Weekend Reads: Video Edition

A picture is worth a thousand words so clearly videos are worth so much more! In this week’s Weekend Reads, I’m sharing some of my favorite videos I watched this week along with must-read posts from around the blogosphere.

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With Disney Social Media Moms (#DisneySMMoms) ending last week, there are tons of great posts recapping the conference but I personally love this video created by Jessica McFadden of A Parent in America not only because she’s a rock star vlogger and a great friend but because she perfectly captures the learning by attendees, new rides, inspiring speakers, the memories made with her family, and the all around magic that is this conference.

As a fan of Disney’s phenomenal customer service regardless if I’m there for work or a personal family vacation, I loved Listen to Lena’s post And THAT’s the Disney Difference that shared how a Cast Member alleviated what could have been a very stressful for her and her family. I’ve always heard that Cast Members are trained to look and listen for stressful situations and offer assistance and this just proves it!

If you’re a blogger in Washington, D.C., New York City, Seattle, or San Francisco, the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is stopping in your city this summer as they take the magic on the road. To learn more, visit the Disney SMMC “On the Road” page and follow #DisneyOnTheRoad.

In other Disney related news, did you see the piece by the New York Post about the rich Manhattan mom who hired a handicapped tour guide so her kids could cut the lines at Disney World? The next day Disney World said via CNN that they’re looking into these reports and vowing to take action.

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Remember how I mentioned taking a leap of faith to do something I never thought I would do at Mom 2.0? That something was a one minute shark tank style pitch to HLN’s Raising America host Kyra Phillips and producers to be on their show. On Friday a 5 minute segment aired about the team’s experience and results of the shark tank. Take a look!

If you remember the controversial piece about the mommy business trip that the Wall Street Journal published just days before Mom 2.0, you’ll have to read The Daddy Business Trip by Andy Hinds who attended the conference. The photo is fabulous!

This week I was a panelist for The Atlantic’s Technology in Education Forum where I spoke on a panel called The Innovative School System where my incredible co-panelists and I discussed technology trends, tools, meeting the needs of all learners through classroom experiences with technology, and partnering with parents to ensure that they can support learning at home. If you’ve never heard about flipping the classroom, it’s a hot trend in education that we discuss in our 30 minute panel!

The Innovative School System: Voices from Educators from The Atlantic on FORA.tv

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With smartphone cameras replacing digital cameras, how can you make your iPhone photos the best they can be? Julie Meyers Pron shares 10 tips for better iPhone pictures on Julieverse.

Chances are you’ve probably dealt with your personal will but does it include a social media will? Even though it’s hard to think about our demise, it’s never too early to make a plan and these days your plan should include next steps for your social media accounts. If you’re in need of an example, Amy Lupold Bair shares hers through My Social Media Living Will.

As you transition from spring to summer, don’t forget to pay attention to computers and devices. I have some tips on MomAgenda’s blog about how to Spring Clean Your Tech Life.

If you read my posts via email or through a RSS feed, you can find my Tech Savvy Parents posts on Parents.com on the right sidebar of my site. Sometimes I’ll even remember to link them up for you here! Just in time for Memorial Day travels and any summer vacation trips, this week I wrote about 4 Travel Essentials for Tech Savvy Families . With a 24 flu popping up, I’m thinking that the Kinsa Smart Thermometer is a really great idea! Read more about it in Developing a Smarter Thermometer to Map Human Health.

Disclosure: I attended Disney’s Social Media Moms Celebration Conference. As an attendee, I paid a conference fee and additional travel expenses but received perks at a substantially-reduced rate. I was not asked or required to publish content related to the conference or Disney. All opinions are my own. Photos courtesy of Disney. I am a compensated for my role as a MomAgenda Council of Media Moms Member and columnist for Parents.com but am not required to promote my posts on my personal site.