{"id":21870,"date":"2018-03-16T17:02:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-17T00:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/?p=21870"},"modified":"2018-03-16T17:02:52","modified_gmt":"2018-03-17T00:02:52","slug":"what-is-a-stemosaur-and-how-can-it-teach-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/what-is-a-stemosaur-and-how-can-it-teach-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a STEMosaur and How Can it Teach Kids?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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One of the trends we identified from the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) <\/a>in January was the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in technology products.  Toys are getting smarter and personal and with the use of AI, they can adapt to children’s’ needs.<\/p>\n

To see how smart today’s toys are, we took a look at two friendly dinosaurs, made by CogniToys.  The first is the Original CogniToys Dino.  Made of durable ABS plastic, the Dino reaches 7 inches in height and is eager to answer questions from his\/her owner in his “Yoda-like” voice. <\/p>\n

The next version, the STEMosaur, looks and sounds identical but it comes in a darker green color.  It was developed so that children can develop code around what the STEMosaur says when asked certain questions.<\/p>\n

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The CogniToys Dino<\/span><\/h2>\n

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CogniToy’s first product, the Dino, won numerous awards when it was first introduced.  If you have young children, you probably are well accustomed to their questions.  According to CogniToys, kids can ask up to 300 questions a day.  Perhaps you can relate to that???!!!<\/p>\n

Not only can Dino help answer some of these questions for your child, he can also entertain him\/her with stories, games, meditations, and jokes.  Looking for a bedtime story for your child while you finish up the dishes?  Dino can help.  He has a ton of them.  While not the most interesting stories, they sure have the potential to put your child to sleep!<\/p>\n

Kids can ask Dino thousands of questions and he will respond with age-appropriate answers. However, instead of pulling information directly from Google, the CogniToys team answers kids’ questions and sends updates to the cloud to answer future questions.<\/p>\n

In fact, that’s a part of the beauty of Dino’s AI. It is geared towards the age you specify in the CogniToys app, so your child only receives answers related to his\/her age.  In addition to your child’s name, Dino will begin to remember his\/her favorite color, animal, sports, and more.<\/p>\n

Here is a list of the different Dino commands available your child can use to communicate with Dino.<\/p>\n

Dino needs an app to connect to your home’s WiFi.  It is here you can put the age and name of your child.  After that, your child can take Dino anywhere in the house (reachable by WiFi).  The app is no longer needed, which is great for young children who do not have phones\/tablets of their own.<\/p>\n

And because Dino is cloud-connected, he will constantly be updated and improved as CogniToy adds more content.  <\/p>\n

Dino also possesses emotional intelligence.  If a child tells Dino s\/he’s scared, Dino suggests that s\/he speaks to an adult they trust.  If s\/he’s sad, Dino will suggest a joke to cheer him\/her up.<\/p>\n

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The Dino Advanced – The STEMosaur <\/span><\/h2>\n

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At first glance, the CogniToys STEMosaur looks just like Dino.  However, it’s made from a darker green, almost translucent plastic.  STEMosaur likewise can answer questions, tell bedtime stories, play games, recount jokes, and answer questions for your child, just like Dino.<\/p>\n

But there’s a reason STEM is in its name.  There are two major differences between Dino and STEMosaur.  With STEMosaur, <\/p>\n

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  1. Your child builds it him\/herself<\/li>\n
  2. Your child can code the STEMosaur to say certain things through a simple online free coding program <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    Putting the STEMosaur together wasn’t too complex.  It involved placing the STEMosaur’s body pieces together and screwing them in with the included screwdriver.  It’s neat to be able to see the circuitry inside, further driving your child’s curiosity of how the STEMosaur works.<\/p>\n

    Once the STEMosaur is built, you add 4 AA batteries (not included).  Now connect your STEMosaur just like you would with Dino, through the app, connecting him to WiFi.  At this point, your STEMosaur can use WiFi to connect to the CogniToy cloud to receive answers and updates.<\/p>\n

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    Coding Your STEMosaur<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Here’s where the fun gets even better. Grab your STEMosaur and your child and head to the CogniToys website. Right on the front page, you will see a “Coding Panel” button.  Click on it and log in with the same credentials you used for the app.<\/p>\n

    Here, your child can learn up to 3 lessons (more are coming) on how to program his\/her STEMosaur. It’s super easy and so fun to program!<\/p>\n

    Before I told my son he could program the STEMosaur, I took some coding lessons myself.  It took under 20 minutes to do the lessons and practice.  It could take longer for children.  In no time I was coding what I would ask STEMosaur and what he would say back to me.<\/p>\n

    Here’s one question I programmed, What is your favorite stuffed animal?:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    I added my son’s favorite stuffed animals in the answer to “Who is your favorite stuffed animal<\/strong>?”  I also added some of our favorite foods for him to respond to when asked: “What is your favorite food?<\/strong>” What makes programming the STEMosaur’s answers really fun is that you can vary the response.<\/p>\n

    So when asked his favorite foods, I can put up to 5 responses back, so you never know how the STEMosaur will answer when asked the same question again and again, which adds the element of surprise.<\/p>\n

    I also added code so when my son asks STEMosaur “When will Mom be back<\/strong>” from my upcoming business trip, he will answer Friday at <\/em>8pm.<\/em>  This is so cool!  I love that I can program questions\/statements and answers myself and my son does too.<\/p>\n

    My son is older, but I can imagine with younger children, there are so many possibilities.  Just program in the questions your kids ask over and over again, like <\/p>\n