Recently, my daughter stopped by the office. She is seven and loves technology (yay!). Here are her tinker and tech recommendations as you consider gifts for the people on your list.
   What's on Mom's list this Christmas? I've been checking out the Rocketbook. Fellow Instructional Technologist, Keith Tramper, described it to me. He takes Sketchnotes, which help him organize and visualize his ideas (and look really cool!). Check him out at MACUL. You can record your notes in Rocketbook, send them to the cloud through your phone, and when your notebook is full--microwave it and start over! I bought two of these for my tech minded family members. | Virtual Reality headsets are the rage this Christmas. Even my very old uncle was asking me what all the hype was. Brooke is pictured checking out Tigers on the National Geographic app. They get right up in your face. Google Expeditions are fun--I took the Delton-Kellogg Kindergartners and 4th graders underwater to look at coral, fish, and turtles. The Cardboard headsets are an affordable entry point, check out these holiday ones for $7, with fancier headsets ranging to $$$. Osmos are a hit with both my kids. Caden is 4. They especially love the Monster app. When they draw on paper or whiteboard, Osmo picks up their drawing and incorporates into the story. The numbers, letters, and tangram apps are engaging and kids can even compete with each other. There is a new app that simulates a Pizza Store. You do need an iPad for Osmo. Right now Osmo ships free! Recommended for ages 5-12. Dash is so cute! Brooke loves to program him to follow her commands (ha!). She used an iPad (but you can also use Android and Kindle) to write the program and created a parade. She even decorated the two robots with Legos. There are many different codable robot options available. Spheros and Ozobots are popular, too. Fisher Price even came out with a Code-a-pillar that I know several friends purchased.  |
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