What if your Building Blocks could Talk Back?

Here's an interesting demonstration of tiny computer blocks called "Siftables." Take a look:








Now, this is really intriguing in terms of pulling computers apart and making them more tactile. Things like Google searches, games, and interacting with friends become really interesting in this model.



I don't think, though, that it's well-suited for replacing the tactile things that kids do. In the one part where the kid is making up a story, I'm wanting to reach through the screen and give the poor guy some crayons.



For example, some of my students have already mastered the extensible-drawing thing:





Need another board? Just add one.

The moral: Just because a technology reminds us of an interaction that we learned from well as kids, doesn't mean that it's a substitute. What it does mean is we may be able to take advantage of things like blocks to do things like cross language barriers or teach math concepts. Just don't use technology to remove the thing that gave you the idea in the first place.