Gary, I appreciate the input on SmartyCard. But, you're not quite getting the point. This is a tool for the whole family — kids and parents can do this together. Our own customer research shows that parents and kids are using SmartyCard as a supplement, and they're having fun playing educational games together. The analogy is board game night, not boob tube. Would like your reaction to that.

Perhaps that's what SmartyCard is made for, but it seems to me that most of these types of tools tend to get used as “feel good” measures that parents use to occupy their kids without feeling guilty about it.

Whether that's what it's designed for or that's how it appears to be being used wasn't the point. Gary talked about the site as a boob tube replacement because that's often how these sorts of things seem to be viewed by many. Of course, good parents will interact with their children and will use tools like SmartyCard as an asset to supplement and enhance the learning process.

However, the way the site is set up, it appears that it would more likely be used as a way to bribe children into doing “homework” rather than as a way to socialize with the child while involved in the learning process. Let's face it, more often than not bribery is how parents get their children to “behave” and any child psychologist will tell you that this is sending the wrong message to the child.

Gary doesn't seem to be knocking SmartyCard's value as a learning enhancement tool, just the social phenomenon it will likely cater to.

@Craig, SmartyCard doesn't market or suggest bribing children to do their homework. SmartyCard reinforces the universal values of learning and achievement, and provides families with supplemental learning activities that a parent can choose to use. But, to your point, we can't control usage and application within the home. I just wonder where you draw a distinctions on judging parents? It's an interesting conversation. I've heard members of the media tell me “bribing” kids for grades or learning activities is wrong and teaches the wrong values, but they give their children an allowance in exchange for completing chores. Is that wrong? Is it wrong to give children their desert only after they've eaten their vegetables? Strong viewpoints on both sides, but, I'm just wondering, where parents draw distinctions, etc. Personally, my kids are all about negotiating, my house is a marketplace where all manner of activities are on the table… sorry if that offends anyone.

I actually agree with you, though growing up, my household wasn't nearly as libertarian. I was expected to do chores and if I needed money, I had to go get it myself at a job outside of the home. I believe in discipline and teaching the value of hard work, but also in the way free market capitalism works and that these principles should be instilled in our children.

I guess where parents draw the line is up to them, in their households, to decide. I also know through experience that most parents teach their children through a combination of coercion and bribery. Whether this is right or wrong is subjective, but in my view it's not the correct way to teach children academically. Some force is necessary with all children in order to instill the basics of right vs. wrong and rewards for good behavior are also fine if used correctly.

The problem comes when parents use those rewards as the only incentive to get their kids to perform. Eventually, the child will stop doing things that don't offer instant gratification. If learning and academics are tied purely to rewards, the child learns only to parrot what's needed to get the reward and nothing more. The largest failure in our school systems today, in my mind, is the failure to teach kids to enjoy learning. Instead, they teach kids to “do it or else.” Every parent knows that this works until the child believes he or she will not be held accountable. Then the discipline is out the window.

I see real value in services such as your website, but I also see that quite often those become a crutch instead of a stepping stone.

This is pretty cool, my youngest is trying this now

This is pretty cool, my youngest is trying this now

Thanks, it’s really a knowledgeable article .Gives lot of info about smarty card. The input of the smarty card is really amazing.SmartyCard’s unique system allows kids to earn points by playing interactive educational games and quizzes, which are then redeemed for popular real-world and virtual-world rewards.