April 20, 2018

A Sioux Falls educational tech company has redesigned flashcards, bringing them into the digital age.

Montessorium has been working on the project for the past six months, said Bobby George, who owns the business with his wife, June. As they have with previous educational apps, they’re collaborating with app developer Y Media Labs.

The “smart flashcards for curious kids” are called Tooder. They’re designed for children age 3 to 9.

“We were bewildered that no one had really thought to redesign flashcards, let alone make them smarter. So that’s exactly what we did,” George said.

Tooder includes flashcard packs for learning about the alphabet, numbers, colors, multiplication, dinosaurs, U.S. capitals and more. When a child holds up a card to the camera on an iPad, the app responds and works with the child through the set. Using offline artificial intelligence, the app learns what the child needs help remembering and continues to create personalized learning experiences.

“Pairing cutting-edge technology — including image-recognition, artificial intelligence and augmented reality — with flashcards, we’re setting out to help more children learn,” George said.

Montessorium has started a Kickstarter campaign for funding to bring them into full production. The project has a $50,000 goal, and supporters will receive flashcard packs. The app is free.

Tooder has drawn the attention of a staff writer at Forbes.com, who introduces the Georges with the story of how Apple co-founder Steve Jobs encouraged them as a startup.

The Georges launched Montessorium in 2010 and have created several educational apps, which have been downloaded more than 2.5 million times.

They also own Baan Dek Montessori and write Montessori-inspired children’s books.