It’s no secret; play is how kids learn. But, play—the ways and the means—is changing. Play in the 21st century can’t escape the presence and influence of technology. Because so much of today’s play is infused with technology, we --parents, educators, and media creators -- need to address its effect in our kids’ playrooms and classrooms. We need to integrate media literacy into kids' daily lives and find a balance between what is offered by pixels and real people.

Sandbox Summit cofounders Wendy Smolen and Claire Green led Maggie McGuire, Vice President, eScholastic, Kids and Parent Channels Online,
and Dr. Alice Wilder, Chief Content Officer at KIDOS Corp. and Co-Creator, Head of Research and Education at Super Why!, in a lively discussion at the Child’s Play Symposium at Hofstra University.

In summary, the panel concluded:

• Media belongs in the classrooms and playrooms because it is a part of today’s life –and learning.
• Our kids need to be as comfortable maneuvering through and mastering media as they are building with blocks or playing house.
• Media is a wonderful additional learning tool. And the operative word here is additional.
• Media motivates, it can tell stories, illustrate visual ideas, and provide access to layers of learning and methods of learning that can augment the concepts parents and teachers offer.
• Media is not the answer to all our questions. Thankfully, we still need parents and teachers for that.

In order for children’s media to be used effectively, it must be designed with:

• age-appropriate themes and capabilities
• user input as main objective
• modeling of real world behaviors
• balance of educational and entertaining content

The panelists provided the following take-away points and resources:

Parents' Choice Foundation
http://parents-choice.org

Edutopia, The George Lucas Educational Foundation
http://www.Edutopia.org

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
http://www.naeyc.org/

ASCD
http://www.ascd.org/

MIT Media Lab
http://www.media.mit.edu/

Pearson Foundation
The Digital World of Young Children: Emergent Literacy
http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/emergentliteracy/

Reading Rockets
http://www.readingrockets.org/webcasts/3001

Fred Rogers Center
http://www.fredrogerscenter.org/

Kidos
http://www.kidoscomputer.com

Think It Ink It Publishing
http://www.thinkitinkitpublishing.com

PBS Parents and Teachers
http://www.pbs.org/parents/superwhy/index.html

Deb Linebarger Study
http://www-tc.pbskids.org/read/files/SuperWHY_Research_View.pdf

RTL Study
http://cct.edc.org/ready_to_learn.asp;
http://cct.edc.org/rtl/pdf/RTLEvalReport.pdf

Teacherline
http://www.pbs.org/teacherline/

Joan Ganz Cooney Center
http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org

Partnership for 21st Century Skills
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org

Common Sense Media
http://www.commonsensemedia.org

Institute of Play
http://www.instituteofplay.org

Quest to Learn School
NYC school based on Game Design and Game Design Theory as a learning paradigm
http://www.q2l.org

Apple Teacher Resources
http://www.apple.com/education/teachers-professors/resources

Teacher's Domain
Provides an extensive library of free digital media resources produced by public television, designed for classroom use and professional development
http://www.teachersdomain.org

Research/White Papers/Articles:

The Digital Promise: Transforming Learning with Innovative Uses of Technology
www.joanganzcooneycenter.org

Game Changer: Investing in Digital Play to Advance Children's Learning and Health -
Kaiser Family Foundation "Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 yr. Olds"
http://www.kff.org/

How Game Design Can Revolutionize Everyday Life
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2009/05/games_wired