This video is a great example of how multimedia interactivity can help educate young children in a second language. This is my very adorable niece, Olivia, she is only 1 year old and she’s already understanding how to spell in Spanish using an iPad app. I believe that technology such as tablets can be utilized for a full media experience with sound, image and interaction in education. Mobile and touchscreen technology not only offers a more immersive experience but it attracts, stimulates, and retain learners with application simulations, particularly at a young age. It does seem logical because younger children do learn from touching, tasting and hearing when it comes to developing the association of word with objects. Using bilingual apps, younger children will have the ability to comprehend two languages. In this case, my niece is learning Spanish and English at the same time.
After a couple of weeks, Olivia developed the ability to operate the tablet by turning the “on” switch and interacting with the touch screen by pressing the displayed icons as well as performing finger swiping motions to transition to the next scene on the tablet screen, for a 1 year old to accomplish this level of user experience is pretty amazing but it’s not the first time this has happened as I think of a viral video with a similar situation.
Instructional Technology, Edutainment and Serious Games are being studied and slowly implemented into the education system as complements to traditional education with some positive results. At the university level, virtual worlds such as Second Life are being used to complement the physical classroom.
What do you think? Should multimedia interactivity be introduced to children at a much younger age? Should more multimedia interactivity be added in modern education?
