Children today are wired for the digital age. They grow up using all the technological devices around them, they seem to know what to do without thinking. I always tell my college students that they are digital natives and I am a digital immigrant. I have to study each device and read the user’s guide before I can operate a device. They just do it naturally. I witnessed a two year in a stroller constantly interrupting her mother who was talking to a friend. The mother simply handed her child her cell phone and the child went about playing a game on the phone now happy. Problem solved.
With this in mind, Fast Company has listed a few Google apps of which you may not be aware.
- FAMILY LINK – it gives you the ability to deny or approve apps on your family phones, provides reports about which apps they have been using and for how long, and limit screen time, and keep track of their location. There are also teacher approved apps that you can add to their phones remotely.
- TASKS – this is a t-do-list manager that integrates with Gmail and Calendar. Everything’s always synchronized.
- ARTS & CULTURE – can’t go there? This app offers more than 2000 museums to explore online, daily rotating art topics, over 100,000 works of art. There is a games section with virtual coloring books, crosswords, and other puzzles. Be sure to check out the Expeditions section which offers many virtual field trips as well.
- YOUTUBE KIDS – a kid friendly version of Youtube for children up to age 12. You can choose to grant them access to videos in the 0-to-4, 5-to-8, or 9-to-12 age ranges.
- PHOTOSCAN – Can’t keep track of all of your photos of the kids. Let this app do it for you. You simply use your phone to snap a picture of your picture and PhotoScan will detect the borders of the photo, straighten it out, brush it up, and upload it to your Google Photos account for safekeeping.
As I said, I am a digital immigrant. But I hope this helps all of you young parents out there trying to keep up with your kids. GOOD LUCK!
lifetimeteaching 