I read Bilingual Playground by Ashley Surdin, an article addressing the growing immigrant population and bilingual students. Surdin uses Dora the Explorer as an example. Dora is a nickelodeon cartoon that is bilingual and sells toys and products that are both in English and Spanish. The Dora the Explorer Dollhouse sold more than any dollhouse on the market this year.
There is a huge demand for bilingual products right now and that means that many things need to change in the classroom. Technology is helping children learn languages to bridge the culture gap. I was surprised to read about this because I did not know these bilingual toys were so popular. I also had no idea that these toys were used as a learning tool. I believe that as our country becomes more globalized, the classroom dynamics start to change bit by bit and teachers are going to need to be prepared.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toytalk12feb12,0,3828719.story?coll=la-home-business
