Technically Trying

 Going into the summer months can be daunting when you're a working parent with kids at home. You might feel concerned about their screen time and the various un-monitored hours they could spend on their devices. Now is the best time to talk with your child about their device use and making sure that they understand you are their safe place! Use this time to confirm with your child that they can talk to you about anything . You are there to keep them safe! Remind them that you can look at their device at any time and if you are curious about something, that they will have a conversation with you and together you can work through the issue. Give them the opportunity to be outside and spend time with friends without  a device. There are lots of summer camps and fun activities this summer! Get your child out there!  I recommend creating a tech friendly summer plan to help your child feel like they're getting what they want while also getting what you feel is right for your f...

In today's digital world, kids are often more tech-savvy than we realize. One tool they might use is a VPN, or Virtual Private Network. While VPNs are commonly used for privacy and security, some children may also use them to bypass parental controls. This guide will help parents understand VPNs, recognize signs of misuse, and maintain open communication with their kids about responsible technology use. Remember, your child is really smart! Communicate your concerns with them at every turn when it comes to digital safety. You're helping them grow and become healthy tech savvy adults! What is a VPN? A VPN encrypts internet traffic and masks a user's location by routing their connection through a secure server. While this can protect privacy and secure sensitive data on public Wi-Fi networks, it also allows users to hide their online activity, which may be concerning for parents. How Kids Might Use VPNs to Bypass Parental Controls Children might use VPNs to: Access res...

 Our school is fully immersed in the Google Education field by using managed devices (Chromebooks) and Google email sign-ins. We find this to be extremely helpful for us when having AMI days or keeping track of assignments. Going the digital route has allowed us to alleviate the need for photocopies for every assignment, keeping track of paperwork, and teacher's grading hours past contract time.  But a downfall of being almost all digital is also that students get around those safe guards we have in place to monitor all of this digital activity. They are smart and they are determined! Students will find every caveat or work around they can in order to feel some independence and "stick it to the man". This is completely normal and healthy for them, especially at the ages we are giving them the technology. We, as adults, need to be aware that they will do these things, not to test us as adults, but to test themselves: Can I do it? Will I get caught? What else could I try? T...

 The week of the inauguration brought a lot of emotional turmoil for many of our American citizens. Some good emotions, some bad. But at the same time, a popular social media platform, Tik Tok, was warning its users that there was a ban coming and they would no longer have access to their content. During this short ban of just a few hours the Sunday before the inauguration, users were unable to reach their content and were very frustrated and decided to seek their content elsewhere. Here's where Deepseek came into play. Deepseek is an AI alternative that allows users to interact with a platform like Tik Tok but with the communication like ChatGPT. Its very smart and a whole lot cheaper to run than the usual AI chatbots we have access to here in America. Deepseek has been around for a while but during the time frame of the TikTok ban and leading up to that point, there was a burst of downloads for the app. This creates a huge security issue for users. There is fear that the Chinese ...

 If you've ever had a virus on your computer, you know how frustrating it is to try and save your personal files and also get rid of the virus. Sometimes it costs money to get rid of the virus because you couldn't quite figure it out yourself, or you had to completely reformat and reinstall your operating system, losing everything in the process. Your personal devices are no different. They need protection just like your tablets, computers, and home network. You have a firewall for your network, you have an antivirus program for your computer, you need protection for your hand held devices as well! Malwarebytes is an excellent tool to use to help protect your system against attacks while browsing the internet, downloading apps, or listening to your favorite podcast. (or white noise while you sleep, you do you!) They have created a mobile app that you can get for Android or iPhone through your App store. You can use the service for free to simply scan your phone manually for iss...

 Using Gmail for home or business is an easy way to gain access across all your devices to your family, friends, or work. Gmail is adaptable and can be on a smart phone or computer or even a smart TV. When you make a new Gmail account, you also gain what is called Google Drive. This drive is a cloud based storage system that is free with every Gmail account. You can keep videos, pictures, articles, spreadsheets, and so much more inside this free space hosted by Google. All Google account holders have access to Drive, Photos, Gmail, Maps and Calendar. But today, we are talking about Drive. To get to your drive, simply open your web browser and click on the 9 dots by your photo. You'll see the Drive icon looks like a triangle with the traditional Google colors.  You'll land on what Google calls "My Drive" or "Home". Either of those options are good to begin with. Inside this drive you can click around and create folders to store your things, share drive items ...

 The Christmas bustle is over, all the gifts are open, and now you're staring at a pile of technology that seems to grab your child and never let go. And you're thinking 'What have I done?'  but don't worry! There is a great way to start this year off right for your entire family! I've talked a lot about setting up parental controls and having open conversations with your child about their technology use. I've also talked about how to set the example with your own technology use and making sure you practice what you preach .  So here's some links as a reminder: Never Too Late! Become Tech Savvy Build Better Families I also recommend sitting down with your child and engaging with them on that new technology. Did they get a new Chromebook? Ask them how they navigate on it, what they usually do to entertain themselves, and allow them to show you how they play paper.io or some other browser based game they are obsessed with. What about a new Nintendo switch?...