The Marble Jar Channel

Hi, everyone. This is Lara Hammock from the Marble Jar Channel. Today we are going to discuss why you should be using OpenDNS's free and easy solution to filter problematic Internet content. And I'll show you how to do it! I have 15 year old son, so it's pretty obvious why we would need content filtering at my house. But perhaps you have younger kids or daughters who you think are less likely to be searching for porn or other inappropriate content. The problem with that logic is that sometimes kids stumble on this stuff inadvertently.  I mean everyone has a story about accidentally entering search terms that bring unsavory results.  Once, at work I sent around a document that had a temporary place marker for a website URL. I used the place marker xxx dot com. DON'T LOOK THAT UP. Let's just say it provided some embarrassing moments for anyone who happened to click on that from their work cubicle.  And why is it that porn sites seem to all have the crazy, uncon...

Hi, everyone!  This is Lara Hammock from the Marble Jar channel and today we are going to go over how to use the parental restrictions that are built right into the iPhone and iPad.  Okay -- so today we are going to explore the parental controls that Apple has built into their iOS devices. They actually can be quite powerful. I know a family that essentially transformed an iPhone temporarily back into a dumb phone for their daughter just by using these controls.  More about that later on.  Okay -- go into Settings --> General --> Restrictions. By default, the Restrictions are all turned off. In order to make any changes in this area, you will need to create a passcode.  Choose to Enable Restrictions and select a 4-digit passcode.  This is something you will not be sharing with your kid, so make a note of it somewhere private.   Allow Apps: The first area allows you choose which native apps to allow on your kid's device. By native, I ...

In this video, I'm going to show you how to use Google Calendar to share your family's schedule in real time with all of the members of your family.  See if you can relate to this scenario: it's Tuesday morning, as your son is headed out the door and you have 500 things on your mind, you realize you haven't yet given him the plan for the day. So you run out after him yelling, "Remember!  Today is Tuesday, so I'm picking up from school and taking you directly to tennis. Do you have your tennis shoes?  No, okay -- I'll pack them. Also, Dad is picking you up, so make sure you call him when you are finished. And I'm taking your sister to choir, so I won't be there when you get back!"   Or how many times have you had this conversation with your husband. Where he says: "Wait what is the schedule this weekend?  Who has a tournament, where is it, who's driving?  Can you just review everything that is going on both days for me?" ...

Hi, everyone!  This is Lara Hammock from the Marble Jar channel and today we are going to talk through 3 reasons to share an Apple ID with your kids.  In my experience, there is a pretty even split between those parents who give their kids their //own Apple ID// with their first Apple device and those parents who have them use the //parent's Apple ID//.  Either way, it's not usually thought of as a technique to control access and keep tabs on what your kid is doing online.  As a parent who doles out independence reluctantly, it was natural for me to have both of my kids use my Apple ID to begin with -- before I even knew some of the benefits. And now that my kids are older, it is still one my main tools to //limit apps, view texting activity and find my kids.//  It also can be a major pain in the rear end, so make sure you are okay with the problems it presents if you decide to implement this.   I require that my kids use my Apple ID. They don't...

I don't pretend to be particularly funny, eloquent, or brilliant. I do have a unique perspective (as we all do) based on my upbringing, mental wiring, and life situation.  My mind is constantly going, for better or for worse, so I'm throwing my voice out into the Internet maelstrom in case it proves to be of use to anyone. It is profoundly weird to be introducing myself to an audience of unknowns.  I'm someone who believes sincerely in tailoring speech to suit ones conversational partner -- really just out of courtesy and relevance.  This whole thing will inevitably be a flirtation with WTH, so here goes. Basic facts: Born in 1971 (so firmly middle aged) Mom is 3rd generation Japanese, former 4th grade teacher, now retired cardiac nurse Dad was a clinical psychologist for decades before dusting off his masters in mechanical engineering and starting a company selling his inventions to nature photographers Brother is 18 months younger and owns the aforementioned b...