Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Black Friday Shopping to Support a Cause

Posted by ruckusholly on November 22nd, 2011

Ruckus Media St. Jude promotionThis Thanksgiving, we are giving back.  With EVERY Ruckus app sold, we are donating 100% of the net proceeds to the children of St. Jude Children’s Hospital®.  Not only can you get a head start on your holiday shopping  (apps do make great stocking stuffers!), but you will support a wonderful cause.  In addition, we are dropping the price of all our apps to $1.99 each.  It’s truly Black Friday Shopping to support a cause.

It’s the eighth annual Thanks and Giving campaign, a holiday campaign that asks shoppers to “Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not,” and we’re proud to be a partner to help make a difference in these children’s lives.

Beginning today and running over Black Friday and through Monday, November 28th, 2011, we  will donate to St. Jude 100% of the net proceeds ($1.39) of the company’s entire digital library including the iTunes bestseller MY LITTLE PONY: TWILIGHT SPARKLE, TEACHER FOR A DAY and Moms’ Choice award winner CHUCK AND FRIENDS: FRIENDS FOR THE LONG HAUL, both featuring beloved Hasbro characters; holiday Read-Play-and-Record-Along classics THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS and THE VELEVETEEN RABBIT, both told by Meryl Streep; among many other interactive storybooks. You will be supporting the hospital’s lifesaving mission of finding cures and saving children with cancer and other deadly diseases.

To learn more about the Thanks and Giving campaign and its partners, please visit www.stjude.org or call 1-800-4STJUDE. To purchase Ruckus’ interactive storybooks for iOS mobile devices and help support this campaign during the holiday season, visit the Ruckus Media Group page at iTunes.

Happy shopping!

 

Where You’ll Find Us this Weekend: At the A4CWSN Party to Change Lives

Posted by ruckusholly on September 30th, 2011

50 Children across 50 States are about to be given an iPad to help with their development and education. App developers from around the world have come together to help “Apps for Children with Special Needs” a4cwsn.com raise money to Change 50 Lives in a day, and Ruckus Media Group is proud to be a part of it!

In January 2011, Gary James, the father of 6 children, 2 with Special Needs, decided to set up a web-site to help other parents like him who were interested in using the Apple iPad as an educational and development tool for children with special needs (a4cwsn.com). The site shows videos of Apps developed or suitable for special needs children being demonstrated so that the community of parents, educators and professionals get the opportunity to see an app in action before parting with their money. The iPad’s interactive interface is an ideal device for those with communication difficulties and in refining fine motor skills.

In less than 8 months, a4cwsn has become a phenomenon in the world of special needs with almost 6,000 followers on facebook, and through his unique concept of App Parties, which bring developers and the special needs community together, has created a social network and now a charity in which the Developers and the special needs community not only support each other, but raise tens of thousands of dollars to fund iPads for parents who could otherwise not afford them.

Gary will host his third App party from September 30th – October 2nd, and will once again bring Developers and the special needs community together in an event that will raise thousands of more dollars to support a4cwsn.com’s campaign that is already close to reaching its goal of giving an iPad to a child with special needs in each of 50 States.

We are thrilled to be joining many of our friend in donating to the campaign.  From now until October 2nd, you can find all of our Rabbit Ears apps priced at .99 cents in iTunes (down from $3.99).  All proceeds made from this sale will go directly to the A4CWSN campaign.  These apps are:

- Goldilocks told by Meg Ryan

- John Henry told by Denzel Washington

- Johnny Appleseed told by Garrison Keillor

- The Night Before Christmas told by Meryl Streep

- Three Little Pigs told by Holly Hunter

- Steadfast Tin Soldier told by Jeremy Irons

- Tom Thumb told by John Cleese

- The Velveteen Rabbit told by Meryl Streep

“See you all” at the A4CWSN party!

For the original version on PRWeb visit:www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2011/9/prweb8840100.htm.

On the Blogs

Posted by ruckusholly on September 19th, 2011

We are so lucky to be immersed in a fabulous world of bloggers who support us, write about us and share our love for literacy, parenting, technology and everything else that we at Ruckus live for.  We want to take a quick moment today and thank everyone who has ever mentioned in a post, review, article, tweet, Facebook mention or iTunes review.  We wouldn’t be here without you!  Here are a few examples of recent app reviews:

Chuck & FriendsOver at Midwestern Moms, they called Chuck & Friends ”one of the most interactive reading applications for a child” that they’ve ever encountered.

Leila at Don’t Speak Whinese said that her kids enjoyed our apps on a camping trip, that “it was a brilliant option to have on the go or when their patience was being tested while fishing!”  The interactive aspect of the Chuck app helped her kids learn words.

The Dadvocate Project  said that Chuck ”is a great game for ages 1.5 to five years old. As I mentioned at the beginning I want games that can span a decent age range and this game certainly qualifies. Another aspect of a good game is one that my kids want to play again.”

A writer at Modern Home Modern Baby said the graphics in Spot the Dot “are good and simple without being simplistic. The concept of concentrating to accomplish a goal is great. And the ability to capture the player’s attention makes this app one to try in my opinion.”

This is just a snippet of the blogging love we have shared over the last year since Ruckus Media was born.  We look forward to sharing more of our apps, growth and prospects right here on this blog, Twitter and Facebook.

 

 

May We Present the Winners of the Parent’s Choice Awards: Chuck & Friends and Spot the Dot

Posted by ruckusholly on September 14th, 2011

parents choice awardWe are so excited to announce that two more of our apps have been designated 2011 Parents’ Choice Award winners: Chuck and Friends and Spot the Dot.  They both won Parents’ Choice Recommended Awards.  Back in April, we were also granted this special prize for A Present for Milo and Velveteen Rabbit, and we are so happy to be a part of this prestigious group again.  This is the first award for each.

Since its launch in June, Chuck and Friends has garnered a lot of attention both from traditional media and bloggers.  Created with our friends at Hasbro, this interactive reading adventure is ideal for young truck-lovers, digital natives, fans of HUB TV and Hasbro toys.  It introduces a new type of interactive story-telling that increases literacy skills, fine motor skills, language skills, spelling, problem solving and more, all while children are playing and having a good time.  We could not be prouder of the newest member of the Ruckus library!

On another note, we are so happy to also announce that Chuck and Friends has been selected as an Editor’s Choice by Children’s Technology Review  calling it, “an excellent reading comprehension app for older readers.” The app scored a 92%/4.6 star review with a perfect score. in education.  We had to let you know.

Our other Parents Choice recipient, Spot the Dot, was created by pop-up master and best-selling children’s author, David A. Carter.  He adapted his creative genius to his very first app, and we could not be more thrilled to be on the receiving end.  This eye-popping, interactive app invites toddlers and preschoolers to learn colors as they “spot the dot” in fun, engaging and highly varied interactive playspaces.  Spot has also been lauded by journalists and is widely spoken about on social media.  We are so proud of this app, one of our own originals!

Established in 1978, Parents’ Choice Foundation is the nation’s oldest nonprofit consumer guide to quality children’s media. Parents’ Choice serves as a trusted and independent source for educators and librarians, journalists, as well as families searching for children’s media and toys.  The PCA committees look for products that entertain and teach with flair, stimulate imagination and inspire creativity. Judges are interested in how a product helps a child grow: socially, intellectually, emotionally, ethically, and physically.
 

 

Twitter Party Wrap-Up: Chuck & Friends, Play Dates, Friendships, Tech and More

Posted by ruckusholly on June 29th, 2011

by Holly Rosen Fink, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Consultant

June 29th, 2011

Chuck & Friends

If you’re familiar with the story of our new app,  Chuck & Friends: Friends for the Long Haul, you know that Chuck has a lot of friends (other trucks, of course!).  He spends his time leading his pals on high-gear adventures.  Every time they get together, they have all kinds of issues that develop including sharing, teamwork, playing outside and more.

So, with all that in mind, we gathered with eighty-seven tweeps on Twitter and talked about play dates, friendship and other parenting issues.  It was a popular night, partly because we were giving away the Chuck & Friends app, as well as prizes that were graciously donated by our friends at Playskool.  The winners were xxkimhcxx, jen276here, ThatsItMommy, mellanhead, unkatchable73 and VectoringMomma.  Congrats to all of them!

We were also so lucky and thrilled to have four guest moderators:  ToyQueen, Thebigtoybook, Saving4someday and Teachwtechbrox.

If you’re wondering how play dates and apps go together, well, it’s simple. Read the questions and some of the responses that we got during the party to put two and two together.   We actually did bring up the topic of play date planning apps, and it looked like no one in our group  knew of any, so feel free to post any play date apps in the comment section below.  We also learned about the newest kind of play date: Skype play dates.  It’s a new day and age, and we’re all rolling with it.

 

Q1 - How much effort do you put into play date planning?  Do moms contact you or do you contact them?  

TeacherMomOfTwo They usually contact me and I don’t put as much planning into it as I would like to.

ToyQueen There are many drop-in type playgrounds at local playspaces, library, so I like the non-committal route.

A4CWSN We have play dates using Skype sometimes with other special need children :)

mom4everandever Playdates are not forced but its good for socialization, let them play and be kids.

ADL_Kane I’ve had parents contact me on Facebook to schedule playdates. There’s irony there somewhere.

theteacherswife My son has social interaction issues so we keep it pretty low key on the playdates! Mostly close friends.

Lilac_the_bunny oh, I love the summer enrichment programs at the library!  Excellent resource.

Zebastyandylan No real effort..we have a play group that gets together at least 1x a week.

Thebigtoybook I am more of a spur of the moment play date planner.

Shuggysmommy Play dates give me or the other mom some free time to do whatever which is also great.

 

Q2: How do you keep the peace among kids? Do you set ground rules? Do you set the amount of time for the play date? Do you drop your child off or do you stay? Do you let kids play electronics on play dates?

 

VectoringMomma I keep the peace with snacks and saying, “be sweet” a lot, lol!

Jen276here I don’t know – it just kind of happens on its own.  We are not very structured in playdates.

Beeacutie2 media is known to rule our lives so keeping it down is a must even kids need to unplug.

xxkimhcxx set rules, and make sure they are sharing toys.

theteacherswife No electronics with small exceptions  Need to learn how to socialize!

Duckyone I would make sure there’s enough of whatever they are playing with so they don’t fight over stuff.

Sleatham1 Sharing is a must, and not an option!  They play outside and no electronics are allowed.

A4CWSN  In today’s society, teaching our children to share on playdates with their electronics is very important.

unkatchable73  I see nothing wrong with interactive educational games on the xbox.

 

Q3: What are some no-fail play date activities?

Lilac_the_bunny Outdoor things…bubbles are always fun, playing sports, running around.

Thebigtoybook  My kids love to try and play tag running around the stair case.  Possibly their favpass time – even with ALL the toys.

Saving4someday My daughter liked legos or a craft or playing anything make believe.

ToyQueen I like sometimes using board games and play-doh, has a little structure but not too much, when I work with groups.

Peggysbooks We build forts – giant ones, inside or out.  Dress up and crafty stuff always on hand.

Mommyinstincts Or outdoor things like water balloons.

unkatchable73 Personal play station – it’s a mini-play station.

VectoringMomma They love anything that goes VROOM, hehe!

7onashoestring I hate when others do that ignore my child.  They should play!

Saving4someday tech is difficult for a play date because not all kids use it an may not be respectful of the device.

Thebigtoybook We don’t usually bring iPad/iPhone out for playdates but on bus rides for school trips?  Kids love playing them together!

 

Q4:  How do you handle the play date aftermath?  Do you give the kids a head’s up that the play date is ending?  Any clean-up tactics?

A4CWSN ChorePad APP 4 cleaning up or iReward.

Tracyparral I tell them ahead of time and them ready to clean up.

Bctripletmommy Just give them a countdown; 30 minutes.

Jen276here Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up!

Complicatedmama My 6yr sings it but rarely does it.

Saving4someday My saying: Count down avoids the melt down!

ToyQueen Countdowns or transitional warnings we call them can be great.  You can flick the light as a visual reminder.

 

Q5: How about you as a mom?  Do you keep in touch with the moms you met in your child’s early playgroups?  Do you need the time during playgroup or play dates to have adult conversation?

Mom4everandever sometimes we make meals together.

VectoringMomma I try but I stay in contact more with all my twitter mommas, hehe!

Beeacutie2 I do we have a month get together, it is amazing!

ToyQueen I think playdates should be about supporting the kids, we can schedule mommy time without them!

Teachwtechbrox I think adult conv is ok as long as the kids needs come first.

xxkimhcxx Yes, adult conversation is always good, I just try not to use the baby words when I’m talking to them.

 

Q6: Do you encourage new your kid’s friendships or try to nurture old ones?

VectoringMomma Both!  I want my little guys to be loyal AND outgoing!

Lilac_the_bunny I think you need to let kids pick their own friends and only step in when they aren’t being nice.

unkatchable73  encourage new friendship and try to nurture the ones they have, some of which might not be easy.

Bostontwinmommy It sounds like a dream to have playmates in the house, but they rarely want to play together nicely.

 

You can get the full script by going to Twitter and looking at hashtag #RuckusPlayDate.

Five Minutes with Harold Goldberg, Author and Video Game Expert

Posted by ruckusholly on June 27th, 2011

by Holly Rosen Fink, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Consultant

June 27th, 2011

harold goldbergHarold Goldberg is the game critic for Boy’s Life America and the founder of the New York Video Game Critics Circle, as well as the author of the recently published All Your Base Are Belong to Us: How Fifty Years of Videogames Conquered Pop Culture.  
The book traces the evolution of gaming, from the first video game to the future of the industry—with 3D technology and holographic home consoles appearing just around the corner.
Seeing that Goldberg is an expert in video games, technology, animation and everything digital, we decided to get his take on digital family entertainment and its future, as well as storytelling and trends. Here’s what he had to say:
Ruckus Media: Only a select group of people today consider themselves gamers even though countless apps are downloaded and played daily – in your opinion, what constitutes a video game today?
Goldberg: There are various niches of video games: tablet games, Facebook games, console games, PC games, MMOs like World of Warcraft, mobile games. I think if it plays like a game and you use technology to access it, it’s a game. That means it has elements of a contest, perhaps some adventure, perhaps some story, perhaps some great artwork, perhaps some greater meaning beyond games, and always some great interactivity.
Ruckus Media: Digital media is rising exponentially with widespread/mainstream smartphone adoption. What trends do you see emerging as a result of this rise?
Goldberg: So, there’s the current trend of gamification, which is essentially other media using video game marketing theory to promote their businesses. Last year, transmedia was big. I’m not sure what next year’s watchwords will be. I’d like to see MMO’s that are Blizzard in quality on smartphones. I’m more interested in great games than I am in trends. But I would love to see 3-D games on smartphones and big screen TVs without glasses. The latter is coming and I can’t wait.
Ruckus Media: What makes a digital story (video game, animation, etc.) compelling?
Goldberg: Great writing! It starts with great writing. Don’t force story in after you’ve designed a game. Be like Ken Levine at Irrational Games and bring the story along with the game design right from the beginning.
Ruckus Media: What are the top breakthroughs/trends you see in digital family entertainment?
Goldberg: I saw new ways of using Kinect this year at E3. Wouldn’t it be great if they somehow used smartphones in conjunction with Kinect as far as gameplay goes? I think Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure is an interesting concept from Activision. Bobby Kotick showed me Skylanders at E3 this year and I like the idea that you can save the game on an action figure. Then you can take the action figure to another console at your pal’s house and play. And it doesn’t matter if you have the PS3 and he or she has the Wii. It still works cross-platform. I think PlayStation Vita will have some interesting augmented reality games. And the new Skyward Sword: any new Zelda game has some breakthroughs in it.
Ruckus Media: What would you suggest parents consider when deciding on digital media for theirHarold Goldberg children?
Goldberg: Know your child and know yourself. You’ll want to limit a child’s play if you see them playing for too long. So familiarize yourself with parental controls on your console. And if your child is playing online with, say, Moshi Monsters, take the time to check out the parental controls for your PC, which are a little different from those on a Wii, Xbox 360 or PS3.
Ruckus Media: What are some common mistakes parents make with children and media?
Goldberg: The medium is not evil. It’s not going to hurt your child. It’s likely not going to addict your child. As long as you’re vigilant, your child is going to be helped by games, not hurt by games.  Even though I’m older, I still find that kids’ games give me a real child-like sense of wonder. And with games like Civilization, I often learn something. You’ll find that, too, if you take the time to play with your child. Ask them questions about the game. Engage them. Make them feel like you care about games – even if it’s in a different, more mature way than they do.
Ruckus Media: What apps do you use? Any you would recommend?
Goldberg: Of course, I played the heck out of Angry Birds and Cut the Rope. PopCap games are great and I still play Plants vs. Zombies. New games I’ve played include Storm in a Teacup from Chillingo. It’s a charming platformer with bright colors, a cute world to play in and a terrific challenge, too. And it’s really inexpensive.
Ruckus Media: Should a parent limit a child’s use of digital media, even educational media?
Goldberg: It sounds corny, but the phrase ‘too much of a good thing’ is still used for a reason. There are so many things to do out of doors during the summer from baseball to concerts to plays to camping. The well-rounded kid is the kid that succeeds in life. So I believe in moderation in everything.
Ruckus Media: What advice do you have for developers today? What would you change/like to see in the future?
Goldberg: Please bring us better stories and better writing. Take us into your world with drama that makes us feel awe.  Give us that essential suspension of disbelief. That’s what the people at Pixar do for movies: and they do it by thinking of story first. Only then do they think of computer graphics. Story is the last grail for game makers.  They need to put as much effort into story as they do for graphics.
Ruckus Media: Do you see the mobile app world being limited to Android and iOS?
Goldberg: I wouldn’t say so. Windows phones are getting better. And just when you believe that a certain operating system has a hold on the world, something new comes around to change that. That’s the beauty of the games world. Everyone is agile. Everyone is trying to think of the next new thing.
Ruckus Media: Digital media continues to evolve and change – is there anything you foresee becoming a major trend in the next 5-10 years?
As I mentioned above, the story will become bigger, and so will 3-D without glasses.  If console makers continue to rely on franchise games, independently made games will be the games people look to for innovation. My guess is that, as the economy creeps back to a semblance of normalcy, the big game makers will take bigger chances again with games that aren’t sequels. And maybe in the 10-15 year time frame, we’ll begin to see holographic games. The experiments thus far are promising. Kids could reach out and hug Phineas and Ferb! Your favorite characters might even tuck your kids in a night.
You can learn more about Harold on his web site.
Note: Source of photo above: http://www.ifc.com

Join Us for a Twitter Party to Talk about Chuck & Friends, as well as Play Dates on June 28th, 10-11pm EST

Posted by ruckusholly on June 21st, 2011

by Holly Rosen Fink, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Consultant

June 23rd, 2011

Chuck and Friends

Our new app, Chuck & Friends: Friends for the Long Haul, is one big play date: Chuck, Handy, Rowdy and Boomer are chasing bad guys, making noise, playing in the mud and having four-alarm fun.

The ongoing story of Chuck & Friends is all about friendship. Whenever Chuck and his pals get together, they always wind up having a whirlwind of adventure and fun while trying to stay out of trouble with their parents.

How important are your child’s friendships to you?   Do you nurture their relationships and set up play dates?  During these play dates, do you set up activities and make sure they have particular toys to play with?  Come discuss your play date issues and more with us and panel of bloggers (to be announced).

Come hang out with us on Tuesday, June 28th from 10-11pm EST at hashtag #RuckusPlayDate on Twitter (or on TweetGrid, TweetDeck or TweetChat, whichever platform you prefer) for a discussion on play dates.  We’ll have great giveaways provided by our friends at Playskool, including a few sets of both Chuck & Friends Big Air Dare DVDs and Chuck & Friends Tumble Towers.  We’ll also have plenty of  Chuck & Friends: Friends for the Long Haul apps on hand to give away, as well.

If you’re not already following us, we’re on Twitter at @RuckusMedia. RSVP for the Twitter party here and while you are at it, please join us on Facebook for the latest and greatest on Ruckus. Be sure to check out our videos on You Tube, sign up for our RSS feed and pick up our apps on iTunes.

Look forward to “seeing” you then!

Bumpers Up! “Chuck & Friends: Friends for the Long Haul” Available on iTunes Now

Posted by ruckusholly on June 14th, 2011

by Holly Rosen Fink, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Consultant

June 14h, 2011

Chuck and FriendsA few months ago, we announced that we were collaborating with Hasbro in developing interactive storybook applications based on Hasbro brands across all digital platforms.

Today marks the launch of our partnership and we are so excited to announce that our first co-branded app, Chuck & Friends: Friends for the Long Haul, is available in iTunes today!

Friends for the Long Haul is part of the Tonka Chuck and Friends brand.

If your kids already love Chuck & Friends, they’ll love our new app.  If they’re not familiar yet, they’ll love this interactive reading adventure.  It’s ideal for young truck-lovers, fans of HUB TV and Hasbro toys. Bold graphics and bright colors make Chuck & Friends: Friends for the Long Haul an enjoyable and engaging way to learn to read.

Chuck & Friends: Friends for the Long Haul is available on iTunes for $3.99 for Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Additional Hasbro storybook apps, My Little Pony and Transformers Prime, to be published in the coming months.

Some of the app’s original features include:

·       An original story of more than 70 “pages”.Chuck and Friends

·       Narrative-driven matching, touch and reveal and spelling activities progress the adventure and teach letter recognition, picture/word association and basic problem solving.

·       Read along, play along and record your voice: Users can read the story, have it read to them, or even record their own voice for a personalized reading experience.

·       Words illuminate as Chuck tells the story, enhancing basic reading comprehension.

·       Randomized activities provide multiple learning adventures.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest updates on Chuck & Friends, where you’ll also find giveaways throughout the day to celebrate the app’s release.

Twitter Party Wrap-Up: A Conversation with David A. Carter

Posted by ruckusholly on June 9th, 2011

 

by Holly Rosen Fink, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Consultant

June 9th, 2011

Spot the DotOur recent Twitter party was a bit of an experiment.  We asked the brilliant artist and creator of our latest Spot the Dot app, David A. Carter (@PopArt123), to join us in a conversation with our followers.  It was unlike anything we had done on Twitter before, and we didn’t know how it would turn out.  Needless to say, not only us, but everyone who came to the party, really seemed to enjoy being in a room with one of our app creators and loved having the opportunity to ask him everything – about his work, his career, Spot the Dot and for advice on breaking into the app business.  We talked about the development of Spot the Dot, the creativity and technology behind the app, as well as Carter’s inspirations.  It was a night to remember for many of us.  We’ve included just a few of our favorite comments in this short wrap-up for your perusal.

 

Q1 – David, how did you transition from paper engineer to app designer?  How did you bring pop art to life?  Everyone, are the concepts David introduced (i.e. counting, colors, shapes) important to you?

PopArt123: Creating an app is similar in that both are interactive. I try to integrate the interactivity into the concept.

FamiGo: Interactivity is definitely what takes a book app beyond a regular paper&ink book, +great for making reading fun 4 kids too!

PopArt123: I work mostly from drawings the straight to Illustrator.

mamagames: Concepts like counting, colors, shapes are important not just to my 4 yo but to 8 yo working on creating & appreciating art.

 

Q2 – David, can you talk about the process of creating an app?  How does working digitally compare to developing a physical book?

PopArt123: We start with an idea then work with the developer to make it happen.

DSloanandco: @popart123says Bruno Munari has influenced his work. Here’s a link to some Munari artwork: http://goo.gl/UhHqa.

PopArt123: The editor Marc Cheshire and I designed the interactivity.

A4CWSN: If it is a Story, it has to be a good Story, otherwise people will forget it.

PopArt123: es I use the computer along with traditional methods for my print work.

moglueDOTcom: I agree, a story has to be a good story that people don’t forget it!

ostmega: I like it when an app (or digital book of any kind) highlights the words as their read. Helps with recognition.

brooks_jones: Randomization is key for re-play value–plus it adds interest for the adults too.

hoppingfun: Emotional immersion. Optimal use of video, text, audio, interaction to achieve it.

teachermomoftwo:  I think digital literacy appeals to the millenials as well as the younger generation. Much more interactive.

 

Q3: David, let’s talk about the special effects behind Spot the Dot.  How do you hit on such great ideas to share with such young children?  How important is sound?

A4CWSN: Agame or interactive anything will become boring over time, this is fact, it has to be a good Story or theme.

PopArt123: I think about ideas a lot, I fill notebooks with ideas and I am very influenced by the Montessori classroom.

brooks_jones: High-quality sound files essential–and they must be appropriate to the story or action.

ipad_storytime: Sound is increasingly vital to an app book’s market success, but personally I like to turn off & read.

brooks_jones: I fear that my app will be outdated and trumped by better tech as soon as it appears in the app store!

 

Q4: David,what is your advice for other story creators who want to break into the story app world?

kishizuka: In SLJ’s app advisory, educators were concerned abt how to use apps in a classrm/library. Any thoughts as the creator(s)?

popart123: Like a book, you should have a good idea or story and then make sure you work with talented people.

popart123: Interactivity is #1.

mamagames: Spot the Dot encourages adults 2 sit with the young player(s) and offer another level of engagement.

mamagames: Having an app that adults enjoy right along with the kids is very important to me.

bctripletmom: Everyone, Spot the Dot in particular encourages adults 2 sit with the young player(s) and offer another level of engagement.

ostmega: Sometimes the interaction is a little too close. Almost had a fight break out here today over Spotting the Dot!

 

Q5: David, who are some of your inspirations and favorite storytellers in the digital space? Everyone, how about you?

popart123:  I like Mike Austin’s A Present for Milo, Ben Roberts’ Alice for iPad, Sesame Street’s The Monster at the End of.

letsgochipper: Roald Dahl! Danny the Champion of the World a fav.

brooks_jones: Pretty fond of the Loud Crow, Touchoo and Auyrn story apps [and Ruckus, of course].

thedomesticexec: I love all the Christmas digital stories my kids even read them in the summer:-)

ipad_storytime: I think my personal favorite is The Fine Musician.

aaallain: Ansel’s Africa is a new and upcoming interactive story app.

SimpleLeigh: My kids love digital work that goes with paper books, like Search for Wand-La app.

A4CWSN: Special needs books and apps are the future:) I don’t know how many times I have to say this, but it is true!

PopArt123: Watching my children grow and spending time in the classroom has inspired many ideas.

 

You can get the full script by going to Twitter and look at hashtag #ruckusspotdot.

Thanks to David and to everyone who came.  See you at our next Twitter Party next month about our new Hasbro-branded apps.  Details coming soon.

What are people saying about Spot the Dot?

Posted by allyson on June 8th, 2011

by Allyson Kane, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Specialist

6/8/2011

Today I took my iPad and my camera and headed over to my daughter’s pre-school. They’re ending the year with Color Week and I figured there wouldn’t ever be a better time to show the kids the perfect color related app, Spot the Dot. Today was Green day and the kids were so adorable in their green t-shirts and dresses. When I opened the door to the classroom, my daughter bounced across the carpet shouting, “Mommy! Can we show my friends Spot the Dot?” If she wasn’t already Ruckus Media’s number one fan, she is now.

I sat on the rug with them and they each took turns finding the dots. It was amazing that these three year olds took to the iPad with ease. They tapped, they swiped, they listened to the audio directions, they asked for help when the Orange, Black, and White screen appeared. They loved every second.

Here are some of the comments we’ve received on Facebook:

Madeline’s mom says: “She has taken over my iPad! I have to help her on a few levels, but she loves it. Woke up this morning saying ‘Want to play Spot the Dot!”

Amber says: Spot the Dot is worth it’s price in giggles!! Xavier loved it. It is his favorite type of game. So happy we have it on the iPad now for our airplane trip next month! Thanks Ruckus Media Group!

Amanda says: I love Spot the Dot! I just have the free version and hope to convince my school to put the full version on the ipad I get in the fall. So good for visual and listening skills!

Rachelle says: Spot the Dot is our new favorite game. I love hearing my 2 yr. old shout “I did it.” after finding each dot! A+ for ease of use. The directions are clear & concise , the colors are vivid & crisp. What a great tool for learning colors. A fantastic addition for any “Family” iPad. Thanks Ruckus.

And on blogs:

“Overall, Spot the Dot is a visually appealing app that will awe children of all ages, but may be too difficult for a toddler or preschooler to solve some of the puzzles alone because of their minimal level of patience. With time, repetition, and parental guidance, however, the youngster will be able to enjoy the app thoroughly as intended over and over.” – WestonCT Moms

Fun Educational Apps‘s review of Spot the Dot says: “Well we think that Spot the Dot is spot on! It is dynamic, eye-popping, engaging and stimulating for toddlers and pre-schoolers when learning about colors and shape. “

Gina at The Twin Coachsaid that “Your children will learn color identification, build memory skills and exercise their visual tracking and hand eye coordination.”

According to Bonnie at Sometime’s Single Mom, “[Spot the Dot] app keeps Noah entertained for quite a while. This game helps learn colors while trying to spot the dot.”

And in the news:

According to GeekDad, “Spot the Dot is the type of app I can see becoming a part of the breadth of a child’s play experience, an experience that includes playdough, cut-and-paste, hide and seek and in the 21st century some interactive screen time as well.”

“Spot the Dot is a fun way to reinforce shapes and colors for early learners. It combines the simplicity and repetitive nature of a picture book with interactive puzzles that will keep kids engaged.” – Common Sense Media

“Educationally speaking, this app is most appropriate for toddlers learning colors and shapes. The exquisite designs will catch the eye and interest of older kids, as well as the parents, and keep all entertained.” – Teachers with Apps

Curious about Spot the Dot? Find out more about Spot the Dot and David A. Carter by joining us tonight for a Twitter Party at 9pm ET using the hashtag #ruckusspotdot

Check out more reviews on iTunes and get your copy of Spot the Dot today!