in
jews
the d
jews in the digital age

Nothing
you wear
is more
important
than your
smile.

29829 Telegraph Road, Suite 111 |6RXWKӾHOG0LFKLJDQ
 | ZZZGUQHPHWKFRP

Franklin Cider Mill

“A FAMILY TRADITION”

248-626-8261

14 Mile Rd.
and Franklin Rd.

HOURS:
Open Daily
7am-6:30pm
Weekends
8am-6:30pm
Thanksgiving Day
8am-4pm
Last Day of Season,
Sunday,
November 25th

A full assortment of
Dakota Breads and our
Franklin Homemade
Apple Pies

26

October 25 • 2018

jn

EduTech
Products
for School
Days

T

he kids have been back in
school for almost two months
and should be getting back
into the school rhythm. So much has
changed from when today’s parents
were in school. One
major change is the
type of technology our
kids use.
While parents
remember when
schools had a few
Rabbi
computers for all the
Jason Miller
students or perhaps
one computer per
classroom, today’s students carry a
laptop in their backpacks. They bring
their iPhones to school in a pocket
and wear smartwatches. Their concern
isn’t if they’ll get a good grade on a test
as much as it is whether their phone’s
battery will die before the end of the
school day.
Parents today are concerned when
their kids are spending too much time
in front of screens. This might mean
in front of iPads or TV screens for
younger kids and in front of live-ac-
tion, violent video games like Fortnite
for pre-teens and teens.
Technology can be educational and
used for learning math, science, engi-
neering and coding. There’s no end to
the number of educational-technology
games and gadgets today’s youth use
throughout the course of a day.
In addition to the technology they
bring with them to school, they will
likely use more advanced technology
in their classes. Many schools now
have robotics labs and maker spaces
where students are using 3D printers
and robotic arms. They’re even coding
robots and video games themselves and
now they can do this at home as well.
For today’s students, there’s likely more
technology in their classrooms than in
an IBM laboratory in the 1980s.

Wonder Workshop’ s Cue Robot

Here are some edutech products I
recommend for today’s students:

PRIMO TOYS CUBETTO PLAYSET
– This coding toy teaches preschool-
ers and kindergartners how to code
and create play patterns for a wooden
robot. It is Montessori-approved and
is powered by a revolutionary coding
language made of colorful blocks. The
playset consists of a friendly wood-
en robot named Cubetto, a physical
programming console, a set of 16 col-
orful coding blocks, a world map and
an illustrated activity book. Without
realizing it, children will develop an
early understanding of how coding
works in a very age-appropriate way
that will give them a head start on
one of the most important skills of
the Digital Age.

WONDER WORKSHOP CUE – Kids
love robots because they are interactive
and can be programmed. Cue is one
of the most advanced robots on the
market in this price zone (under $200).
Children will enjoy Cue’s witty attitude.
They can choose from four free unique
avatars to customize Cue with a person-
ality. Cue has three proximity sensors,
Bluetooth and infrared interaction.

PAI TECHNOLOGY CIRCUIT
CONDUCTOR – This game teaches
children about electricity, currents
and magnets through fun, imaginative
play. There are 12 different electrical
function blocks and specially insulated
wires with which kids can build fun
circuits and learn about electricity
through a free mobile app. Scanning
circuits to view electrical flows in real-
time will teach your children more
about electricity than most science
teachers could. The in-game puzzles
will enhance problem-solving and
critical thinking. Like many of these