The power of touchscreens and tablets in the learning and development of our children is in the way it offers even young children the ability to create and produce their own work and stories in digital environments. For all the multiple choice question school worksheet simulation apps out there it is pleasing to see the real innovators exploring what a digital device can really achieve. No single app should be expected to do it all, and this app certainly doesn't claim that. But Storypanda is a well executed learning and story-telling environment that deserves our attention.
Storypanda is a kids interactive and media company that builds products and tools to help kids become content creators not just content consumers. Storypanda Books allows kids and their parents to read, create and share interactive stories on the iPad. If you are familiar with Toontastic, it offers a similar type of story-telling experience but in a more traditional book form, over the cartoon form.
What I love about Storypanda is the efforts it has gone to in making an interface and content that suits younger children. There are some choices, but not so many that it is overwhelming. They give equal space for male and female characters that are not stereotyped. It is attention to detail like this, at the intersection where design and content meet that represents quality digital design for children. And, as parents, this quality design leads to fun and quality learning experiences and moments for our children.
The Storypanda team sells the sharing of stories created by children with others as a great way of connecting children and parents. But what is more exciting is the fact parents and children can sit together and collaborate on creating a story that helps reflect the child's life and own interests. This offering is deeper interactivity than many other similar tools. You are not just inserting a child's name into the text: you have control over the gender and age of characters, as well as renaming them. Mum can become Dad. Occupations can change. The text itself can be reworded. It offers a framework of a story (which is useful for younger children who find a blank canvass daunting) and children and parents can go from there.
We need more apps that offer this type of co-viewing/co-collaborative experience between parents and children. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center has begun a fascinating research project into just this phenomena. It will allow us to begin to talk about screens not just as babysitting devices, but as tools that allow us to create and engage with our kids in new and interesting ways.
So thanks, Storypanda, for being one of the companies to lead the charge. May others follow.
Storypanda is free to download and offers different titles through well managed in-app purchasing that is available and easily used by parents, rather than children.
Note: The author received beta-access to Storypanda for the purposes of review.
