Fun & Easy Tech Gifts For All Ages

Whether it’s basic or hi-tech, technology is just plain cool. It makes our everyday lives easier and adds new dimensions to fun and entertainment. Hi-tech doesn’t mean impossible to figure out, either, which makes tech a great gift for nearly anyone.

Here are some of our favorite tech gifts for home, for play, and for the kitchen, to help you complete your holiday shopping and give the gift of unexpected, awesome new experiences.

GoPro

Whether it’s the GoPro Hero+ or another GoPro model, both kids and adults will quickly become addicted to the different view of the world you get with this mountable camera you can wear. Its compact size, video quality, LCD screen and features won’t let you down, especially the waterproof models. From a simpler model to the Pro versions, there’s a GoPro suited for everyone on your list.

BB-8 Droid by Sphere

May the force be with you this holiday season with the Star Wars-inspired, app-enabled BB-8 Droid. BB-8 is a toy, but one that’s pretty fun for all ages. This robot is controlled by your smartphone or tablet, and has an “adaptive personality” that changes the more you use it. For that innovation and feature alone, it’s a gift worth giving and having roam the floors of your house.

Nest

Nest is a company that makes programmable, important products for your home. Currently their line includes thermostats, smoke detectors, and cameras. Imagine having a futuristic "smart home" today. Nest, which was quickly bought by Google, makes having a smart home affordable, and their innovation and product line will only grow from here.

Smoking Gun Handheld Food Smoker

The Smoking Gun is a compact smoker for your kitchen that infuses a smoky flavor into your food, opening the possibilities beyond meat to everyone. This could be big for BBQ fans who want their fix without having to wait for the grill or smoker to heat up. Hickory? Apple? We haven’t tested this yet, but the idea of it is making us hungry enough to give it a try.

Olloclip 4-in-1 Lens for iPhone 6

Camera quality by smartphone manufacturers is debatable and subjective, but one thing’s for sure - it’s easier than ever before to capture professional-quality photos with our phones. The Olloclip 4-in-1 lens is lightweight, stable, and enhances the field of view of the iPhone camera which is a game changer when taking selfies, scenic and group shots. Teenagers will especially like this because its lenses are easy to change out, it integrates well with other apps, and works with both the front-facing and rear-facing cameras on the iPhone 6 series.

Polaroid Pic-300 Instant Film Camera

Polaroid has dusted off its cameras and is en vogue among kids, teens, college students and adults with its Polaroid Pic-300 camera. The Pic-300 gives you instant fun with its instant photographs. You can now pass these unforgettable photos from your childhood down to our kids, complete with plain or decorative borders. (Discover more options with Fujifilm’s Instax Mini Film, which is compatible with the Pic-300.) Polaroid’s camera also comes in fun colors. You pay a price for immediate and fun, however. The good news is it doesn’t drain batteries quickly, but the film for the Pic-300 is not cheap. Photo paper equates to about $2 per photo on average, however you can find a good price break when you buy bulk-packs like these on Amazon.

5 Teen Social Media Moments You’ll Love

Part of social media’s attraction is its entertainment value and ability to capture and share anything from everyday moments to unforgettable moments. It goes to show that as important as it is for parents to educate teenagers about digital responsibility, it's also important to lay the ground rules and set them free.

Here are five moments on social media by teens that will make your day:

1. Anonymous Instagram Account Builds Up High School Classmates
“It’s about you. You’re next.” These are the words in the description of @thebenevolentone3’s Instagram account where for nearly a year, students in the graduating classes of 2014 through 2017 were cheered on, complimented, and recognized. Anonymously. In his graduation speech, valedictorian Konner Suave revealed he was the person behind these kind words. The story caught the attention of both ABC News and Huffington Post, in which Suave details the purpose behind his genuine actions.“I wanted to focus on the better aspects of people...To shed a positive light on each individual, make them feel appreciated, and to know that someone cares."
 

...There is one quote in particular from Maya Angelou that reads “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I find this such an inspiring quote because over the past year I saw a change occur in our high school, a positive one, it seemed as though we were more united than we had been in the past. During the summer, I made the decision to go in and try to make everyone here feel appreciated and recognized for simply being the amazing people they are. It is easy for people to be cruel over social media, so I decided to make an anonymous account on Instagram that would counteract the negativity seen today by posting a picture of each student and a paragraph of what makes them GREAT and how other people should see that too. So after 657 posts, over 11 months, and finishing each person in the Class of 2014, Class of 2016, and of course our Class of 2015, I would like to prove Jose Gutierrez right and admit that I am “thebenevolentone3” Benevolence being defined as “characterized or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings.” In the end, I realized that we are ALL the benevolent ones in our way and actions of how we treat others, it has been a wonderful year. I’ll miss East Valley. And although I part without finishing all of the class of 2017, I wish that the next generations take over and find bolder ways to express positivity and encouragement in the East Valley Community. Keep on keeping on.

A photo posted by Its About You. You're Next.☯ (@thebenevolentone3) on Jun 6, 2015 at 10:09pm PDT

2. Lip Synching Teen Makes The Big Time on YouTube
All that it took for a teenage boy from the Midwest to make it big was some creativity, mad lip synching skills, and an Internet connection. When Keenan Cahill posted this video to YouTube of him lipsynching to Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream, his life changed forever, to the likes of 57 million views - for that video alone. Since then, he’s attracted close to 1 million YouTube subscribers, performed with Katy Perry in a video and teamed up with other stars including 50 Cent, The Oak Ridge Boys, Maroon 5 and many more. Follow him on Twitter via @KeenanCahill to see what he’s up to now.

3. Powerful Instagram Photos Humanize Our Homeless Population
Nic Tullis adds credibility to the term ‘iPhone Photographer,’ and shows us that the camera on our smartphones can be used in powerful ways. His iPhone and interaction with a homeless man while snapping pics on a trip to St. Louis inspired an ongoing series of photos on Instagram in hope to drive social change. As described in this Backchannel article, “Most teens use social media to share ‘selfies or pictures of food they’re eating...But unlike the average teenager’s Instagram feed, Tullis’ features grizzled men in hoodies, moody shots of downtown streets and lots of black and white. It’s urban, thoughtful, intimate.”
 

☔️🚶🏽

A photo posted by Nic (@tullisnic) on Nov 12, 2015 at 7:26pm PST

4. Teenager’s Tweet Catches the Attention of Late Night Talk Show Host
A tweet with the hashtag #AndrewShadowJimmy landed high school senior Andrew Kochamba of Tennessee the opportunity to shadow Tonight Show Host Jimmy Fallon. On October 6th, he tweeted, “Hey @jimmyfallon, can I shadow you for my Senior Shadow Day? It's October 14th. Let me know.” The tweet was retweeted more than 1,000 times and within a week, @akochamba got a surprise phone call from Fallon and was on his way to shadow him at the Tonight Show. The teen’s social media play didn’t stop there. He posted a video to support his case, and then took to Periscope on the big day so others could follow his time together with his favorite celeb in real-time. He summarized the surreal experience perfectly when he tweeted #BestSeniorShadowDayEver.

Hey @jimmyfallon , can I shadow you for my Senior Shadow Day? It's October 14th. Let me know!

— Andrew Kochamba (@akochamba) October 6, 2015

5. Teens Put Pens to Paper And Share on Social In Response to the Sharpie Brand’s Uncap What’s Inside Campaign
Over the course of 4 years, Sharpie ran an advertising campaign targeting teenagers and encouraging creativity and self expression. The campaign took off thanks to social media and caught the attention of thousands of teenagers who interacted with the campaign on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more. Teens responded by sharing their “Sharpie Creations” on social media which were then featured in the campaign. The collection is fascinating and inspiring, and worth swiping through. You can check out Sharpie art here on Instagram.

Do more (of what makes you happy) #BeHappy #Sharpie

A photo posted by @sharpie on Apr 30, 2013 at 2:04pm PDT

Our Kids Want Their Privacy: How Generation Z is reevaluating social media

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At DijiWise, we believe in the importance of having open conversations with our kids to better understand where they’re coming from and to give them support as they become more and more independent. As parents, it can be difficult for us to let go because we’d like to believe that we know best but our kids can surprise us. This week, we came across the Teen Vogue article Why Some of Social Media's Biggest Stars Are Deleting Their Accounts — and Maybe You Should, Too, which speaks directly to Generation Z, kids ages 2 to 19. It details the decisions of celebrity role models, like Lena Dunham and Jaden Smith, to ditch direct interactions with social media because of toxic online environments and the desire to connect with people in real life.

Referring to the New York Times’ article Move Over, Millennials, Here Comes Generation Z, Teen Vogue notes that wanting more privacy is a big reason for disconnecting from social media. “‘As far as privacy, they are aware of their personal brand, and have seen older Gen Y-ers screw up by posting too openly,’ Dan Gould, a trend consultant at an advertising agency, told The Times.” Our kids are young enough to observe how older generations have used it as a powerful channel for both positive and negative interactions and learn from those mistakes. While the rest of us figure out ways to incorporate and balance out social media in our lives, our kids have the interesting task of figuring out when to remove it as a generation that has always had social media.

“As far as privacy, they are aware of their personal brand, and have seen older Gen Y-ers screw up by posting too openly.”

— Dan Gould

As parents, it’s enlightening to see Teen Vogue continue a dialogue around privacy and online behavior that kids may already be having with themselves and one another. In many instances, they will take the lead in handling situations that don’t feel right. Of course there can be missteps, which is why we need to be supportive in guiding them and establishing a trusting relationship, but our kids are attuned with how social media plays into their lives. And they will become an even larger factor in how the digital space evolves.

Must Watch: CNN documentary shows parents the importance of being DijiWise

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CNN’s Special Report on Monday, October 5th, #Being13: Inside the Secret World of Teens, covered how social media has changed what it’s like to be a teenager in the US. A year of research was conducted with over 200 13 year-olds to find out how teens actually use social media. CNN also reached out to parents to see what they thought of their kid’s social media usage. Parents wanted to understand their kids’ worlds, but many said that keeping up with their kids’ social media is like chasing a runaway train. At DijiWise, this is a pain we personally understand and a core motivation for designing our DijiWise app to be the monitoring app for kids’ social networks. CNN found that not only are teenagers actively using social media but are also spending a significant amount of time passively scrolling through social media without posting anything.

“Parents wanted to understand their kids’ worlds, but many said that keeping up with their kids’ social media is like chasing a runaway train.”

From their write-up of the report, CNN found that this “‘lurking,’ reading the never-ending stream of their peers' activities without posting anything themselves,” only greater emphasizes those who are popular and those who are not. A selfie posted by a popular kid will get a skyrocketing number of likes simply because they are already well-known. For kids who aren’t usually invited to hang out with others, seeing photos of movie gatherings and mall trips on Facebook and Instagram makes them feel even more isolated.

The report revealed how social media amplifies the feeling of exclusion.

“When we asked 13-year olds ‘What is the worst thing that happened to you on media,’ their responses included these:

• Being excluded to some parties.
• My best friends hung out without me, and posted it on instagram.
• My friends went out without me and posted pictures on instagram then denied they were out together.
• Not anything specific, but I don't like when people post pictures or tweet about a party that I wasn't invited to.
• Seeing pictures posted by my friends doing things where I wasn't included.”

It’s common to feel excluded when we aren’t invited to an event, but social media allows kids who weren’t included to see the fun that they missed out on. And even if the party wasn’t great, a quick smile for the camera means that the photos from the party made it seem great. People tend to share happy moments on social media and not the difficult ones, a distinction that may be aparent to an adult but to kids. For middle schoolers, the line between the real world and the cyber world doesn't exist. This imbalanced perception affects teenagers as they develop their own self-identity and understanding of the world. As parents, it’s important to communicate to our children the filtered nature of social media and how they are never alone in their struggles.

“For middle schoolers, the line between the real world and the cyber world doesn’t exist.”

At DijiWise, we feel that monitoring our kids’ social media activity is only the first step. We believe in having open and honest conversations with our kids to help guide them through some of the most formative years of their lives.

Is Your Family Addicted to Technology?

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Take our quiz to see if your family needs a technology detox!

Do you or anyone in your family...

1. sleep with a smartphone or tablet under the pillow or on the nightstand?

2. have a smartphone on the table as part of the place setting while eating?

3. use a smartphone/tablet during “family time”?

4. take a smartphone/tablet to the bathroom?

5. choose to spend time online over time with each other?

6. know more about what is going on with your Facebook friends than your own family members?

7. have a meltdown when the power goes out and there is no internet connection?

8. feel “naked” when you don’t have your phone with you?

If you answered YES to more than half of these questions, you or your family may have an addiction to technology. Savvy Cyber Kids founder Ben Halpert recently spoke at a TedXconference in St. Thomas and shared his perspective on what you can do to combat technology addiction in your family.

According to Mr. Halpert, “Right now, you can choose to create healthy technology habits for you and your family”. He delivers several points to help families heading towards technology crises.

1. You can choose to moderate your child’s screen time exposure and create adventures beyond the screen so their brains and bodies can develop to their full potential.

2. You can choose to start the technology conversation with your family and never stop talking about it.

3. You can choose to start to assess your child’s technology habits. Can you help your child step away or do you need a professional?

4. You can choose to tell your child why they will never bring technology to bed with them. When children bring their devices to bed they don’t get the required sleep they need.

5. You can choose to never bring your device out at a family meal.

You can choose to be present for your kids by modeling proper technology behavior. When you choose to be present for your kids, they will be present for you.