Extension Inbox

Many parents are spending money on computers to help students have a competitive edge in the classroom. One way to cut costs during these difficult economic times is by downloading “freeware,” or software that is made available for free.

The beginning of a new school year also signals the time when teachers will be learning about their students’ special needs, including food allergies.

Summer is slipping by, and school supplies are already making their way into large bins at local stores. The back-to-school marketing event is an excellent time to consider purchasing a new computer; many stores will have them on sale beginning in August.

Computers can lead patients and their doctors to valuable health information, but the Internet should not replace medical relationships when it comes to accurate diagnoses and treatments.

Friends and acquaintances have often confided to me their recent diagnoses of incurable exotic diseases. Before my brain can determine if this illness requires multiple casseroles and dessert or just a trip to a fast-food restaurant, they reveal that they have not seen a doctor yet.

“I looked it up on the Internet, and I have all the symptoms,” he or she will tell me.

Independence Day celebrations often make me pause to remember where my family has come from and the sacrifices they made to live here in the United States.

If your family came over by boat, try looking at the passenger lists available at http://www.immigrantships.net/. You can search by the name of the ship or the port of departure. If your ancestors came through Ellis Island, try http://www.ellisisland.org/.

During the summer months, many teens venture into their first jobs, and others take trips to distant locations. Apps on their ever-present Smartphones can be helpful when they find themselves responsible not only for themselves but also for children.

There are free or low-cost apps that can help teens in almost any situation, whether they are mowing lawns, lifeguarding, babysitting, or taking vacations.

Home renovation projects always look easier on television than in reality. Viewers may never see the teams of professionals brought in to do the real work.

This past week, my brother and I discovered that a surprise renovation project for our parents could have gone smoother if we had used a few home-renovation apps in the process. We decided to take the plunge and surprise our parents by updating their kitchen while they were out of town, and some basic apps could have made a difference in our results.

The hot days of summer are here, and children everywhere are lining up for snow cones, heading out to summer camps and splashing around in pools. While these lazy days are fun, recent statistics suggest that children can forget up to two months’ worth of knowledge from school over the summer. Unfortunately, teachers have to spend four to six weeks at the beginning of the school year re-teaching children what they forgot during their break.

Technology can play a role in all four seasons recognized by Mississippians – hunting, athletic, farming and hurricane. June 1 is the official start of hurricane season, so now is a good time to figure out how to protect and use electronics if a major storm threatens our coast.

Before the storm…

This spring, take time to clean your computer both inside and out. Last week, I explained how to clean the exterior. This week, I’ll tell you how to clean up your operating system and files.

Begin by removing unnecessary desktop icons. A cluttered desktop simply slows down the computer’s initial boot time, especially if you have saved documents or photos to the desktop. Move these files to the My Documents folder.

The weather has warmed up, and many of us are cleaning out closets, digging up the yard, mowing grass and generally getting ready for summer. Normally, I take to the couch when these moods strike and let the moment pass. Unfortunately, neglecting to clean up your computer can result in an overgrown jungle of electronic mayhem.

Start your computer’s spring cleaning by taking a look at your hardware. Hardware includes your monitor, mouse, keyboard, and hard drive, or CPU (central processing unit).

The monitor…

If you want to make Emily Post roll over in her grave, consider texting a thank you message or posting your appreciation to someone on their Facebook wall, rather than sending the traditional, handwritten thank-you note. No matter how much society embraces technology, as long as the U.S. Postal service is still operational, you need to handwrite thank-you notes.

As graduation ceremonies come to a close, many high school seniors are preparing for their senior trips. Whether they are headed to big cities, sandy beaches or overseas, smartphone apps can help young travelers navigate their grand adventures.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and children both young and old are beginning the search for the gift that tells her she is the best mom ever.

Most people do not buy technology-based gifts for their mothers. Instead, they buy more sentimental items, such as flowers or perfume. However, as technology becomes more and more prevalent in our day-to-day lives, there is room to mesh the sentimentality of the day with technology.

Writing a resume can be a daunting proposition for job seekers, and today’s technologies require most people to have both a traditional resume and one ready to be uploaded to an online database.

Spring is in the air, and graduating seniors are fighting off senioritis as they prepare to take their final exams. Many of these students are in the process of looking for summer jobs or their first full-time jobs. With a tough job market, students need to use every resource available to market themselves to potential employers, including social media, such as Facebook.

Having grown up in a very small town where everybody knew everyone else’s business, I have come to appreciate the anonymity of big (or rather, bigger) city life, and Google is threatening that anonymity for many of us.

Granted, my current residence is not New York City, but I come from a town that counted the people twice and the cows and tractors once in an effort to keep the post office. As a result, I’ve learned to appreciate the ability to go out to dinner with someone and not hear it on the prayer list Sunday morning.

Older adults are sometimes hesitant to adopt smartphones, but smartphones can eliminate one of their most common cell phone problems: text too small to read.

Many seniors can adopt technology to improve or enhance their quality of life.

Seniors (and others) can use an iPad to keep their minds sharp by playing Sudoko while waiting at the doctor’s office. Or iPads can be set up to remind them of scheduled activities or when to take medications. Home computers can be used to chat with grandchildren via Skype or to reconnect with old military buddies through Facebook or email.

A key barrier for many senior citizens wanting to use technology is the inability to see the monitor or smartphone display.

The fastest-growing segment of Facebook users in the United States is senior citizens. Unfortunately, many seniors feel lost when it comes to Facebook and other social media.

A common refrain I hear from many seniors is that social media is something that has passed them by or they just aren’t sharp enough to keep up with all this new-fangled technology. This is regrettable because our seniors have a great deal to offer. In fact, most of the information younger generations are looking up on sites like Google, YouTube and Pinterest are things most seniors already know.