PeeWee PC, maker of children’s computer products, is starting something called PeeWee Academy. It is a 6-week course for kids covering some basic computer skills. Along with the course each student will be given a PeeWee Pivot 2.0 HR Tablet Laptop. This is a rugged, child-proof laptop that is designed with kids in mind.
The course will teach things like how to get around a computer and use the Windows operating system. They will also learn “… how to access, create and save information on a computer as well as understand the basic concepts of hardware and software,” said April Moss who put together PeeWee Academy’s curriculum.
The course is taught by certified instructors. The child’s progress can be seen in “an online progress book” that shows a parent how well his or her child is doing in the course.
One school that is taking advantage of the service is Beth Schmuel Montessori School in Coral Gables, Florida. They will go through it with their kids start the third week of June.
PeeWee Pivot 2.0 HR Tablet Laptop
The PeeWee Pivot 2.0 HR Tablet Laptop is a convertible notebook. For $599 you get a convertible computer with netbook-like power and a rotating touch screen. It runs an Intel Atom processor and is an Intel-powered Classmate PC meaning it should withstand the punishment the average primary aged kid can deliver. They are drop and spill resistant and made of a rubber case. They have handles for the kids to carry them around. The PeeWee Pivot 2.0 HR comes installed with 15 games designed to teach and security software to protect your kids while online.
PeeWee PC in Tablet Mode
The computer was demoed on a local tv station in Madison below:
PeeWee PC also makes educational software and introduced two new titles. The first is called Pix Writer. It helps kids with writing and vocabulary in a visual way. The other is called Picture It. Teachers and speech pathologists can use this program to help children’s languages skills in a classroom or in therapy. It has 10,500 pictures in areas including life skills, history, science and social studies. The two programs are available from PeeWee PC for $230 (Pix Writer) and $330 (Picture It).