Smart Screening
December 17, 2014
Whether its rain or snow, the winter months often bring more screen time for kids when parents are out of activities to do indoors. Understanding and implementing technology are equally important. If parents are looking to blend technology into their children’s day, it should happen as a natural extension of learning.
Computer literacy is a skill as essential as reading and writing. The right technology can help children learn age-appropriate basic developmental skills. “Technology is an integral part of early learning,” says Richard Peterson, vice president of education for Kiddie Academy. “Children can use technology for their own exploration and learning. Parents should ensure the use of technology is grounded in the principles of Developmentally Appropriate Practice, taking into account the child, the content and the context of use.”
With the help from our friends at SuperWhy, parents can more easily screen their child’s use of technology this winter with PBS Kids new Super Vision App. Available on iOS only, key features include an activity summary and play timer. This fun app takes the guessing out of “what are my kids learning and playing?” and offers parents a real-time connection to their child’s activity. Here are just a few key features:
Activity Summary
It is a summary of your child’s video and game activity on pbskids.org in the last week, the summary will provide information about:
- Your child’s favorite show
- Your child’s most-watched video
- The most-played game
- The top educational skills your child learned
Based on this summary, the PBS KIDS Super Vision app will also recommend to you other PBS KIDS shows your child might enjoy, and suggest at-home activities you might play together that may meet your child’s interests.
Play Timer
The Play Timer is a feature that allows you to remotely put the website to “sleep.” You can stop your child’s play on the website immediately, or set a specific time for the site to shut down. The app offers several customized options for shutting down play that can help you and your family ease the transition from computer time to the next family activity.
While we learn with and promote technology, it’s important to safeguard our children as well. Check out our roundup of parental control tools for smartphones, tablets and tech.
Don’t forget to tell us what you think of our Kiddie Academy commercials next time you tune in to SuperWhy!
