NokiaBetaLabs

Sign up to test Story Visit, a way for children and long-distance loved ones to read books together

Sesame Workshop and Nokia Research Center are inviting families to sign up to trial their Story Visit website, now under development as part of a research project. 

As the site overview says, "Story Visit is a new website where children and long-distance loved ones can read story books together using video conferencing and connected story books: When a grown-up turns the page, the child's page turns along with it, and if the child points to something on his screen, the grown-up can see that on their screen too."

The only requirements for participating in the trial are:

• You have at least one child between the ages of two and five
• You commit to having your child use Story Visit with a remote friend or relative as often as you would like over a period of one month
• Both parties need to have a computer with internet connection and webcam (e.g. a built-in camera)
• You will need to fill out a brief questionnaire before beginning.
• At the end of the one month period you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire about your family’s experiences with the system.

To sign up for the trial and to read more about the program, please visit the Story Visit website.