“Your kids’ first email” is the tagline of Maily, a free iPad app that’s just launched.
And if you’re thinking that your four-year-old can’t write, let alone send emails, this clever app lets them send visual messages, photos taken with the iPad camera. doodles, scribbles and paintings. Your child can then decide who to send to via a list of contacts created by you. The pictures go to their normal email addresses, but if they want to reply, they log into Maily’s website to use its adults’ dashboard, and replies go to your child’s inbox in the Maily app.
Here’s a bit more detail from the Maily website:
I don’t think this app will be for all parents – some might think their kids too young, or feel that when the time is right, their schoolkids can start using a real email application. I’m in two minds – my son is very tech and iPad savvy and this will probably help his developmental and sharing skills. But I also don’t want him to think that emailing a doodle to Grandpa can replace creating a painting, sticking it on the fridge, or giving it Grandpa. But perhaps, like with everything, it rests with parents to teach their children the importance of face-to-face interaction and communication side by side with technology.
Via Guardian
