My daughter is the quintessential hambone!  She just loves to entertain anyone and everyone who will listen and the most captivated audience she's found so far is...herself!  :awe:  There's not a shiny surface or mirror safe in our house.  If she can catch sight of herself, then a star-studded performance is imminent.

That's why I was sure that Riley would get a kick out of the newest electronic toy from Learning Resources, the MeCorder.  This mini video recorder actually gives you the ability to see yourself as you record.  Keep reading to learn more!

The Learning Resources MeCorder puts you in the center of the action, for YOU are the action.  This mini video recorder works in much the same way as a webcam, except that it fits in the palm of your hand and records the video internally.  Here are just a few features of the new MeCorder:

• Easily record and play back - up to 30 seconds
• Charge, download and upload via USB on PC or MAC
• Document, assess and share student progress
• Provide students with a model or activity instructions
• Combines listening, speaking and viewing
• Boosts students' 21st-century skills
• Great for special needs, speech therapy or any classroom

The MeCorder has a magnet located on its back, making it a terrific device for mounting on the refrigerator as kind of a family messaging center.  There are only three buttons on the front, so using this gadget couldn't be simpler.  The first button turns the MeCorder on and off, the second one starts and stops recordings and the third button plays back the recordings.

The MeCorder is charged via a USB connection to any laptop or desktop computer and your recordings are downloaded to your computer using this same connection.  If there is a new message which has not been viewed, the MeCorder's blue light will blink off and on, alerting you to the message.  Once viewed, the light will stop blinking.

Riley really enjoyed using the MeCorder, for she loved being able to see herself while she performed.  Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed in the short 30-second recording time of this device.  Thirty seconds is rather short, and that is truly all the video the MeCorder will hold.  That means that your child will either have to run to the computer after each recording to save their message, performance, lesson, etc. or it will simply become erased the next time they record something.

Also, I found it rather difficult to find adequate lighting so that our video would come out bright enough.  The room that Riley and I are sitting in during the recording you see below has a chandelier with (9) 100 Watt light bulbs and in my opinion, the video still came out rather dark.

The MeCorder from Learning Resources is a very kid-friendly electronic toy which will allow any child the chance to take center stage.  It's easy to use and could also serve as a perfect practice tool for speech lessons or even double as a family messaging tool.  Just remember that it will only record 30 seconds of video footage at a time!