Assembling the foremost thought leaders in the areas of children’s play and learning, media, and toy and game development, the 2010 Sandbox Summit®, promises to reveal future trends and expert predictions about how – and with what – future generations will play.

Cambridge, Mass. (Vocus/PRWEB ) May 7, 2010 — Assembling the foremost thought leaders in the areas of children’s play and learning, media, and toy and game development, the 2010 Sandbox Summit®, promises to reveal future trends and expert predictions about how – and with what – future generations will play.

“Sandbox Summit is about understanding the context and the content of children’s play today and in the future,” says Wendy Smolen, Sandbox Summit cofounder. “Technology is moving us forward at such a rapid pace and on so many different platforms, that we need to look at this topic from multiple angles. This is the one conference where researchers and game and toy developers come together to discuss where we have been and where we are going.”

Taking place May 18 and 19 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA, attendees will be the first to hear, see and discuss the future of children’s play with those on the frontlines of development. As if looking into a crystal ball, attendees will be absorbed by topics such as:

1. Where will kids be playing tomorrow? Now they’ve got the iPad and the Wii, but what’s next?

Kids today move seamlessly through multiple dimensions in their pursuit of fun. Today’s tech play will all-too-soon become tomorrow’s traditional play. Sandbox Summit presenters will explore all facets of this evolution while also looking to the next frontier of play.

2. Why “transmedia” is today’s buzzword and how it is transforming Hollywood and the home.

Returning to his roots at MIT, Henry Jenkins, now Provost’s Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, will deliver the opening keynote address, “Toying with Transmedia, The Future of Entertainment is Child’s Play,” which will take a close look at Hollywood’s recognition of the larger implications of a world where every story, image, and sound plays out across multiple media channels.

“Transmedia is transforming children’s play landscape,” comments Jenkins. “The Sandbox Summit is an opportunity to share our current thinking and bring the conversation from the labs to the family room.”

3. Can video games make science hip?

With the Obama administration’s focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum, the Sandbox Summit will explore how new play platforms can make these subjects enticing and accessible young learners, anytime and anywhere.

Sponsors:
The 2010 Sandbox Summit is presented by the MIT Education Arcade and sponsored by VTech, Toy Industry Association, Inc., (TIA), frog design, Inc., The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Techno Source, Women in Children’s Media (WiCM), and YPulse.

A limited number of seats are still available at SandboxSummit.org.

About Sandbox Summit®
Sandbox Summit® is a highly respected series of conferences that explores how technology affects the way kids play, learn and connect. As technology is woven into every part of our children’s lives, Sandbox Summit raises the bar on questions surrounding the use and development of new playthings and play spaces. Through high-energy panels, innovative demonstrations, original research, and thought-provoking discussions with industry leaders, analysts, journalists, educators and parents, each Summit strategically intermingles disciplines and viewpoints to bring fresh ideas to every event and never talks to a room full of nodding heads.

Media Contact:
360 Public Relations
Skye McIntyre
617.585.5773

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Tags: children's play, henry jenkins, MIT, press release, sandbox summit, transmedia