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On May 23rd the MIT Media Lab will host a unique gathering
of toy industry professionals to discuss how technological toys are affecting the
creativity of both children and toy designers.
An interdisciplinary group -- technologists, toy designers, social scientists,
marketers and retailers -- has been assembled who together represent the entire
process of toy design from child development research to idea conception and
design to end-consumer use.
The one-day symposium consists of three panel discussions, a showcase of new Media Lab
toy technologies and designs, and a talk by Mattel's, Ivy Ross.
Each panel will consist of a toy designer, social scientist, marketer adn retailer
and will be moderated by a Media Lab TOT faculty member. The three questions the
panels will address are:
1. How do parents with little technical knowledge buy technology toys for their children?
Do they buy anything with a chip in it, thinking it educational? How has this changed the
toy industry and consumer buying? How do we address the "Technology Gap" between
parents and children?
2. How have children's play patterns fundamentally changed due to the popularity and
influence of intereactive toys? How is collaborative play in a technological environment
different from that in a traditional play environment?
3. When and how, in a toy's development, does it become gendered and/or licensed?
How has the industry's approach to these changed in recent years and what does the future hold?
The overall goal of the day is to offer diverse perspectives on common issues, creating a community of toy professionals who can together discuss today, explore tomorrow and move forward together to create the future of toys.
Schedule
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7:45AM |
Bus from the Media Lab to University Park Hotel |
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8:00AM-8:45AM |
Breakfast |
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8:45AM-9:00AM |
Introduction: Professor Justine Cassell |
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9:00AM-10:30AM |
Panel: Change in play patterns due to tech toys |
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10:30AM-11:00AM |
Break |
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11:00AM-12:30PM |
Panel: Non-technical parents buying Technical toys |
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12:30PM-1:30PM |
Lunch |
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1:30PM-3:00PM |
Media Lab toy fair
: students/faculty present in depth |
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3:00PM-3:30PM |
Break |
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3:30PM-5:00PM |
Panel: licensing & gendering of tech toys |
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5:00PM-5:30PM |
Break |
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5:30PM-6:30PM |
Keynote Speaker/Interactive Design Workshop: Thinking Outside the Toybox |
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6:30PM-7:000PM |
Bus departs University Park Hotel; Arrives at Fogg Museum |
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7:00PM-10:00PM |
Dinner |
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