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Andrea Benton: the weeboot Mom
Andrea Benton is a passionate techie Mom, who has two young children, both of which love tablet technology. She blogs about tablet technology for parents and childcare providers. You can read her blog at www.weeboot.ca/blog or follow her on Twitter at @weebootmom

My Posts
5 Things I Never Thought I'd Have to Say
The other day I said “Don’t punch your weenies!” and as I walked away I thought, seriously…did I just say that? When it comes to raising boys, I can’t believe I have to say these things but apparently you do. Here are five things I never thought I would say... 1. “Put the mouse back in the house!” (If you have boys, you ALL know what I am referring to!) 2. “No, we do not eat boogies and they are not super delicious.” (This was a fun conversation in the car, when I can’t do anything about it.) 3. “Don’t lick your brother!” (Did my youngest son transform into a cat when I wasn’t looking?) 4... continue reading
Should HTML Coding be Taught in Schools?
A while a go, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg appeared in a video about coding via the group Code.org (you can watch the video here). It’s a well put together video on the benefits of coding for kids. It has Chris Bosh, Will.i.am in it to name a few celebrities and it does a nice job of making coding seem as if anyone could do it. Coding is a hot educational topic because the more technology we consume the more jobs it creates, the more developers/programmers we need and these jobs pay well. When I was in high school, I coded. Our high school used Turbo Pascale (I just dated myself) and I... continue reading
How Do You Explain Death to Your Kids?
Recently I have found myself talking to my almost 4 year old about people dying and death. I suspect it’s partly because we (and I mean, me, my husband and our two kids) play Skylander Giants. When you character doesn’t have enough life, it takes a break until the next chapter. Every once in a while however, I will say when my character has been defeated “Oops, I’ve died. Can you put another character on the portal, please?” After today, it’s apparent that my youngest has been thinking about dying/death. The last couple of days he has been home with me because he has been sick and decided... continue reading
Parents: It's Time to Start Taking Tech Responsibility
Over the last three weeks, I have read various articles on how parents are being caught unaware when their kids are using their smartphones, tablets or console gaming systems and then are horrified when they get their credit card statements. What parents realize is that they were charged gobs of money while their kids were using their devices unbeknownst to them. (I will admit that this blog post might turn into a bit of a rant…) Parents: wake up and take responsibility, please. Ask yourself, who allowed the child to have the smartphone, tablet or console gaming system. If the answer is you... continue reading
Smartphone Parenting: Apple, In-App Purchases and Apps
A while ago I wrote about an app game called Smurfs and how people could purchase an item called smurfberries. The kicker is that smurfberries cost real money and you can purchase smurfberries through in-app purchases. The Smurfs game is only one example of a seemingly “free” type of app game. There are lots of seemingly free iOS games out there and unbeknownst to parents, kids were racking up large bills playing these so called “free games”. Some parents got together and sued Apple over in-app purchases. You can read more here. Apple has agreed to settle the lawsuit but it is a good... continue reading
Online Privacy and Data: What Parents Need to Know
There are many components within technology - and two major ones that both governments and companies struggle with is online privacy and data. As a parent, it is important to me that the companies my kids interact with are following online privacy guidelines. This also applies to non-educational technology and data. Think about the last time your child used an app or you used your smartphone to find a local store. Technology is everywhere. I will admit that when it comes to online privacy and data issues my eyes glaze over. Naively, I assume that companies are looking out for either my... continue reading
"Mom, Can I Tell You Something?"
I hear this question a lot from my oldest son, who is kindergarten. He’s been saying it for about a year now. I have tried to recall where he got it from and I’m not sure, potentially from his old daycare but who knows. It’s a bit of a wild card question coming from him. I never know what he’s going to ask but every time he asks it, I usually say, “Yes, you can tell me anything.” It doesn’t matter if he’s hit his brother 2 minutes prior to asking this question, I always make an effort to listen to what he is going to ask me. Ninety percent of the time, it’s the silly stuff or a request for... continue reading
Three Technology Resolutions for 2013
I’ll be honest and come out (Not like Jodie Foster mind you…) and say it - I’m horrible at New Year resolutions. I fall off the wagon about 10 minutes in; however maybe this year will be better. My main goal in 2013 is to be more organized, particularly around my finances and technology-related information such as pictures and apps. Below are some tips and tricks to help keep my 2013 New Year resolutions. 1. Organize apps by action instead of the category. I found this trick on a Lifehacker blog post. It’s a neat idea. I always think about the category first so I will be creating app folders... continue reading