Risk & Business Magazine General Insurance Services - Fall 2020 | Page 11

SMART TECHNOLOGY
1. FUN WITH QUESTIONS: AI STYLE
As any parent knows, kids can be
relentless questioners. “Why, why, why
…” While this curiosity is important
for their development, at times it can
be tortuous and usually ends with,
“Because I said so, stop asking so many
questions!” Nobody wins in these
scenarios, trust me, I’ve been there.
I found a great way to turn these
interrogations into collective fun is by
using artificial intelligence. Also, let’s
be frank, I didn’t know the answers to
many of my kindergartner’s questions.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) sounds
complex, but there are numerous
devices utilizing AI you are already
familiar with: Amazon Echo (Alexa),
Apple HomePod, Google Home Mini,
and many others.
When a question comes up in our
household, we simply ask our device:
• “How many red stripes are on the
American flag?”
• “How old is Dumbledore?”
• “Why is the sky blue?”
The key is to ask the questions together,
as a family. While your particular
device might not have all the answers,
it sometimes provides hilarious and
memorable moments for the family.
Most importantly, you and your
children will be learning together, often
while still getting your chores done
around the house.
You can have fun with quizzes as well.
Some of our favorites have been world
capitals, Jeopardy, kids trivia, and
Harry Potter trivia. Our five-year-old
enjoys kids trivia games while we make
pancakes together. Did you know that
dogs suffer from narcolepsy too?
In the end, a kids’ curiosity should be
celebrated and explored and it is a great
reminder for us adults to continue to be
curious about the world around us too.
2. SMART BEDS: SLEEP SMARTER
Being well rested always makes me
a better parent; better at everything
actually. Your kids being well rested will
also make parenting easier. “Wow, he’s
pretty cranky. He had waaay too much
sleep last night,” said by no parent, ever.
While we shouldn’t use technology
while in our bed, we should have
technology in our bed. Yes, a smart bed.
Smart beds, among many benefits, help
track your sleep patterns to optimize
them over time. My bed of choice is the
Sleep Number 360. It has helped me
so much that I thought my kids would
benefit from smart beds as well, and
they are. They get their best night’s rest
on the Sleep number k2 bed.
It also helps me track their sleep
patterns, so they are optimally rested.
An unforeseen benefit is when I travel,
I feel better connected with them as I
can see when they are going to bed and
getting up in the middle of the night.
They also have fun adjusting their sleep
number (firmness of the bed) to get it to
their desired “unicorn rainbow lollipop
state.”
3. LEARNING APPS
You can use any learning app or website
of your choice: ABC Mouse, edx.org,
Khan Academy, Tiny Cards, and many
more.
The key is picking one where both you
and your child can learn together. For
example, my kids and I use Duolingo to
learn Spanish together. While we still
use physical Spanish flashcards, cook
Spanish dishes, and listen to Spanish
music, using this app is also good family
learning time. Best of all, Duolingo,
along with most of the apps/websites I
mentioned, are FREE.
My hope is that by making your
home smarter it will also create more
opportunities for family time. After all,
isn’t that what life is all about? +
No. 1 Best-selling Author and
Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman
has performed in over 50 countries
and reached over 30 million people in
the last decade.
His Socialnomics work has been
featured on 60 Minutes to the Wall
Street Journal and used by the
National Guard to NASA. His book
Digital Leader propelled him to
be voted the second Most Likeable
Author in the World behind Harry
Potter’s J.K. Rowling. Qualman
was formerly a sitting professor at
Harvard and MIT’s edX labs.
Equalman.com
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