In all of the gluttony of television ads for Black Friday, one product really caught my eye. Fisher-Price now offers a digital camera in its "Kid Tough" line of products. A digital camera marketed to kids isn’t anything new. I’ve seen several really cheap versions in stores for years now. I think the difference here is in the age level to which the product is marketed. 
This is listed as "ages 3 and up" on the website, and the photos show a kid holding the camera that can’t be much older than that. The camera only has a 640X480 sensor, but it’s packaged so that it can take the abuse a young kid could dish out.
I must say, I approve of this product much more than some of those that are being marketed towards kids. A product such as this allows the child to be creative and use a bit of imagination. They are capturing images of the real world. Fisher-Price has a history of developing quality products that require imagination and interaction.
This can’t be said for some of the companies I’ve seen advertised. In one company’s TV ads, the parents exhort the kids to abandon their chores so that they can go play their video games. The idea is that the video game is so educational and good for the child, they that should leave everything else behind. Companies like Leapfrog and VTech make some good products, but despite the colorful wrappers, these are often little more than skill-n-drill types of games. My preference has always been for something that allows the kids to create a product.
I’m trying to figure out how to use Fisher-Price’s ad campaign to my advantage next week. I have purchased a small, simple-to-use Nikon digital camera for each of our school principals. The idea is that they will keep them with them all the time, much as I do with my Nikon S1. These can be used to document bulletin boards, classroom activities, etc. Before our principals receive their new cameras, they have to sit through a workshop with me next Tuesday. A couple of these principals will be resistant. Maybe I can trot out Fisher-Price’s ad as a motivation for these principals.
[tags]edtech, digital camera, Fisher-Price[/tags]