Welcome human, to a new world controlled by voice tech!
Kidding. Sort of.
Although we’re far from an all-out takeover, voice assistants are quickly taking control over how we interact with tech and therefore how we learn, stay entertained and go about our lives.
Kind of scary for some, but an exciting opportunity for others – our kids. Or as we’ve affectionately dubbed them, Generation Voice.
This new lot of curious minds tend to catch onto tech a lot faster than the rest of us. So, before we sit back, scoff and start the, “back in my day” speech, we should make sure they’re learning to use this abundance of tech for good. For example, encouraging their natural curiosity and sense of wonder in the world around them.
How? It can be as simple as incorporating a piece of voice tech in your home to encourage endless questions, like:
“Why is the sky blue?”
“Will carrots really give me X-Ray vision?”
While voice tech provides the initial answer, we can build on what’s said by starting a conversation or suggesting ways kids can rephrase a question.
As the Ministry of Health points out, digital devices help kids learn, but they learn even better when an adult supports them.
Kids are eager to engage with voice tech in all sorts of ways, as this MIT study found; from asking it how it works, to asking it to tell a joke.
Once they get the hang of it, they might just start teaching you how it all works!
So, what are you waiting for? Get familiar with the range of voice assistants built into phones, watches, speakers and headphones at Spark, and get ready for Generation Voice.
Or, more importantly, their questions!