June 28th, 2008
Listen to Episode 2: Technology: Productive or Destructive? [ 51 min 19 s | 35.26 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (48)How does technology fit into your home?
We discussed this article from SheGeeks.net
Naomi uses tech to keep herself and her two busy teenage girls organized and in touch at all times. Naomi’s second brain of choice is a BlackBerry. Texting is their main form of communication when they’re apart. At the time of this recording, Naomi’s girls are in to JamGlue, Millsberry and Meezfor their social networking.
Melissa says, [technology] “…it wouldn’t be our home without it.” Melissa and her husband use Apple’s iCal and their iPods to keep their marriage healthy by syncing calendar entries so the bills get paid on time. iPods go beep in the night at their house.
Tip
Set up an email account for your baby while they are little. You and other family members can write letters to the child and then when s/he is old enough to read, it will be a fun activity for him/her. Use simple language, large formatted text and pictures. (Most email programs now and later will support formatting.) Think about writing for the future. It’s a great way for extended family members to be an active and positive part of your baby’s life now and later. Make digital keep-sakes by emailing them your favorite poem or tell them about a favorite book you read when you were their age. Gmail and Yahoo! are both free email services with customizable landing page interfaces.
Melissa reviews AlphaBaby.
Liana uses Brightkite to keep in touch with her mom. (She’s such a good girl.)
Is there such a thing as Internet addiction?
At home and at school, parents and caregivers should strive to keep a healthy balance between screen time and other activities that focus on playing outside or board games with the rest of the family. Choose tech games that promote activity like the Wii. Climb REAL trees! Or make a Wii game that simulates it and let Liana beta test it for you.
Are gadgets making us dumber?
The Moms agree technology isn’t making us dumber – we’re more resourceful and need to adapt. We discussed this article from Crunchgear.com. Do you remember the Dewey Decimal System?
How do you balance old-school with new-school to meet your information needs?
Convenience of technology tools enables us to save time so we have more time for other things. Naomi recommends FeedJournal, an app that prints out your favorite RSS feeds (like Moms Gone Geek) to simulate a newspaper.
Picks of the Week
Ecamm’s Huckleberry
Happy 1st Birthday to the iPhone!
Tip
Store your gadgets in plastic food storage containers (preferably without food in them) to keep them safe or from getting crushed or lost. Special shout out to all our Moms Gone Geek Beta testers! Thank you for bearing with our technical difficulties while we take our first steps!
