If you are like me sometimes you wonder how people parented before technology. Don't get me wrong, I am all about being hands on and mostly unplugged when it comes to interacting with my kids. But there are times where I have no idea how a mother kept her sanity without apps or Mickey Mouse on youtube. Like being stuck in a doctor's waiting room or sitting at dmv with half a million other people for instance. Who wants to listen to a 2 year old whine and cry because he can't stand another minute of being bored? Not me, and not any of the people sending dirty looks my way.
Although watching a Mickey clip makes him happy, turning the phone upside and all around makes him happier. Meanwhile I'm trying to get him to hold it still so he doesn't accidentally drop it, but that is like reasoning with the wall. Or better still, he pushes the home button while reading “Chuck and Friends” and proceeds to get mad because the trucks are gone. Then I get to play the game of restarting the app over and over again.
Like other team Apple nerds, I have been waiting to see what iOS 6 was going to bring. I think a lot of the changes coming are awesome. As a mom, I am particularly excited about the Guided Access. With the new accessibility features I can disable the home button and keep the screen from rotating (sorry little man). For parents of children with autism and other learning disabilities I think will find these new features beneficial. I found when I was teaching, that having access to appropriate games and devices aided my autistic students in learning. One of the keys for those students was reducing distractions both on the screen and around them. The new iOS 6 promises to help with that by being able to disable parts of the screen, so attention need only be paid to the content at hand.
According to Apple “iOS 6 comes with even more features to make it easier for people with vision, hearing, learning, and mobility disabilities to get the most from their iOS devices. Guided Access helps students with disabilities such as autism remain on task and focused on content. It allows a parent, teacher, or administrator to limit an iOS device to one app by disabling the Home button, as well as restrict touch input on certain areas of the screen…”
I think Apple has another win with this one. iOS 6 is coming sometimes this fall. I for one cannot wait until my days of restarting apps and playing catch the phone are over!
*This post is not sponsored by Apple. I'm just team Apple and wanted to share!*
No one could ever imagine a few years back that a technological innovation like iPad would become a favourite toy for kids.