For the last week, we’ve been on vacation visiting my parents down in North Carolina. Let me set this story up for you: that’s my very tech-savvy family of 4, staying in my parents house with a crazy amount of devices that require fast Wifi.
Let me take a count now on how many devices we connect with daily.
Hubby: his work laptop. iPad. iPhone. (3)
Me: laptop. iPad. iPhone. (3)
11 year old boy: iPad. iPhone. (2)
8 year old boy: laptop (shares with brother on trips). iPad. (2)
So right there, that’s 10 devices (!!) that go with us whenever we hit the road. And since it’s the summer, really only two of us have a reason that we HAVE to be online (hubby and I for work, although the kids would argue that their being online is a necessity too I’m sure!)
But starting this fall, we’ll have another user who has a compelling reason to be online even more – my rising middle schooler. Nate will be entering 6th grade. He started researching & writing papers online last year in 5th grade and I’m sure he will only be online more as he enters middle school.
And while we’ve been away and on a service that is NOT FiOS, we have all come to appreciate the speed and reliability we get back home with our Verizon FiOS Philly service. I can’t tell you guys how many times we have shouted to one another to disconnect from the WiFi while away because everything was coming to a grinding halt with us all trying to connect and my parents’ service not able to handle our connectivity needs. (Sadly there is no FiOS in their area!)
So while it’s been a nuisance it’s been tolerable but I know I couldn’t live this way long term.
It got me thinking and appreciating what we have back home and considering how much we’ll be on in the fall thanks to everyday life and school.
Sometimes I’m a bit jealous of the tech world that my boys are growing up in. I remember when I had to hit the library and use a card catalog system to research and write all of my papers. There’s something to be said for doing it the old fashioned way but no one can argue that using Google and the plethora of information available online when doing research isn’t more efficient.
Google your kids and the internet and of course you’ll come up with thousands of articles about online safety and children but there’s less written about the benefits our children experience with modern technology.
I’m not diminishing the obvious concerns with having our children online but rather focusing on the positive that comes with my kids as they get older and their education. Here’s 5 reason to love having the Internet today for your school-aged children:
1) The ability to find homework answers in an instant. Last year’s Honors Math class for my 5th grader challenged my limited math skills (that made me feel good about myself! Not!) and having the Internet at my disposal was invaluable for me to research how to help him answer challenging questions.
2) The ability to research papers online. It’s a whole new world of research and citation when it comes to doing school reports. Last year Nate learned, in writing a paper, how to cite both books and online sources. (He had many more online sources than books for his information!)
3) Gathering information online can happen anytime. Remember having to schlep to the library as a kid and having to set your research hours? With reliable Internet service, kids can take advantage of the convenience of researching homework and papers at any time.
4) The wealth of games & learning tools available. The Internet is a big place. One of the things my boys and I love are when we find online games that are also educational. (My boys school is big into FirstinMath.com) We all know that today’s children are growing up tech-savvy and appealing to that with educational games that are available online is a bonus to living in a digital age.
5) No geographical barriers. Your kids can still study or access papers and information when you are traveling too.
Verizon FiOS offers a no-contract/price guarantee. WithVerizonFiOS, customers have a choice.VerizonFiOS has many nocontract options and two-year contracts andVerizonoffers a two-year priceguarantee even if a customer doesnt take a contract. Plus, let me tell you guys after experiencing another service recently, theyhave fast Internet service that is top-notch!
Verizons customer loyalty program for FiOS customers with Internet and/or TV service is fabulous. My Rewards+ is designed to recognize customers for choosing FiOsover competitors and thank them for being loyal customers. When making certain transactions, customers will be rewarded points that can be redeemed for great rewards like Visa Prepaid Cards, gift cards from top merchants, or charitable donations.
Head towww.verizon.com/ourthanksto register. You need tohave a My Verizon account. My Rewards + members who register will automatically have their upload and download speeds.
This has been a sponsored post with Verizon FiOS. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Speak Your Mind