how children use, in particular, mobile technologies that have become part of many children's every day lives. We've adapted and learned how to use mobile technology; many children are growing up digital as a normal part of living. Too often when children step into the classroom, they step back in time when it comes to the use of technology they use every day outside the classroom. Too often, adults have eliminated a powerful learning tool in the lives of children and students. Allison Druin is an expert in involving children, at the grass root levels, as serious collaborative design partners with expert adults in designing of technology hardware, software, and their use by children for children. And, in this book she and other authors have something important to say. Read and reflect.
E-Book Content
Mobile Technology for Children is an opportunity to step inside the thinking of Allison Druin, who I consider the seminal HCI researcher in children and emerging technologies. In this book she has brought together other experts from the key perspectives on children and mobile technologies, and through these experts the reader has a chance to glimpse our future as these children are creating it. —Arnie Lund, User Experience Director, Microsoft Mobile Technology for Children is a brilliant and engaging compendium of research and design thinking on mobile technologies for children. This book made me wish that I could be a child again so I could take advantage of the mobile technologies described in the chapters. Children are our most important resource and these mobile technologies are influencing how children learn, form communities and solve problems. The authors in this groundbreaking book first describe, in clear and engaging prose, the state of mobile technologies for children and then provide guidance on the design of useful and usable mobile systems. I see this book as a fundamental source of ideas and inspirations for those in academia and business who research, design, and build mobile devices for children. Bravo to Allison and her contributors. —Chauncey Wilson, Senior User Researcher, Autodesk, Inc., Adjunct Instructor in the HFID program at Bentley College Mobile technology has captured children’s hearts and imaginations. Mobile devices can be the objects of envy between children, means for bridging the “Digital Divide” or powerful tools at the hands of the inspired and motivated teacher. This book discusses experiences, trends, and visionary projects providing guidance invaluable for educationalists and technology designers. Collecting works by some of the pioneers in this field this book arrives at a turning point when mobile technology is ready to make a major impact on children’s education worldwide. —Panos Markopoulos, Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Interactive Technologies Series Editors: Stuart Card, PARC; Jonathan Grudin, Microsoft; Jakob Nielsen, Nielsen Norman Group Mobile Technology for Children: Design for Interaction and Learn Edited by Allison Druin Web Application Design Patterns Pawan Vora Effective Prototyping with Excel: A Practical Handbook for Developers and Designers Nevin Berger, Jonathan Arnowitz, Michael Arent, and Fred Sampson Forms that Work: Designing Web Forms for Usability Caroline Jarrett and Gerry Gaffney Evaluating Children’s Interactive Products: Principles and Practices for Interaction Designers Panos Markopoulos, Janet Read, Stuart MacFarlane, and Johanna Hoysniemi HCI Beyond the GUI: Design for H