Name: Toy tiles that talk to each other
Uploaded: 2009-02-12T09:35:00Z
Duration: 6 min 55 s
Description: MIT grad student David Merrill demos Siftables -- cookie-sized, computerized tiles you can stack and shuffle in your hands. These future-toys can do math, play music, and talk to their friends, too. Is this the next thing in hands-on learning?

David Merrill: Toy tiles that talk to each other

Toy tiles that talk to each other

MIT grad student David Merrill demos Siftables -- cookie-sized, computerized tiles you can stack and shuffle in your hands. These future-toys can do math, play music, and talk to their friends, too. Is this the next thing in hands-on learning?

Physical interaction helps people grasp complex ideas, just as playing with blocks shapes a child’s thinking. Tiny, interactive computers called Siftables can be stacked, shuffled, and manipulated to solve math problems, compose music, or tell stories. Children naturally invent games with these tiles, often needing little to no instruction. By bringing digital information into the physical world, these tools make learning and creativity more intuitive.