Newsweek - USA (2019-11-29)

Periscope OPINION

on standardized tests than those who

didn’t watch the show. Through its

new, “four-beat” pause, Blue’s Clues

literally gave children time to take a

breath. They absorbed the informa-

tion offered and formulated their

own answers. It added interactivity to

the educational elements, as well as

offering more repetition and longer

narrative segments, which were found

to provide even more “stickiness” for

the educational content.

Today, we have more ways to create

media than ever before and masses of

additional research and experience in

creating quality media that kids want

to watch. Consumers have an over-

whelming amount of readily available

content and infinite delivery options.

As demographics shift, it is even more

important that we push beyond what

Sesame Street started years ago (and

continues to do today) when they used

a diverse cast and reflected underprivi-

leged children on screen. We must en-

sure that all children see themselves

represented on the screen in media.

So, what is the future of media? The

future is both positive and cautionary.

As we have seen, apps have

changed the way preschoolers play,

leaning into the intuitive nature

of the touch screen. In the future,

through story-based content, we will

see kids take even greater control,

truly propelling the story forward—

playing with characters in real time

on a smartphone or an iPad and

visually immersing themselves in

these worlds through virtual reality.

Experiments in this technological age

will create opportunities to use these

new tools to elevate the medium to-

ward a bigger purpose. We’ve already

seen some advancements in this area

background, I knew that kids were

active viewers of media. Could we use

the “passive” medium of television to

enable kids to interact, learn, play-

along, feel empowered and heard?

After much research and develop-

ment, I can safely say, yes. Hinging on

the idea that kids will interact with

any media if given time and space to

think, Blue’s Clues was born. During its

10-year run, millions of kids learned

by talking to Steve, our host, and

practiced skills by playing education-

al games with Blue. The result was

that children viewers scored better

“Can virtual reality

help kids step

into others’ shoes

and become more

empathetic?”

12 NEWSWEEK.COM

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NOVEMBER 29, 2019

“STICKY” PROGRAMMING Blues Clues

& You! brings back favorite characters like

Blue, Joe, Magenta, Mailbox and others.