WIth the holidays comes a winding down of sorts as email transitions from a torrent to a trickle and commutes to the office are exchanged for family time with an unhealthy dose of phone fidgeting. 

It means more time with the kids too. Which has led to a few new observations about how my world of technology and theirs intersect.  

Tweens <3 video: maybe tween boys are different, but my two tween daughters, and their friends, are mad about making videos. Videos with their phone’s cameras. Videos with computer’s cameras. Silly videos. Serious videos. Unedited rants. Highly polished pieces.

For my oldest daughters 14th birthday this week her friends didn’t make her a card or a cake, they made her a highly edited video montage. It was amazing. 

I was left with the feeling that maybe Steve Jobs greatest gift to my kids generation won’t end up being the iPhone or the iPad but the bundling of iMovie on every Mac sold.

App Store is the new Candy Store- My son scored a bunch of points in his basketball game this week. Instead of the usual “Slurpees are for Scorers” reward, I decided to give him a different choice. A treat or an app. Without hesitation he chose the app (Sonic Racing). I loved it. Saved me time and from the effects of a 7 year old in a sugar coma. He loved it. He has a game he can play over and over instead of a drink that’ll be gone before we get home.

The top requested gift for the holiday in our home: iTunes gift cards. 

The Virtues of Virtual- We took a trip through Chinatown yesterday. Usually my kids swarm to pilles of plastic playthings like moths to flames. This time? Not so much. Nowadays many of the most attractive trinkets have an app counterpart. Cheap plastic piano? There’s an app for that. Boxing glove on a stick? There’s an app for that too. 

I couldn’t help but think of the virtuos effect of this digital world my kids are a part of. Anything that can be digital will be. Creative tools and connectivity will get far more of them started on their 10,000 hours/10 years sooner than any past generation. 

It’s an exciting time.

Now I’m going to unplug to go get a little bit more of it with them…