Family Tech Blog

Category: Tutorial

  • Mobile Device Vocabulary Lesson 3: Messaging

    Mobile Device Vocabulary Lesson 3: Messaging

     

    Our kids and teenagers are communicating more differently than ever before. The note being passed from desk to desk has been replaced with words typed on a screen. Long phone conversations with friends every evening have given way to short, emoji laced text messages with pictures, videos, animated images, and links to other online content. Communication has evolved, or at least changed and it’s more common than you may have ever imagined. Just look at these statistics from April of 2015.

    73% of teenagers have a smartphone and 91% of those teens text. Teenagers send and recieve and average of 30 text per day. (PEW Research Center)

    More than nine out of ten teens who own a smartphone give and receive an average of 30 text messages every single day. That means, your child texts. The following abbreviations/phrases will give you greater insight to what messenger apps are capable of.  (more…)

  • Mobile Device Vocabulary Lesson 2: Gaming (1)

    Mobile Device Vocabulary Lesson 2: Gaming (1)

     

    Smartphones and tablets have brought a whole new set of tools to game developers. It’s critical that you, as a parent, understand some of the language used in the descriptions of these games. Since you know your kids you’re the only one that can decide if a certain game is dangerous for your child or not. For instance, our oldest is pretty analytical and has an addictive personality. Because of these traits we are very careful how much time he has in front of a screen, especially in un-controlled, purely recreational activity. We know that he can get obsessive very quickly so we have some pretty strict boundaries on his screen time. Hopefully the following terms (the first three of six gaming terms) will help you better understand some game descriptions so you can pick the right ones for your kids.  (more…)

  • Mobile Device Vocabulary Lesson 1

    Mobile Device Vocabulary Lesson 1

     

    Lesson 1 – Why you should know this basic Mobile Device Vocabulary

    To handle a language skillfully is to practice a kind of evocative sorcery.  – Charles Baudelaire (Poet)

    Working with digital devices requires the knowledge of a certain language. If you understand what certain words mean you are able to know what is happening in a certain device with just a glance. As parents, it is imperative that we can understand the activities our children are engaging in on their smartphones, tablets, and computers. This is why the thirteen words in this tutorial, of sorts, will be so powerful in your hands as a parent. (more…)

  • Your Family Device Security Checklist

    Your Family Device Security Checklist

     

    There are many steps to take in order to start protecting your family online. Below is the checklist from our book What’s in Your Pocket? (more…)

  • You Need a “Device Contract” with Your Kids

    You Need a “Device Contract” with Your Kids

     

    In our book What’s in Your Pocket? we emphasise online and offline involvement in your child’s digital life. The fact is that…

    You can talk to your kids until you’re blue in the face about the internet, but if you aren’t keeping tabs on what they are accessing, you’re not doing all you can to help them. On the other hand, you can keep watch like a hawk on what your kids do online, but if you never talk to them about it, you’re just gaining knowledge that you never use to make any change. You have to put forth the effort on both fronts.

    (more…)

  • How to Find Your Operating System

    How to Find Your Operating System

    Excerpt from our book, What’s in Your Pocket?

    Finding your operating system is the first step to protecting your children online. Follow the process outlined for your device below to learn how to lookup the controls tutorials that meet your needs.  (more…)