Parents can often look at the negative effects of technology, especially on their children. From hacking and identity theft to bullying and trolling we hear and read about these cyber-attacks on daily basis. It’s not surprising we worry when our children are spending hours in front of a screen, whether on their phone, tablet or laptop instead of getting some exercise and playing outside in the fresh air. Then there is the question of how this affects their health, no exercising or face to face socialising can have lasting effects on their emotional and physical wellbeing. Technology can have a bad reputation however as it’s not going to go away, we all need to grasp the positive aspects that can enhance and streamline our busy lives.
Parent’s schedules are essential to get everyone where they need to be and on time but technology can help. Online calendars that every member of the family can access from a variety of devices can effectively streamline your week and coordinate everyone’s activities.
Using your mobile seems an obvious one but are you getting the most out of your phone? Not just for calls, texts and social media, think of how apps could improve your life. From banking to lists and kids GPS tracker devices so you can see them on your phone wherever you are, apps can entertain your children or help organise your life. They are often free too so get downloading and use them to advantage. Talking of apps, there are some that can monitor your child’s online activity. As it’s nigh on impossible to supervise what your children are doing online 24/7, why not turn the tables and use more technology to keep them safe.
Joining and communicating via your children’s school or class website or groups is a straightforward and efficient way to keep an eye on everything you need to know as well staying in touch with other parents.
Whether you work or are a stay at home mum, online banking can change your world. It’s been around for a while, I know but if you don’t use it, give it a go. You can check your accounts, pay your bills and transfer money. You can also keep control of your direct debits without having to call or go into your bank. There’s no point visiting the high street if you don’t need to and best of all, you can do all of this at any time of the day.
One of the most positive aspects of the internet is access to information. You can read and learn practically anything online. It’s a world of knowledge at your fingertips and using educational websites to help with your children’s homework is a huge bonus. They can access the information they need swiftly and in as great detail as necessary. For younger children, it’s also good practise for future years for projects, studying or researching in the workplace. It will also help you answer those difficult questions like ‘how are clouds made?’!
Are you losing sleep over losing your precious photos? Are they pile up on cameras, phones and cards? It’s always a big job sorting through them, saving, storing them and remembering to back them up. Why not use online photo sites to store and print or to create photo albums. Easy to access by all of the family.
To gain the most out of technology, keep abreast of innovation, read about new software and apps and match them with the areas of your life you want to streamline. You then can use the precious time you have left doing something you really love like a country walk with the family!
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