Top 7 Telling Facts about the App Gap

Who doesn’t love technology these days? Technology has become a part of our everyday life. College students and kids in general tend to gravitate towards hand held mobile devices that play music, games and other apps that keep them entertained.

Facts about Apps

But that’s not all. Kids are even learning from portable devices with apps. College students and online students alike prefer to study from mobile devices rather than through old fashioned text books. Books are out of style with kids and probably not a cool way to learn anymore, especially with all these new high tech mobile learning devices available. Where does this leave kids who can’t afford to buy these devices and mobile apps to help them learn? Are they left behind or can they keep up with kids that have the latest mobile devices with apps?

1. Apps are not recommended for everyone. According to recent research, portable devices such as iPhones, iPods, iPads, and smart phones should not be used with young learners or the screen time should be limited to a minimum of two hours each day for children over the age of two.
2. Are low-income families or affluent families using apps more? Do low income families use apps, or even know what an app is? Low income families may not know what an app is, but they do use them. However, they do not use them as often as affluent families and probably for different reasons also.
3. Do apps really help children learn? Even though apps are valuable online learning tools, most kids still use them for entertainment purposes more than they do for learning. Kids today spend more time on these digital devices to socialize and to keep themselves entertained.
4. Children consider the iPad a toy. Well, at least that’s what PC World seems to think. They once called the iPad as the “Children’s Toy of the Year.” However many kids learn from toys, so this could be a good thing .
5. Most parents don’t know what their kids are doing on their mobile devices. Most parents buy iPhones, iPods and iPads for their children just because they want them, but parents aren’t really paying attention to what their children are doing on these mobile devices. Some parents don’t realize that their kids are running up their credit card bill until it is too late .
6. Most kids can tell have purchased a mobile device or two, but have never bought a book. Is this true? Today, kids prefer to watch more TV, listen to music, play games or socialize on Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace rather than read a book, much less purchase one.
7. Today, most kids own at least one mobile device. Kids of all ages and from all backgrounds own at least one mobile device and are constantly upgrading it to stay current with the latest trends.

What do you think: Are mobile devices just another digital distraction or kids are really learning from these things?