2009 Conference Presentations

The video recordings of the presentations are available on this website's video page. Please click here to view the videos.

Growing up digital shapes the way kids play today and will heavily influence the world they'll create when they grow up. Kids@Play Summit examines the role of technology in digital toys, services and devices, and looks closely at how the digital environment is preparing the next generation for the future. Some of the industry's most important thinkers, inventors, educators and a few celebs will share their best wares and keenest insights into the markets created for and demands of digital kids.

8:00 AM-8:30 AM   Welcome to the Kids@Play Summit
    This was a year of the big shifts in attitudes about technology and kids. Researchers are beginning to understand the implications and the benefits of online play and exploration.  Parents, many of whom grew up with consumer electronics, are more accepting (even embracing) of technology to give their kids an edge and keep the family connected.  Susan Tave Zelman, Sr. VP at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will set the stage for a day filled with the promise of technology at its best.
   

Speakers: Robin Raskin introduces Susan Tave Zelman, Corporation for Public Broadcasting

     
8:30 AM-8:50 AM   Keynote: Pockets of Potential
    Join Sesame Workshop’s Gary Knell as he reveals the latest report from The Joan Ganz Cooney Center on the current and potential uses of handheld devices for children’s learning and the emerging best practices worldwide.
   

Speaker: Gary E. Knell, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sesame Workshop

 
8:55 AM-9:15 AM   Redefining "Play" in the Digital Space
    A few surprise announcements could be in store from the storied toymaker. Join this duo for an intimate discussion of toys and technology.

Presenters:

  • Andrea Smith, News and Technology Producer, ABC News Radio
  • Chuck Scothon, GM & SVP Digital Media, Mattel
 
9:20 AM-10:05 AM   Games That Change How We Play - Jr. Edition
    Many lament the passage of the era of "imagination-driven" toys, but moderator and toy historian Scott Traylor suggests that the Age of Imagination is as golden as ever. Join him and panelists who specialize in delighting kids with innovative play.
    Moderator: Scott Traylor, Chief KID, 360KID
    Panelists:
10:05 AM-11:00 AM   Games That Change How We Play - Sr. Edition
    As kids mature, digital life is the center of how they entertain themselves, communicate and get educated.  How are the technologies empowering these future digital citizens of the world?
    Moderator: Rachel Dretzin, Producer/Director, PBS Frontline
    Panelists:
  • Larry Andreini, ZEO, RIDEMAKERZ
  • Alice Cahn, VP of Social Responsibility, Cartoon Network
  • John Davison, Founder and CEO, What They Play
  • Ellen LaPointe, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, HopeLab
  • Boyd Wedin, Creative Director, Jazwares
11:05 AM-12:05 AM   Disruptive Technologies in Kids' Education
  Serious games, online education, and pen based computing are just a few of the technologies transforming learning. Will these technologies disrupt education as we know it? Hear from experts with a range of perspectives on what works and what's on the horizon.
    Moderator: Susan Tave Zelman, Senior VP,  Corporation for Public Broadcasting
    Panelists:
 
12:05 PM-12:30 PM   State of the Union – Kids and the Internet
 

Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Internet & American Life Foundation, provides an insightful, numbers-driven analysis of how digital kids are using and shaping technology.

 
12:30 PM-1:15 PM   Lunch with Parry Aftab, McAfee’s Family Internet Safety Advisor
 

From the mouths of teens — what the industry needs to know.

 
1:15 PM-2:15 PM   Social Networking: It's in Their DNA
    Kids  always love to communicate, but social networking takes communicating to new levels.  Hear from the latest developers of social networks to find how this great social experiment in connecting people to people is maturing and how CE devices figure into the equation.
    Moderator: Parry Aftab, Founder, WiredTrust
    Panelists:
 
2:20 PM-2:25 PM   A Moment with Intel
 

Intel plans to unveil a new design, adding to its Intel-powered classmate PC family at CES this year. The company will show off this latest design targeting the education space during our Kids@Play Summit.

 
2:25 PM-3:20 PM   Internet Safety Without the Scare Tactics
    The Internet Safety conversation has gone way beyond not giving out your name in cyberspace. Hear what speakers from the major stakeholders in technology are doing to make keeping safe on the Internet more proactive and less downright scary.
    Moderator: Linda Criddle, President, LookBothWays, Inc.
   

Panelists:

 
3:30 PM-4:00 PM   What's Dust and What's Magic?
    A spirited look at the best and worst of 2008 and what we can learn from them in 2009.
   

Presenter: Warren Buckleitner, Editor, Children's Technology Review

 
4:00 PM-4:30 PM   The Teen Report
    Ypulse founder, Anastasia Goodstein takes a look at how the teen scene and social networking have taken off, and gives us a tour of the new "it" places. 

Moderator: Anastasia Goodstein, Founder and Editor-In-Chief, Ypulse.com

 
4:30 PM-5:15 PM   Keeping Families Together: How Technology Helps
    The newest generation of parents use technology to keep in better touch with their kids than any generation before them.  From storybook-age to Facebook-age, from their first play cellphones to their grown up iPhones, parents are looking to technology to be part of the glue in family life.

Moderator: Michelle Slatalla, Columnist, New York Times

Panelists:

  • Robbie Cape, CEO and Co-Founder, Cozi Group
  • Kyle Cox, President, Firefly
  • Benjamin Grimley, Sr. Director, PBS Interactive Businesses
  • Joe Cerquone, Listen to Your Buds, ASHA
5:15 PM-5:45 PM   Playing to Win
    Whether it's sports, music, simulations, or casual games, Electronic Arts dominates the landscape and recognizes the importance of being on every platform where games are played.  What's the winning formula for great game development and what's on EA's radar for the near future?
   

Presenter: Rod Humble, Executive Vice President, the Sims, Electronic Arts