iPad, meet Toddler.

Months ago I came across a video that  I love to show people when talking about neurological changes that occur in the brain when we are exposed to a new technology.  In this case, it's the Apple iPad, and the person undergoing neurological changes is a 1 year old child.

Often when I show people this video, they get concerned quickly.  Who wouldn't?  This child seems to have used the iPad before, and she seems to like it.  We don't know if she has been exposed to books at all.  I look at this and see the changing times.  Books were the first way humans could efficiently share information, and the Web has replaced books as the primary source of information for most people.  Children growing up in this Information Age may rarely interact with a physical book in their lives.

At this stage in her life, her brain is going through some profound changes.  New brain cells (neurons) are formed and connecting constantly, influenced by whatever her senses allow her to experience. Contrary to popular myth, the brain is NOT fixed to one form--it can evolve, rewire.  This is known as Neuroplasticity, and it is the physical process of learning.  When a short-term memory becomes a long-term memory, it is due to neurons linking up with other neurons.  A child at this age does not stop learning.  Everything is a new experience, so everything is a learning opportunity.

At Thanksgiving Dinner last November, my girlfriend and I went to her cousin's house where I met Will (3 y/o).  We were chatting when Will came up and begged for his mother's iPhone.  She handed it to him, and I watched him as he effortlessly unlocked it, found the game he wanted and launched it.  We talked about the video above, and I was told a story about how Will had also tried to use a magazine like an iPad.  Apparently he was trying to zoom in on a cool picture.  I couldn't believe it.  It seems this is not an isolated occurrence.

As a side-note, his brother is starting school next year, and on the list of required equipment is an iPad loaded with all the books for the year.

It seems that analog is "out" and digital is all the rage.  Perhaps books are on a similar path to vinyl records.  A collectors item?  An antique?  Only time can tell, and I must say I'll miss the paper...  Now, I have to go put a Bob Dylan record on.