Are smartphones changing our youth?

Smartphone’s continue to innovate the way in which society functions. A growing trend in the US is creating Apps and games for museums across the nation. The growing trend hopes to capture the attention of children and teens to make their experience at museums more enjoyable, and more importantly more educational.

Many museums such as the Paul-Getty museum of Los Angeles, The Philadelphia Art Museum, The Metropolitan art museum in New York, The National History Museum to name a few. The museums are using technology in their favor; much of the American youth does not know what it is like to live without an iPhone, or iPad. Rather their generation has become dependent of technology, because of this technology can encourage learning. An example of such app is the Getty’s museum in Los Angles; the museum currently uses the app Switch. The App simulates an evil genie that replaces all the paintings in the museum with replicas that are not same as the original, making the child look for the differences between the two paintings. In addition, the National Science Museum offers a self-guided tour for children, which is narrated by different animals to increase interest. The Apps are wildly successful and many museums are rushing to create educational apps.

Museums are also using the sale of apps as growing source of revenue. Though the cost of the creation of the app is somewhat steep, I think in the long run it will pay off. The success of the Apps with the American youth I believe offers insight of what the future will entail. If the apps can enhance the experience for consumers as well as serve as a means of revenue for the owner it will change many aspects of our economy. It is important for industry leaders to adapt. This means that many faucets of our everyday life will have more technological interaction. It is a growing trend that management styles will have to reflect as well as technology quality management. It is vital that industry adapts, if museums can so can the retail and industry. Smartphones I believe have the ability to reinvent the way that society looks upon many goods and services.

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/arts/artsspecial/museums-engage-children-with-digital-programs.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&ref=technology

10 thoughts on “Are smartphones changing our youth?

  1. I agree that technology has most definitely changed our youth. Second graders are walking around with iPhones and iPads while I’m still using desk top and a non-smart phone. While I understand that as the years move along, technology advances and the way of life is altered because of it– I feel that too much technology exposure to our youth is slowly corrupting them. Technology is taking away basic human to human interactions and replacing it with human to computer. Social skills and cognitive problem solving is depleting and smartphones, tablets, androids, and any other technology of that such is inflating dramatically. I am not against technology in what it can do for our society, such as what it’s being used for in the museums mentioned in this article. What I am not a fan of is companies like Samsung and Apple making apps for our youth (12 years old and younger) so that their social and cognitive development is tainted by technology.

  2. I would also have to agree that technology has changed our youth. But I wouldn’t blame everything on technology and smart phones. It is up to us to set limits for our children. On the other hand, I do think a museum trying to reach children through technology is a good strategy. There are few children who go to museums and read all of the facts. The use of technology will give museums a better medium to communicate with the children. Creating more jobs within a museum for app developers or a tech department could be good for children and the economy in the long run. While technology can be very useful, it can also be very crippling.

  3. I know that when I was a child I did not understand the significance of museums or the education that it could potentially provide. Turning the museum experience into a game is an effective strategy to educate children. Smartphone apps have provided many benefits in the corporate world and now they are learning to create apps applicable to museums and providing a fun way for children to learn and appreciate the history that museums provide. The benefits of creating an app, helps avoid many management mishaps that can happen when manufacturing a tangible product.

  4. It is pretty obvious that the users of smartphones and tablets include very young children. Whether this is a good think or not is still yet to be determined I think. My cousin recently had a baby and before she was even one year old my cousin wanted to buy her an iPad so she can watch her cartoons and play educational games. While, I thought this was absurd, I cant deny that it isnt quite unheard of. I have seen children that know how to use an iPhone before they can even talk. Its pretty remarkable too think about but at the same time, it seems like its moving a little too fast. These museums are trying to take advantage of the fact that children know how and enjoy using these products. This seems like a great idea because its seems pretty like children dont really enjoy going to museums anymore. Many children already spend most of there time on smartphones or tablets anyway so if we can use this to create a renewed interest in museums and other educational venues, then I say why not? The only problem I see is the initial upfront cost of creating the app. Now people at the museum probably think that it will pay for itself in the long-rum as more people pay for the app, then they will begin to see significant gains. However, what concerns me is the short life of apps and short interest in an app. Everyone knows that an app can be very popular for a few months and then all of a sudden its essentially un-used. Im afraid this sort of thing will happen to the museum apps. If they do not create new apps that will keep the children interested then they may begin to lose interest and the novelty factor will fade. But, these apps are expensive to create so I am interested to see how this turns out.

  5. I can definitely see how utilizing smartphones as a source to stimulate interest can be effective and fun for a child. I work in a restaurant in Lincoln Park and nearly every child either needs an iphone or an ipad to hold their attention. The short term of such educational apps is promising, but I believe that in the long term the effects are much more negative. This is because the interaction between humans will slowly lose its effect. Communication is essential and this will be lost after having a smartphone guide the way through the museum rather than a personal tour guide.

  6. I agree that smartphones are drastically changing the youth of today. Nowadays, children do not play with physical toys and games the same way that children used to. In our society today, children feel the need to have a handheld games and phones in order to be entertained and, like some people have mentioned, it is hurting their development and interaction with other humans. Children are so busy playing virtual games, they are interacting less and less with actual people.

  7. I think that using the apps as a strategy to attract children to the museums is a good idea. These days children are entertained with technology and I think that they will be more interested in artifacts and paintings if they see that they can also see them in their devices. Smartphones can be a benefit to our children because it is easier for them to learn visually and by listening than by reading long passages about certain artifacts.

  8. I agree with f1234dsonenshein when they say that it is up to us to set the limits for the children. In any household, whatever a children does or doesn’t do, it falls on their parents and they way one is raised. Technology is only becoming more advanced with time. It is also inevitable for parents to want to get their children the latest computer or device that will aid in their learning, but in my opinion, one can’t always rely on technology. I don’t think anyone has stopped to ask themselves, “What if one day all of this was gone?” Although improbable, it’s always something to be prepared for.

  9. Technology most definitely made an impact on the young ones. Everywhere I go nowadays, I would see a little kid playing with a sort of technology. Technologies have become so far advanced that it has become a part of our daily lives. Nearly everything has gone electronic. Technology is used in schools, businesses, hospitals, and the list goes on. I believe that technology has helped us grow and impair us at the same time. Because of our reliance on technology, I would say that a majority of the people would be unable to do most things manually if technology fails us.

  10. I agree with the posts by f1221mcaruvana and f1222rgitlevich. Technology when used properly is a great way to educate but everything can’t be all fun and games. Children need to realize that there are things in life that have to be done that just aren’t fun. Technology definitely has its advantages but it also has its disadvantages such as lack of socialization, communication problems, and poor eating habits. Many people have literally died because they are so addicted to technology that they stopped eating. Technology is great and has greatly improved our society but parents need to monitor their children while using such devices. I hope the app the museum created generates the interest of children to go beyond the game and do research on the pieces they find stimulating.

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