One of the biggest concerns for parents raising young children in today’s technology-filled era is the problem of completely not understanding how the technology works. If you jump on Snapchat and do inappropriate stuff, it’s not gone forever, Snapchat does store it. When you attempt to do sinful things online, even when you think you are being sneaky, people can still easily access what you have done.
One area also that remains a bit of a mystery are smart speakers like Alexa, Google Home, or other similar devices. But what if you could teach your kids how it works and even builds a small version yourself with them to understand it fully?
Junior Tech DIY
I’m a huge fan of teaching kids STEM things. A while ago, I bought my son the Snap Circuits Junior kit which he loves. I’m always there to work with him to make sure he is able to be successful, but he picks what he wants to do, assembles it himself, and I make sure to explain how it works in terms he would understand.
Chatterbox is like this, but you are making a simple, functional smart speaker. Kevin Elgan, the guy behind it, is part of a well-known tech enthusiast family. Helping kids build their own smart speaker is something they’d definitely give good attention to.
So what’s the point of it?
This is from their website: Computers of the future will talk and listen and won’t be anything like today’s iPads or Chromebooks. Chatterbox is a fun way to prepare kids for the future by developing their ability to learn, adapt and problem-solve using speech technology.
It addresses the concerns of privacy, always-listening devices, and not sharing your information to anyone. Further, it gives your children an understanding of what Artificial Intelligence actually is right now.
Will you be helping kids build their own smart speaker? What are your thoughts about teaching children about technology in this manner?
Jeremy Smith
Jeremy is owner of ChurchAndMentalHealth.com and the Co-Occurring Program Coordinator and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor at a community mental health center. Jeremy has a history of working as a ministry director for Youth for Christ for 8 years and then working as a mental health and substance use adult counselor in Colorado and Ohio, specifically running an Opioid Residential Treatment Center.
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