Get an iPhone, boost that grade? iPhone technology increases cognitive development in children

Today we're hosting yet another shout-out to the role of technology in education for our students. Here are a few words from Ahmed Siddiqui, the founder of the innovative new learning technology, Go Go Mongo!. Ahmed says...

"When I was going to school, the most common means of learning were paper, pencils, and books. English is my second language, and I remember very clearly how difficult it was to make friends in kindergarten when I couldn’t even communicate with them. That was nearly 25 years ago. Kids today, especially ESL students, are going to school and still using the same old paper, pencils, and book methods I used while growing up. However, when these kids go home, they are surrounded by all sorts of great technology, from iPhones to Tablets, video games, and on-demand television. Why is it that we are not using these technologies to improve learning? More importantly, why aren’t we using these technologies to make learning fun?

I started down this path one year ago, searching for an answer. The iPhone intrigued me because of its sheer simplicity. My two-year-old cousin was able to unlock my iPhone and navigate to pictures, videos, and even games, without any instructions. Even though she couldn't speak English, she had already mastered the iPhone at the tender age of two. I had her play even more games to see what gaming dynamics she liked and started building a game for her skills set. My objective was to build something fun first, and then figure out how to sneak in the learning objectives. I wanted her to learn English from games at home so that when she goes to pre-school, she wouldn't face the same embarrassment I felt while first starting school.

Through numerous revisions, Go Go Mongo! was finally released in the Apple iTunes App Store, and received the “New and Noteworthy” award from Apple. The game uses the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer to control the main character, Mongo. Children have to use their motor skills to make Mongo run left to right to catch food falling from the sky, learning new vocabulary in the process. By using technology and implementing gaming dynamics, we can make learning fun again. Go Go Mongo! is now available on iTunes App Store here."

For more information, feel free to contact the founder of this exciting new tech tool for learning at ahmed@gogomongo.com.