Pin It
Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

How iPad Language Apps are Making me Lose my Religion

By
Photo: Monarchcreative

I tend to be a bit anti-technology when it comes to my kids, who are three and five. I grapple with what the right amount of technology is, and whether I think technology in the classroom is a good thing. I tend to favor a Waldorf approach (although my children don’t go to a Waldorf school) of no technology in the classroom and at home. However, the iPad and its language learning apps may be changing my mind.

My anti-tech philosophy means I don’t like my kids watching too many videos (usually they don’t watch much during the week and only are allowed 1-2 hours on weekends), I don’t like them playing on the iPhone and I definitely don’t permit any sort of computer or video game. But like most philosophies and lofty ideals, reality tends to be a bit different. The reality is that some weekend nights they end up watching 2-3 hours of movies if we are at a friends and it allows us to have a long stretch of uninterrupted conversation (a rare, rare occurrence in parentland). They also frequently use the iPhone to play music and look at picture and videos of themselves.

Most recently, my husband brought home a second wife, I mean iPad. The first few days I watched my husband and kids cuddle on the couch around the screen, and decided after day four, we needed to have a talk on how much iPad use was permissible. I voted for zero, as with all things tech, kids quickly get addicted and want more and more. If they can’t have it at all, there is no whining and no more “five more minutes.”

My husband showed me the app he was using to teach them Arabic letters—both recognition and writing. Being a tad bit stubborn at times, I maintained he could do that with a pen and paper. But the next day, I observed the kids use the app. I watched my oldest daughter trace “alif” and smile when the sound indicated she was correct. I saw her try repeatedly to trace the letter correctly when she got it wrong. On paper, she gives up much faster when she can’t get a letter right. Plus, I notice she tends to lose interest a lot faster. With the Arabic app, both my kids loved it and continued to clamor for another turn. It held their interest for far longer than sitting down to work on the Arabic alphabet with a pen and paper.  Still a bit skeptical, I asked my husband, “Do they even know what they are tracing? Do they know the names of the letters? This could just be lines and dots on the page to them.”

“That’s alif,” my oldest responded as she traced the letter “a” with her finger.

I may just be starting to soften my anti-tech stance as I witness its benefits for language learning. Best of all, my kids probably know more Arabic letters than I do now. What’s been your experience with using children’s apps for learning languages?

© 2012, Stephanie Meade. All rights reserved.

More Great Stuff You'll Love:


Birth, Loss and In Between

Life after devastation

Ten Reasons Parents Should Read Multicultural Books to Kids

Why it's critical all parents read books that reflect diversity

Primary School Privilege

Time outs due to whistling versus school's out due to poverty

Why African Toddlers Don't Have Tantrums

The secret revealed of why African babies don't melt down like Western ones.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Stephanie is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of InCultureParent. She has two Moroccan-American daughters (ages 4 and 6), whom she is raising, together with her husband, bilingual in Arabic and English at home. After many moves worldwide, she currently lives in Berkeley, California.

Leave us a comment!

5 Comments
  1. Commentssophie   |  Saturday, 21 April 2012 at 12:27 pm

    I totally agree. In theory I am anti-technology but in reality, my kids use it and I am starting to see the value. But I do limit it to apps/programs that have some educational value, not just mindless games. And it is pretty amazing for language learning. Last year I put together a list of apps to help kids learn Chinese. It needs to be updated but here it is:
    http://haomama.us/2011/06/01/just-in-time-for-summer-vacation-iphone-apps-to-learn-chinese/

  2. CommentsMatthew Ho   |  Monday, 23 April 2012 at 6:54 am

    Technology can help augment and enrich learning experiences, particularly with languages since it can be interactive and immersive. Multi-sensory learning has a higher rate of recall and recognition.

    At Native Tongue, we make language learning apps that are games which are engaging and addictive to play. We try to engage multiple senses in delivering our learning experiences – touch, sight and sound.

    I invite you to check out our apps, Mandarin Madness and Smash Smash on the iPad. You can contact me on hello@nativetongue.com for further information.

    Thanks,

    Matthew Ho
    Native Tongue

  3. CommentsJen   |  Saturday, 28 April 2012 at 10:06 pm

    It’s hard to strike a balance, that’s for sure. We don’t have an iPad but my kids have handmedown iPhones that are only loaded with games/learning experiences I approve, and of course only at times I approve. There are some amazing learning apps out there, but I think time with them has to be limited and they should never be the only method of learning. It does help clue my kids and me into modern Canadian/US culture which I am a bit lacking in!

  4. CommentsCordelia Newlin de Rojas   |  Friday, 25 May 2012 at 7:57 am

    Lovely post and can I say how impressed I am with your screen regimen. I’ve been failing miserable at mine.

  5. CommentsThe Editors   |  Friday, 25 May 2012 at 8:40 am

    Thanks Cordelia!
    And yes, Jen, that balance is so hard…
    Thanks Sophie for sharing your Mandarin resources.









Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail.
Or leave your email address and click here to receive email notifications of new comments without leaving a comment yourself.

Red Tricyle Winner!

Best Curried Red Lentil Soup Recipe

Your new go-to soup recipe

"Mom I Think I'm Gay:" Are You as Prepared as You Think?

7 tips to make sure you don't blow it

How to Talk to Kids About Race: What’s Appropriate for Ages 3-8

Why colorblind is all wrong and a guide to what's right

Ask a Linguist

I only have rudimentary fluency. Will that do my child any good?

Mother's Around the World

Our way of celebrating you!

Fashion in the Arab World

Why I love the abaya

Traveling to Ecuador for Two Months of Immersion

My yearly pilgrimage to my homeland where I no longer feel at home

Cross-Cultural Parenting in Guatemala: Rethinking Cultural Norms

Why you shouldn't judge a mom giving coffee to her infant
I am so excited to try this! My kids love lentils (they call them baby beans) and I am always looking for more recipes....
From Best Curried Red Lentil Soup Recipe
How many people does this recipe serve? Do you know when the earliest record of people making dal i...
From Best Curried Red Lentil Soup Recipe
Hello All I am Australian and have travelled to quite a few countries and loved the cultures and experiences of every one....except Germany and, in particular, Berlin. We stayed there for two day...
From Are Germans Really Rude?
Wonderful article! We are all different races and colors in our house, with varying curliness- I loved your suggestions:...
From How to Talk to Kids About Race: What’s Appropriate for Ages 3-8
Great tips, and great book recommendations! Another title that we like is Shades of People (http://bit.ly/16AflfQ). Also, a great leaning activity for us (white parents + Black son) was getting ...
From How to Talk to Kids About Race: What’s Appropriate for Ages 3-8
Only in the US. why make sth simple so complicate...
From How to Talk to Kids About Race: What’s Appropriate for Ages 3-8
[...] and not just the books that tell stories around racism, though those are important too. It is essential that your child sees characters of all races in “every day” books, experiencing rel...
From Ten Reasons Parents Should Read Multicultural Books to Kids
As a mother of a multiracial child I really enjoyed reading this guest post. I have already made a list of the books she suggested, and I'd like to add a few more that we personally own: Whoever Yo...
From How to Talk to Kids About Race: What’s Appropriate for Ages 3-8
This is brilliant! Thank you for this very informative article! I've used several of the books you mention with my children, as they asked since an early age why their friend(s) had "such curly hair...
From How to Talk to Kids About Race: What’s Appropriate for Ages 3-8

More from Our Bloggers