iPlay, YouPlay, WiiPlay: frog goes to the Sandbox Summit

Can the Wii teach playground rules? Is an e-book the answer to the literacy challenge? What are today’s children learning from playtime and what do toy and game developers need to know to create play experiences that foster 21st century skills? As new technologies and media are embraced by younger children, it is crucial for designers to create tools and toys that will engage them while fostering creativity, education, and, of course, fun.

To explore the impact that emerging media platforms and tech has on how children play, the MIT Education Arcade will present the 2010 Sandbox Summit®, “iPlay, YouPlay, Wi iPlay: How Play is Changing Media and Media is Changing Play,” on May 18 and 19 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. The Sandbox Summit will bring together luminaries in children’s learning, media, and toy and game development to explore how 21st century kids can use toys, tools and technology to become creative thinkers and innovative leaders.

frog’s own Principal Designer Laura Seargeant Richardson will be giving a keynote entitled “The Medium Doesn’t Matter” on the increasing importance of involving play across all platforms as an important training ground for kids to understand greater complexity and introduce new ways of seeing. Laura will focus on how the medium won’t matter for this; it will simply be another toy waiting for interpretation, manipulation and imagination by the child.

During the week of the conference in Boston, design mind will be dedicated to the event with live coverage of the conference through daily blog posts, video and audio interviews, and of course, live tweeting of various keynotes and workshop sessions.

If you are interested in attending the Sandbox Summit, registration is currently open.

More About Sandbox Summit

Sandbox Summit ® is a highly-respected series of conferences that explores how technology affects the way kids play, learn and connect. As technology is woven into every part of our children’s lives, Sandbox Summit raises the bar on questions surrounding the use and development of new playthings and play spaces.Through high-energy panels, innovative demonstrations, original research, and thought-provoking discussions with industry leaders, analysts, journalists, educators and parents, each Summit strategically intermingles disciplines and viewpoints to bring fresh ideas to every event and never talk to a room full of nodding heads.