Having ample eLearning in my portfolio I'm always intrigued with how the modern day education companies are taking their products to the next level. Recently, my wife Shannon read and purchased a product from Leap Frog called the "Tag Junior". This amazing little batch of technology was not only reasonably priced but had my 21 month old daughter Sydney playing in less than a day.
For you tech geeks you'll be amazed with the toy 'reader' that it comes with. It is a small laser/infrared (#AREA 51) scanner that references differentiation in the printing on each book. Then when you roll over and depress on a particular section of the page, say for instance an animal, noises and associated story elements come to life in audio. Mind you, you will need a computer (and internet connection) to download the book into the hand-held reading toy. It's no wonder it's been winning toy awards left and right. The key to learning toys is usability, and with the Tag Junior being aimed at the 2 - 4 year market and it passed my test – Sydney loves it!
God, this sounds like I got paid for this article – I wish.
Article Addendum:
Upon telling my wife that I posted this article she brought to my attention that the product also allows you to track your child's progress. It provides metrics based on activity, including but not limited to: favorite pages, and specific locations on pages most engaged with. You can even program the device to say your childs name – creepy.
For the price (approximately $35, plus additional books are about $10) these are a great tool for learning and tracking the progress of your child.