Sunday, February 26, 2012

Go Directly, Digitally to Jail? Classic Toys Learn New Clicks

Everyone probably remembers their favorite toys and games as kids, whether it was Monopoly, Barbies or Life. I know at least for me personally, my friends and I often reminisce about old toys and talk about how toys these days just aren't the same. This article reminded me how true that statement is, as the author gives the reader an insight into brand new toys and games that are integrating technology into their products.
How do you think staring at a screen instead of playing with imagination will affect learning in younger children in years to come? Do you think that these technologically advanced toys will have a long shelf life, or will they pass once technology advances once again?
Also consider the newsworthiness of the piece and how it's written. Do you think the inverted pyramid style works for this type of piece? Is it well written, and if not, what could be done to improve this story?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/business/barbie-monopoly-and-hot-wheels-for-ipad-generations.html?ref=technology

11 comments:

  1. I think that the writer could have taken a different approach to write the story and it might have worked better, but having said that I think this still works. I was able to navigate through the story with ease and understood the point. I think it is interesting to see the differences between our generation and the kids who are growing up now. In just a short period of tie technology, even in children's toys has advanced far from where it was when we were younger. This is a neat story and makes me wish that I had toys like this when I was a kid.

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  2. I really enjoyed this story and thought that it was interesting to hear how the basic toys that we played with as children are getting reworked to fit todays technology.

    It really connected with me because over christmas break I saw all of my little cousins become more interested in their new IPod touches than in playing a board game with me. It really is hard to keep little kids away from technology and I think that by combining well known toys and electronics they can bring the toys back to life.

    Overall I thought that it was a well done, fun story.

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  3. I found this story to be really interesting and fresh. I think it applies to everyone, not just kids. Times are changing for everyone. It really is time for toy companies to be making these changes.

    The reporter talked with relevant sources and supported her story really well. She allowed representation from different sides of the story. I like that she included the opinion of the chief executive of Mind Candy. I think his quotation at the end leaves the readers deciding for themselves whether or not they agree with the new toys.

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  4. I thought this article was very interesting. I definitely think it is important to highlight the use of technology at such a young age, but I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing. I think for some children, it can help boost creativity. All kids are different.

    These toys probably will tend to have a shorter shelf life due to all the advancements in technology. There will always be something bigger and better coming out too soon in the world of technology. Original toys such a Barbie and Mr. Potato Head are classics that do not have the issue of timeliness because there is no real technological advancement to be made with them, something that helps their industry.

    Overall, I think the article is well written. I think there could have been more facts and statistics to get it more credit though.

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  5. I enjoyed this article. I thought it was well written and hit many different aspects. The one thing that I wished the writer did was interview someone who wasn't an expert. A parent or a child's perspective would have been interesting in this article. Other than that though, the piece flowed smoothly and was easy to understand.

    This piece is very newsworthy in my opinion. Even if you don't have a child, it is interesting because at one point in time, everyone played with toys. The first image on the piece was eye catching as well. I was really wanting to know why there was a Barbie with a camera on her stomach; it looks ridiculous and I couldn't believe toy companies took it that far.

    I think some time with technology is okay with children but for every toy to be somehow used with an Ipad, a cell phone, or a camera is overdone. Those toys are expensive and I don't see many people spending that much money on something that their child will grow out of in a year.

    I thought the article was an interesting piece and I enjoyed reading it like I said before.

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  6. This is a great article. I believe it is very newsworthy. Everyone can relate to the topic of toys. Even if you don't currently have children, you once were a child and played with toys. I liked all of the different perspectives, but agree with Ceeanna. They needed to get a parent's perspective.

    The article said, "More than a third of children 8 years old and younger use mobile devices like iPads or smartphones, a recent study from Common Sense Media found, and about a quarter of children ages 5 to 8 multitask with their digital devices most or some of the time."

    This statistic made me sad. People may argue that new technologies like the iPad will help spark creativity, but I don't fully agree. I think electronic toys are good supplements, but kids should not fully rely on computer screens for their entertainment.

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  7. This article immediately caught my attention, and I found it to be pretty newsworthy. These are toys that have existed for many years, so they impacts the lives of generations to come. I also found the title of this piece kind of catchy.

    In my opinion, I found the Barbie that takes pictures a little disturbing. I remember growing up and constantly playing with Barbie dolls. Yes, this new product shows intellectual advancement, but there's something odd about a doll displaying photos on her stomach. I don't know if I would want to play with that toy as a little kid. Barbie loses her classic appeal when she becomes more modernized.

    I don't like how certain games are changing as well. The article says that with Hasbro's Laser Tag, children use their iPhones as lasers, and point them at their targets instead of using actual toy guns. What's the fun in that?

    All in all, I was intrigued by this article. I agree it was well written and had a nice flow to it.

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  8. This story is pretty average. It honestly just looks like filler.

    It's such a cliche topic to wonder if the young generation is changing and it feels so cheap to lump it with classic toys that have a sense of nostalgia.

    I may being a bit too critical, but I guess I just don't see the impact this has. Kids will always be kids, whether or not they know how to operate an iPad from an early age.

    The only thing that seems to propel interest in this story is the fear many have hold: we're losing the "good old days" kids will never be the same.


    Sent from my iPhone

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  9. I thought this article was great. I really represents the digital revolution that has been occurring during our lifetimes. Children might as well learn to use technology early in life, as it is only advancing and will be very important to them later in life. Does anyone else see a market in a children's iphone!?

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  10. This article is, I think, newsworthy. It takes something that is happening in a specific area and uses to be represent a larger social trend. While I do think this story had the potential to be told in a different manner, I do think it was effective. The only real complaint I had is that this story is so impersonal. For many of us--ranging from people my age, to people my parents' age, to people my grandparents' age--toys are something they remember with fondness. Many of us played monopoly. We remember fun times as a kid with (for girls) barbie dolls and the likes. So this story, I think, had the perfect potential to bring in the writer, to bring in her personal story with these toys. Because the real meat of this story is that things are changing, and what we once loved may not be there anymore. So I think that a simple news story format doesn't quite work, because the impact of the story is more about us, about the personal response, and the writer had a chance to tell her response as well.

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  11. This article was very interesting to me because I have little cousins and they are always playing with their parents' smart phones and tablets. This new and improved toy really is an epidemic and the author does a good job of asking the question "how far will they go?"
    I didn't mind the inverted pyramid style of the article although I thought it concluded a little 'suddenly' for lack of a better term. It definitely is newsworthy especially to the average consumer who has kids. And what I loved most about this article was the fact that it reminded exactly why I'm glad to be a 90's baby because we had the best movies, TV shows and yes, toys!

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