Back-To-School Technology Report Card From Dr. Nat

Wonder what if a calculator is going really help your kids get better grades? Or which camera is to get to capture those special after school events like football games or plays? And what about cell phones- what’s new that will keep the kids busy while they are waiting for you to pick them up? And what about reducing your energy bill and going the green revolution? The wash is going green and so can you! And where is the best place to compare and shop on line so you don’t end up in long lines and driving all over the place? Good questions and we got some answers!

One of my favorite times of year is back-to-school… As a kid, I loved school and anticipated, each fall, the first day back-to-school. Seeing your friends after a long summer vacation… Wondering who was going to be in your class… Would you like your teacher… Would there be any new, cute guys in your class… Picking out your outfit for the first day (at least for us gals)… And now I teach at Pepperdine University and my students are probably wondering, “What’s Dr. Nat like as a teacher?” I guess I liked school so much I kept going… I never thought I would end up with a Ph. D. but I did!

In this world where technological innovation is the norm, the question I always have to ask is, “Is any of this new technology really going to make our life better?” As this year’s school year boots up, laptops, e-mail and Internet connections are fast becoming the chalkboards and No. 2 pencils of the 21st century. Some 44% of students use computers and 77% use the Internet to complete school assignments. While times have changed and the back-to-school products have changed, what will never changes is the love of shopping for back-to-school stuff… Some of my most fond memories are shopping for back-to-school essentials… in those days you would stroll down the rows of a store, with your mom…

Today we have the internet. Hard to imagine the world without it really. And with it comes the advantage of shopping online. I learned early on from my mom to hunt for bargains and I have continued that tradition in our family… ‘Cuz there is nothing like a back-to-school bargain! What’s great about comparison shopping sites like www.shopping.com is that they make it so easy and convenient way to compare products and find those bargains. With families spending on average $563 per family on back to school shopping (that stats brought to you by The National Retail Federation), one can see that bargains are really important when getting kids ready for class. Shopping.com is one of those great tools and resources for parents to save money while they shop for millions of products. Doesn’t matter if you’re shopping for laptops, backpacks, or calculators or clothes, it’s a great place to check out reader’s reviews and the best deals all in one place. We found a $400 difference on a popular laptop! It pays to compare!

Did you know graphing calculator help teens do better in math! Math was definitely one of my favorite subjects… I know! I am geek. I saw math as a cool puzzle to solve and part of solving puzzles is having a strategy and also having the right tools. Today the graphing calculators seem to be a super must-have for acing algebra or calculus. What was interesting is the amount of research that shows that teens with graphing calculators do better in math! (You can see those research studies posted in my next entry.) And when I talk to the young women who have these calculators and are loving math, I am convinced that this is every parent’s essential tool to give their daughters and sons. (My secret mission is to show at least one young girl that she can be pretty and smart- If I can do that, its been a good life!)

What I like about the Texas Instrument TI-84 Plus Silver Edition is that it’s highly recommended by teachers, proven to help students increase achievement in math and allowed for use on almost all of the major college entrance exams and most statewide achievement tests. Obviously you will need to learn the math, even with the calculator- i.e., it is not going pop out an answer if you don’t what to put in… you know the old saying, “Garbage in, Garbage out.” But because this graphing calculator comes pre-loaded with 1,000 college entrance exam test prep questions -if you spend the time, practice and learn the math, this could not be a better tool to give kids an extra edge when practicing for the SAT and ACT exams. (Yes, I said practice… How did I get good at Math? One- I had great, patient teachers and then I would spend all day Saturday practicing completing the square, graphing, – math is like anything else- you can’t get a washboard stomach by doing one sit-up. The analogy here is you won’t be a math wiz if you don’t practice the process and learn the rules… Math is a game. If you think about it like that, it is really fun.)

And what is great about the TI calculator is that you can use on the SAT, ACT, PSAT, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Physics and AP Statistics exams. It has more than 20 preloaded software applications, including, software for Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, math and science tools and educational games. And no worries about storage space- you can storage up to 94 software applications and it is electronically upgradeable to have the most up-to-date functionality and software applications. The built-in USB port and cable allows you to transfer data to or from a computer or other handhelds. And it connects with TI’s presentation tools to share work and collaborate with other students.

Best of all it comes in 14 cool colors (like hot pink! – they must have made that one just for me) And TI has decals as well as customizable stickers that you can print and pop on your calculator… So you could have a sticker with your dog, your cat, your family or your favorite band! For more on the removable stickers, go to https://www.education.ti.com If you want more info on these cool calculators, go to: www.education.ti.com/us/retailcolors If you need help with the calculator, call 1-800-TI-Cares (1-800-842-2737)

One of the best things about school is all your friends!!! And having just completed a scrapbook of my whole life… I really wish I had more pictures of my friends from elementary and high school! The best way to capture that fun? Whether it is a school play, football game, a debate team tournament, band practice, school dances, homecoming or just capturing your best friends doing something silly, FujiFilm’s Z10 camera has the best technology to keep all of you love in focus! There is a special face detection feature that zooms in on the faces and adjusts the exposure and the focus. And once you take the picture, it’s easy to transfer from one camera to another. Using IrSimpleTM you can transfer photos from one IrSimple device to another. The Infared (IR) technology means – no chords, wires, nothing! For those want to attach photos to their blog, it has a ‘blog’ photo feature that resizes your photo for uploading and / or emailing… Don’t be sending any 15 MB files in email if you want to keep your friends!

What’s Johnny Deep Doing in My Phone? All I got to say is I am one lucky girl! With all the after school programs and sports, more and more parents are buying cell phones for their kids to provide them with added security. (I think we used 2 cans and some string… just kidding…) Seriously, having a cell phone to call mom or dad just makes sense. And if you are a Disney fan, waiting to get picked up from band or football practice won’t seem so bad any more. WHY? mDisney (the mobile group at Disney) has just announced that those favorite, loved and cherished Disney characters like Hannah Montana, Winnie the Pooh, Tinkerbell (and many more…) will be traveling with you via cell phone ringtones, games and graphics.

Parents will love the fact that there is finally great family-friendly content that’s appropriate for all ages! And kids will love that these downloads include one of their favorite movies, High School Musical 2 (It premiered on the Disney Channel August 17th.) The mobile fun ranges from online games via Pirates of the Caribbean to the High School Musical 2 – complete with those uplifting songs.

Kids, if you are under 18 though, you’ll need your parents permission to access the downloads.

You can find out more information at www.disney.com If you log-on and can’t find what you need, check back soon, because I hear the site is being updated. And your best bet, if you can’t wait till it is updated is to check with your cell phone carrier for availability and pricing!

We know that back to school also means back to germs, colds and dirt.? From old uniforms to dirty gym clothes, parents will want to check out Samsung’s new front loader washing machine — Using nano-sized silver ions, it kills 99% of bacteria to sanitize laundry, in cold water AND without bleach.? It’s energy saving- so you are washing the GREEN way, cost-efficient, and, best of all, your clothes and colors stay in great shape.? Also, it has Vibration Reduction Technology that keeps the noise down!? The colors are so pretty you’ll almost want to put it in the family room…

Thanks in part to Al Gore, his movie and cross the country tour of An Inconvenient Truth, we are all now very much more aware of what we are doing to the planet. With this awareness, comes people asking me all the time, “What can they do to contribute to being GREEN?” I have to admit I never thought a washer would be this high-tech, but I am always open for surprises! I love to see how scientific discoveries mesh together into new products that really make our life better. This washer is certainly one of them. It combines the use of silver, widely known for its anti-microbial properties and a way to be green while washing clothes. Brilliant! Can’t get better than that!

Stats on Doing the Wash

* The average household does 400 loads of laundry a year consuming 13,500 gallons of water
* Most laundry detergents contain solvents, optical brighteners, colorants, builders and surfactants – in short pollutants
* 90% of the energy used to wash clothes comes from heating the water

When my mom did the wash, she used A LOT of beach, HOT HOT HOT water and a ton of soap to kill bacteria. But today in the U.S, most laundry is washed in cold or warm water without bleach. The result? Prominent scientists have shown that this commonly results in clean wet laundry with a significant microbial contamination. Not good. So what’s a consumer to do get rid of the bacteria and not use a lot of hot water (i.e., extra energy?) With the increased consumer demand, Samsung developed an energy-saving washing machine with superb microbe killing capabilities.

Imagine over 100 quadrillion Silver ions (Ag+) dissolved in water to make up a super cleaning solution. Here’s how it works. In the wash, metallic silver atoms, electrolytically stripped of an electron, are injected during the wash and rinse cycles, allowing the silver ions to penetrate deep into the fabric to sanitize clothing without the need for hot water or bleach. According to tests, the positively charged silver atoms remove or kill 99.9% of odor-causing bacteria. And using cold water keeps the energy consumption down by 92%. No or less bleach keeps your clothes brighter and makes them last longer. And even extra delicates such as blouses, shirts, or even lingerie can now be sanitized effectively in cold water. And skin testing has shown SilverCareTM-washed clothing to be hypo-allergenic. (And in case you were wondering, a quadrillion is a 1 with 15 zeros after it- 1,000,000,000,000,000. A lot!)

The SilverCareTM silver plates carry a warranty of ten years, and can easily be replaced by a service technician if needed. It has a customizable setting feature called MyCycle, which allows you to customize options and recall them, so if you figure out the best combination to wash your favorite sweater on, you can repeat it. It also has an algorithm interface for optimal selection of temperature and time for each load. In addition, this front-loading washing machine has a child lock safety feature.

And best is- you don’t have to hide this washer in the basement like the old days. Ours used to vibrate so much, it felt like it was gonna take off sometimes! Samsung has incorporated a vibration reduction technology that keeps the washer from making so much noise!

And at the end of the day, we want to make life for Mom’s and Dad’s easier, happier and more fun! These great colors almost make you want to put the washer in your… Familyroom … Well not quite, but certainly they are beautiful enough to have them in more convenient areas -next to the kitchen or upstairs next to the bedrooms. The matching Samsung dryers are available, and if you are tight for space, they may be stacked with purchase of an accessory kit. Mom or Dad or whoever does the laundry won’t be carting clothes down to the basement anymore! Check it out at www.samsung.com.

So the conclusion is, “Yes, these technological innovations will definitely make our life better!”

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