WanderBook

Amber Deter

ENG 381

Dr. Amanda Licastro

May 13, 2019

WanderBook

In a world of advanced technology and instant gratification, there’s a problem many are starting to find inescapable—a shortening attention span. In fact, according to studies, the human attention span is shorter than that of a goldfish, with an average of 8 seconds (McSpadden). Now imagine a young child trying to focus. If the average adult can’t concentrate for more than 8 seconds, how can children be expected to?  However, children are frequently required to focus for longer, often on subjects that lack the instant gratification modern technology has provided or simply don’t hold the child’s interest. The diagnosis of ADHD in children under the age of 18 has increased from 3-5% in 2003 to 11% in 2011 (Bhat). But in a world full of constant stimuli, the question of whether or not children are actually affected by ADHD and not simply developing in ways older generations are unfamiliar with becomes prevalent. Technology has invaded daily life in ways never before seen, and therefore, it must be taken into consideration when looking at the development of today’s young children. I believe that children today would thrive off of an augmented reality application that will assist in reading, spelling, and pronunciation while letting the child be active and adventurous.

Technology, while arguably causing the decrease of attention spans, can have positive aspects. Children are not meant to sit still and focus for long periods of time to learn, but instead healthy and happy children are ones who can run out their energy and use their creative imaginations. In fact, “studies show that children who are more active exhibit better focus, faster cognitive processing, and more successful memory retention than kids who spend the day sitting still. Keeping the body active promotes mental clarity by increasing blood flow to the brain, making activity vital to both learning and physical and neurological health” (Abdelbary). My solution to this is to combine the two, to take something that allows children to be children while simultaneously promoting education. While companies such as LeapFrog have been around for decades, modern technology is still evolving in ways that allow us to constantly take a step or two farther.

WanderBook is an augmented reality application (AR app) that will assist young children from the ages 3-7 in reading, spelling, and pronunciation. It will allow children to engage in a fun activity while encouraging them to learn along the way. Applications and technological devices are increasingly common in helping young children in education. One of the most popular, LeapFrog SchoolHouse, has created their own patented technology called NearTouch, which allows the material to be touch-interactive (The Journal). There are also augmented realities that help enhance a child’s interaction with books. “These books merge traditional text with digital content using a piece of technology like a smartphone or a gaming console, and the use of an app which plays video, creates models from content, or allows for interaction with the text” (Levski). Additionally, there is an app where the famous Hungry Caterpillar comes to life through AR (StoryToys). However, there does not appear to be a book-free augmented reality application to help with and encourage reading. By creating this application, it would allow children to be able to learn on their own time without the need of a parent, provide a means for the child to be active while simultaneously learning, and help with pronunciation as well as enunciation.

For children who are beginning to learn the very basics, from around the ages of 3 to 5, the application will have scavenger hunts. The best example is the alphabet. Using the augmented reality, the child will be able to use the device to look around their environment and find the letters of the alphabet hiding. When the child finds a letter, he or she will tap it and the information about the letter will appear: the name, the sound, and words that start with it. Then the child will be given basic words that begin with the letter, showing the words on the screen, saying them aloud for the child to hear, and providing an image. This will help the child to recognize the word and what it means. Another option is “Adventure Mode” which is similar to a test of what the child has learned. An example of a scenario would be that a pirate has kidnapped the princess. In order to save the princess, the child must find three object that start with a particular letter. When the child uses the device to look around the environment, the application will show various objects or words on the screen. As the child progresses to more advanced levels, the application will require more verbal interaction from the child.

Once the child’s reading level has increased, the child can then participate in reading a story. Text will appear on the screen, and the child will read the text aloud and are tested for accurate pronunciation. A basic example is the text, “The frog jumps in the hole.” On the screen in the application, the child will see a frog next to a hole with the text up top. If the child reads the sentence correctly, the frog will perform the action and that part of the story is played out. The child will then be prompted by an arrow to find the next sentence or set of sentences in the story. However, if the child does not say the sentence correctly, the frog will not perform the action. After a certain number of tries (this number will change with level, getting smaller as the child advances), the frog will run away, and the child has to find him again.

To the right is an example of what the child will see. The text will appear with an opaque background to make it easily visible. The frog and the hole will appear (locations will vary) on the screen over the image of the physical environment.

 

 

 

 

 

There is a lot behind the technology for this application, but the technology already exists. One example is voice chip technology. “Modern voice chip technology creates a simple, intuitive and interactive learning experience to help teach children phonemic awareness, letter names, letter sounds, spelling and reading” (The Journal). In order to be most effective, the voice chip needs to have a high quality of high to ensure children hear the sound as accurately as possible for clear speech. This technology also allows a child to listen repeatedly to the same thing and provides a means for accurate pronunciation further down the road. It can be used for phonemes, syllables, and words (The Journal). Another piece of helpful technology is speech recognition software which “is a technology that allows spoken input into systems. You talk to your computer, phone, or device and it uses what you said as input to trigger some action” (Unith). This is commonly used by the language application Duolingo where the learner is required to speak what they have been learning. Some everyday examples include IPhone’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa where the technology listens to the human voice and executes commands. Another example is modern cars. Newer car models come with texting features that allow the car to read a text received by the phone connected to the Bluetooth. The driver is then able to respond, if they want, by telling the car what to type. The last form technology needed is, of course, augmented reality, which is the layering of digital information on top of physical information. This has commonly been used for the worldwide renowned application “Pokémon GO” and an application developed by IKEA to virtually place furniture in a room before deciding to buy it. WanderBook isn’t requiring new technology be made but rather to utilize existing technology in a different way.

One way to market this product is to bring it to the attention of local bookstores such as Barnes & Noble who can inform customers about it. Another is to pay for advertisement; parents can be charged a monthly subscription or purchase new books for their child to read and explore. These advertisement will go on social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) as well as on parenting and education sites. These kind of sites are where parents turn to when they’re struggling to help their child or learn ways to make learning fun. It’s a great activity to play at the park or in the house, and since it’s on a phone or tablet, it’s easy to take places. This product is also great for working and single parents who may not have the time they’d prefer to sit down and read with their child.

Technology is growing every day and becoming more deeply ingrained in daily life than ever before. Rather than criticizing technology, let’s take it and make something that will benefit and help our growing children of today. WanderBook is a great solution to a growing problem of attention span and children not being active. By combining the two, the goal is to make learning fun and exciting rather than restricting and uninteresting. Augmented reality is part of the future, and WanderBook will make that future a reality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

04/01/01. “Teaching Children to Read Using Technology.” THE Journal, thejournal.com/Articles/2001/04/01/Teaching-Children-to-Read-Using-Technology.aspx?Page=2.

Abdelbary, Marwa. “Learning in Motion: Bring Movement Back to the Classroom.” Teacher Teacher, 15 Apr. 2019, www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2017/08/08/learning-in-motion-bring-movement-back-to.html.

Bhat, Jyothsna. “NAMI.” Home, Aug. 14AD, 2017, www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/August-2017/Attention-Spans-in-the-Age-of-Technology.

jerylima. “Check out Jerylima’s Entry in $50.00 USDcontest Create Cartoon Frog Character for Children’s Book on Freelancer.com.” Freelancer, www.freelancer.com/contest/Create-cartoon-frog-character-for-childrens-book-1205973-byentry-18052224.

Kashner, Zoe. “Raise a Reader: A Parent Guide to Reading for Ages 3-5.” Scholastic, www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/books-and-reading-guides/raise-reader-parent-guide-to-reading-ages-3-5.html.

Levski, Yariv. “10 Best Augmented Reality Books to Blow Your Kid’s Mind.” AppReal RSS, 16 Jan. 2018, appreal-vr.com/blog/10-best-augmented-reality-books/.

McSpadden, Kevin. “Science: You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span Than a Goldfish.” Time, Time, 14 May 2015, time.com/3858309/attention-spans-goldfish/.

“Room & Board – Modern Living Room Furniture.” Modern Living Room Furniture – Living – Room & Board, www.roomandboard.com/catalog/living?imageSetFileName=mira-sectional-with-ottoman-living-room.

Unuth, Nadeem. “What Is Speech Recognition?” Lifewire, Lifewire, 23 Apr. 2019, www.lifewire.com/what-is-speech-recognition-3426721.