ipod touch for kids?

[Anonymous]

Found this opinion interesting when we were considering the purchase....

http://berna.typepad.com/iphoneandkids/2009/02/5-concerns-about-buying-ipod-touch-for-children.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kids I know that are most interested in computer games and electronics are very smart. I think some games help with logic that can't be found with conventional toys. All of these kids taught themselves to read at 2, download and play games at 3 and learned spelling and typing super early. One 6 y/o updates wikipedia for fun. His brother types at 150wpm and has since he was 7. That may not be a skill that most people think is necessary, but it is very helpful to kids with ASDs. The same child now writes (via computer) fiction stories and some piano music, at 9.

Only parents know their own children well enough to weigh the pros and cons.

Wow, if this isn't an argument against trusting what you read on wikipedia I don't know what is. (Sorry, I realize that I'm going off topic, but I couldn't help myself.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Found this opinion interesting when we were considering the purchase....

http://berna.typepad.com/iphoneandkids/2009/02/5-concerns-about-buying-ipod-touch-for-children.html

The most interesting thing about the article is the source. Who is this woman, and what stake does she have in the issue? Where does her funding come from? You'll notice, that the parent site of that blog is www.iphoneandkids.com. For me, a more reliable source for info on this subject would be something with more journalistic objectivity: Washington Post, The New York Times, Consumer Reports, PBS Kids, NPR, etc. Don't trust everything you read on the web...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Wow, if this isn't an argument against trusting what you read on wikipedia I don't know what is. (Sorry, I realize that I'm going off topic, but I couldn't help myself.)

Yes, his mother is a college professor and shares with students as an example of why wikipedia should not be used for research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As I read this thread I can't help but think that posters on both sides are being pretty extremists. I'm the one whose (admittedly young) boys have iTouches.

I don't think that having an iTouch makes them smarter or more technologically advanced than their peers. But I also don't think it makes them less smart either. Why? Because I limit its use just like I do the TV and computer and video games. In short, it replaces one of those other medians, it is not additional screen time.

If you embrace it as such, I don't see the problem with it.

Medians?

[Anonymous]

PP probably means "mediums". It sounds like a change that auto-correct would make.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where can you get an Pod Touch for less than $100?

Craigslist

[Anonymous]

I can see them for SN kids.

Otherwise, spoil them early and set them up for disappointment when they can't have (or afford) all the newest, greatest gadgets when they graduate from high school and get an entry level type job.

[Anonymous]

So I am curious, are all the anti-Touch people also against things like Nintendo DSi, Leapster and other handheld games? So is it an anti-gaming sentiment or is there something about the Touch?

Target has the 8GB touch for $225 this week. (The 32GB is $260.) The Nintendo DSi can be found for $120-$150. But if you buy 10 games, that's another $150 minimum. Whereas I can go on iTunes and download a ton of free games and apps. And you never have to worry about losing the games, which is a big bonus with kids!

[Anonymous]

To answer 13:36's question -- yes, i am adamantly against Nintendo DSi and Leapster, etc., and I never allowed my kits do have them. I don't have a DVD player in the car either.

We do have a Wii and I already feel like the kids want to use it too much. I'm not about to let them take the screens with them. They can look out the window, listen to the radio, read a book, or ... gasp! .... talk to me.

[Anonymous]

I am with you, PP. We do frequent (long) car trips and we don't have DVD players in the car. The kids read, look out the windows, snack, sleep, sing and talk to me.