Technology | The Angel Forever

Category Archives Technology

Big Wheel Riding

Posted on March 18, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Weather is unpredictable here in Upstate New York. If my five year old son sees the sun out, it means he wants to be outside. It may be thirty degrees and wind chills factoring in, but he wants to run and get energy out.

This weekend, he helped us to get some Passover shopping done, so we (well –er Techydad) put his new Big Wheels together. To document this experience, I pulled out my new RAZR HD phone that arrived as part of the Verizon Lifestyle Blogger program to capture some moments.

TechyDad and his little helper got most of the Big Wheel together without a problem. JSL really wanted to head outside after it was put together.

Of course, there was a little snaffu. The handle bar of the Big Wheel would not attach properly. TechyDad eventually had to stop for the evening. After Hebrew School, JSL and I went to see if Papa could help figure out another option. With some extra tools, we were able to fix the part and attach the handle bar securely.

That big smile on the kiddo made our day. It also meant it was time to go outside. While it was a gorgeous day, it was cold and windy. Keeping hands out to use my phone and camera was tricky. I snapped some photos and later made a collage to share with TechyDad, Nana, and Instagram.

A little over a year ago, I made the switch to being a Smartphone carrier, and I can’t imagine going back. Thanks to The RAZR HD, I was able to capture milestones, share them with family, and get some fun photos for blog posts.

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Blogger program, I am testing out different devices and sharing how I utilize them in my life. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own. We have been long time Verizon Wireless customers.

All of the photos were taken with my RAZR HD and I used the following apps during the day:

PicsArt for collages
Add Watermark to put ©TheAngelForever on my photos for blogging
Instagram (my Instagram) to share moments during the day on Facebook/Twitter

Categories:
me moments parenting Phone Apps Technology

Pickle Weasel App Valentine’s Day Wishes

Posted on February 14, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Months ago, I received an iPad and during this time TechyDad has never expressed any interest in using it. Then The Pickle Weasel App came out and he kept dropping hints (whining over and over) that he really wanted to try the app from The Animated Woman. This week, I finally got into my iTunes account and bought him the app.

Of course, since I was home I HAD to try it out. Come on, I had to make sure it worked before TechyDad got home. It would have been horrible for him to arrive without it working properly.

So, first I used the Valentine’s Day option to make him a special card.

Then I decided to send the Geek of my dreams a special picture (no time to “connect the dots”).

Then, I decided to channel my inner scientist, or maybe child. You can judge. Just remember Everyone Poops. Please note I was the one that showed this to my child later on who can indeed spell potty words in kindergarten (yay) and picked a different Pickle Weasel to add yellow to the scene.

Of course, since this is our house….I knew that Pickle Weasel had to be a fan of rodents as well.

Yes, the Pickle Weasel app is rated 9+ for infrequent/mild profanity or crude humor. It goes over little dudes head and he just likes to draw. Of course, I did let TechyDad have fun with the app when he got home from work. He actually shared some of his drawings on his blog. Before I go, one more Valentine’s Day wish for everyone.

Yes, I also have a major crush on JC Little’s fun fellow and her app that I will enjoy exploring more in the days ahead.

Categories:
holidays me moments Technology

Techy Kid Time – Letter Buddies Alphabet Discovery

Posted on November 25, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It should not be a surprise that I am a huge fan of educational technology. When I had a classroom of my own, I encouraged my students to utilize computers. These days not only do we have computers, but we have iPads with a wide variety of apps for children of all ages.

In the past, I reviewed an app from Cavallo Media called Letter Buddies Alpha Books. JSL was really young and we used the app to help him with speech therapy. It was a wonderful tool and I was instantly a fan of their educational resources. As time went by, they started to spend more time creating apps for the iPad, along with book and other items to go along with the Letter Buddies. When they heard that we had an iPad, we were asked to check out their Letter Buddies Alphabet Discovery app.

Here is a great video that they have to give you the highlights of the app:

Letter Buddies Alphabet Discovery for the iPad is now available on iTunes for $2.99.

What we thought:

JSL helped me to explore the new app after we entered the review code. He immediately recognized the Letter Buddies from the past and wanted to take control of the iPad.

JSL is five years old and in kindergarten. Within a few short weeks, he was a bit beyond the target group for this app. Still, he had fun meeting the letters, listening to the songs, finding animations, and checking out what each letter would reveal. He immediately said he thought that his little cousin (almost three) would probably love this app and I bet he is right.

As a parent and teacher, I really appreciate the attention to educational details that Cavallo Media place in their work. Letter Buddies Alphabet Discoveries is a great way for young children to get to meet the letters of the alphabet in a non-threatening way. They become friends and are cute characters that welcome you into their world. Pushing on the iPad to launch a hidden animation and words create way to introduce new vocabulary and letter/sound recognition (hello phonemic awareness). The pages with each group of letters are not cluttered and are easy for little fingers to explore.

I would recommend this to others looking for an interactive early literacy application for the preschool set just starting to explore their alphabet and corresponding sounds.

Disclosure: Cavallo Media supplied me with a complimentary code for my honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are 100% mine.

Categories:
Product review Technology Techy Kid Time

Photo Booth App Fun

Posted on November 11, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

My new iPad came the other day, but I had not really had time to try much. The first time I turned it on, I noticed there were several apps built-in. The Photo Booth app intrigued me when I first tried it, but I did not really have time to explore it until this weekend. Apples description of the app is:

Make that face and it’ll stay that way, courtesy of Photo Booth on iPad. It lets you take some downright nutty pictures of yourself. Or of your friends. Pose for the camera, apply an effect, and dare yourself to share it.

When you open the productivity folder on the iPad, you will see Photo Booth among other items. Then, the minute you launch it, you can see it is going to be fun to play with.

Why yes, that is my foot with multiple different effects. Photo Booth allows you to take picture using the following options:

Thermal Camera
Mirror
X-Ray
Kaleidoscope
Normal
Light Tunnel
Squeeze
Twirl
Stretch

I definitely can see exploring this more, but with some help from JSL, I took a few sample photos. Here is the first one that I tried using the mirror.

JSL loved that he had a twin in the picture. Next up, I tried something a lot different. Since the kiddo knows what an x-ray is, I thought I would try this and it really was interesting.

Imagine the fun you can have with that one for different occasions, including Halloween. The last one I tried was the Light Tunnel because it was fun and colorful.

All of the photos were taken on the iPad with Photo Booth. I e-mailed them to myself so I could add watermarks and captions with PhotoScape. I still have not been able to find something to use on the iPad for this purpose and prefer to blog from Windows Live Writer over the WordPress app.

If you have any Photo Booth fun photos to share, I would love to see what you have come up with.

It's Me

Categories:
Technology

Searching for iPad Apps

Posted on November 9, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

The other day, a very special package arrived and fulfilled every wish that I had about one day owning a tablet.

I still have to name her, although perhaps it is a him (not too sure how to check for that). Still, our unnamed iPad has quickly become a favorite family friend thanks to the people that Sweet Pickles who supplied the prize from a Twitter party and the fun Sweet Pickles books loaded on it.

Since I have not focused a lot on apps for an iPad, I am now searching for some. Ones that would be good for a 9 year old who loves math and science, and a ready to learn to read 5 year old. The boys are thrilled that we can now get some of the Disney apps that we could not before, like Jake’s Never Land Pirate School. Secretly, I have fallen in love with the Fix-It Felix app.

I should not forget TechyDad and me. I am still looking for some photo options in case I am away and want to blog on the iPad. So far, the WordPress app is not as user friendly as the one on my Droid. I already have the Kindle and OverDrive Media apps so I can read and listen to books.

This week my question to you is:

Do you have a favorite iPad app? I would love to know what you, your kids, and others enjoy. If you do not have an iPad or tablet, what app intrigues you the most that you have heard of. One other item, any name suggestions that start with an “I” for the new family member?

It's Me

FYI – Do not forget to enter my current giveaway for Marlow and the Monster (ends 11/14). It is a great book for kids that would make a great holiday gift.

Disclosure: I won the iPad during a Sweet Pickles sponsored Twitter party.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.