Today’s Tech Savvy guest is Dr. Robert Joseph. Robert is married with two boys and has degrees from MIT and Carnegie Mellon University. With over 25 years of developing state-of-the-art technology he established GluLIfe, a web development company and CyberNetKids, a company teaching kids how to build websites, do internet research and develop programs. Today he shares his tips on keeping up with technology.
Thank you, Leticia, for allowing me to be a guest blogger. I am very excited about interacting with you, the TechSavvyMama followers. As a busy parent (I have a 6-year-old son and a 4-year-old son), I often think about how to keep up with the latest technology without it taking all of my time. I am actually in the technology field, but I want to spend most of my time creating the latest technology … not just learning about it. So, I have 5 tips for staying current.
Tip #5: Find A Source That You Like: Find a blog, personal friend, news site or other source that is intriguing to you that talks about the latest technology. Refer to it on a regular basis. The source will do a lot of filtering for you and give you the most important items about the subject. TechSavvyMama is a great example. She does much of the leg work and you benefit.
Tip #4: Try New Technology Regularly: Pick a new technology to learn about for the week then give it a try. For example, if you don’t know what Twitter is then read about it. Spend a little time getting to see what it is all about. Technology like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and others are having a profound impact on the world that affects all of us. If you get on Twitter, then DM me (my screen name is glulife).
Tip #3: Use Commute Time: If you commute to work, then subscribe to a podcast (an audio blog) that may be of interest to you. There is free software (iTunes) out there that can easily load fresh podcasts onto your iPod, MP3 player or CD to play during your travels. On my 45 minute commute, I listen to SciFi audiobooks from http://www.escapepod.org for free. What a deal.
Tip #2: Take Advantage Of Opportunities: When people are talking about new technology, get engaged in the conversation. Ask them how did they get involved in using it? How has it made a difference in their lives? This gives you intimate knowledge about the technology, allows you to make or foster friendships, and lets you to see if the technology may be relevant to you.
Tip #1 (drum roll please) Just do it: Give yourself permission to try the new technology. You won’t break anything. You won’t really understand it until you try it. You just have to take the plunge. I spent a lot of time talking about how silly I thought Twitter was until I just did it. Now, because of Twitter, I got an invitation to do this post. I continue to find that technology can actually help me to be more effective and productive. What I have to do is ignore my fears, make myself available to it, and get involved.
Thanks for reading Tech Savvy Mama through your feed!
Original post by Tech Savvy Mama
©2012
Thanks Robert for your great ideas! As many of you know, I started blogging to bridge my life as a mom with my former professional one. Not only has blogging been an amazing experience that has enabled me to meet new people I probably wouldn’t have encountered in my daily life but it has given me opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I’ve become an avid user of Facebook and part of the Twitter-verse which have become great tools to keep in touch with people from my past and present. I think that sometimes we get so involved in parenting (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) that we forget to keep ourselves fresh by learning new things and challenging ourselves.
So keep learning and let us know if you have any questions by posting a comment!
Great tips!! TechSavvyMama has been my tech go to for many years now! Thanks to her steps forward, I started my own, now quite successful, blog. She is an inspiration to go out there and try the technology – it won’t hurt you.
Smiles,
Caroline
SmartyPantsMama.com