I jumped at the chance!
When asked if I would like to interview one of the mom winners of “Mom for Simplicity” online essay contest by HP, my answer was yes my thoughts were of course! Hearing how another Mom uses technology to simplify her life is exactly what I love to hear!
The contest was announced Mothers Day and ended in mid June. Moms for Simplicity asked moms to upload a photo and in two hundred words or less, illustrate how they used technology to simplify their busy lives. The entries are displayed on this Mosaic. From over eight hundred entries the three winners were picked with the help of Dara Torres, five-time Olympic swimmer, mom and businesswoman.
All three winners will receive a personalized $5,000 HP technology makeover, trip to watch Torres compete in the U.S. National Swimming Championship and a trip to the FINA World championships in Rome (since Dara won!) later this summer.
Winner Kimberly Friedman
How did you find out about the HP Dara Torres contest?
My daughter and I were watching the Today Show on Mothers Day, my daughter thought I should enter the contest.
How do you simplify your life with technology?
I could not make 30 phone calls for our PTA but I could send one email to 650 parents to staff an event. I also scan a document each day (hp scanner) and post this on our school PTA website so that the parents of 1,200 students know what is going on.
This sounds great but it sounds like hours of work?
The initial set up took about 20 hours but now it takes approximately 2 minutes a day to keep each parent informed on daily school activities and less than a half hour on some weekends.
One email to everyone, scan a document, have a determined Mom and poof it is done. Kimberly took the concept of Moms for Simplicity to a whole new level and converted her PTA to an electronic PTA. Now parents know what is happening in the school everyday, teachers can make a quick and easy request and it is green (paperless)! DeMasiMiddleSchool
Tip from Kimberly : Teacher Web had what I needed to set up a PTA website.
How else do you simplify your life with technology?
In my professional life I am working on converting classes to webinars and I use power point. Personally I have more freedom by giving my daughter a cell phone so that I can keep in touch by texting and talking as needed.
The winning essay
Ever ask a teenager what happened in school today? What do you hear?…”nothing”. Well who knew that HP technology could simplify parent to teenager communication?!
Two years ago, our PTA was about to fold. I agreed to be president… IF I could convert to an electronic PTA. I developed a website (using HP desktops) with all the school’s announcements (www.demasipta.org). Now we know where our children are when they don’t get off the bus ( because they forgot to tell us they were staying late). All the school documents get scanned and posted via my HP Photosmart All in One (because the kids leave them in their lockers till June). And, if I have to send a paper notice, my HP color laser allows me to make the 800 copies quickly and efficiently while I can still work full time.
On the first day of school last year I said, ..THIS IS NOT YOUR MOTHER’S PTA…and with HP technology it’s not..it’s BETTER! HP products allowed us to revitalize our PTA and allowed parents to actually understand their teenagers’ lives…or at least try to!
Oh, that teenager that I have– what did she get for her 13th birthday??..the HP Touchsmart!
Great Job!
I think you will agree Kimberly has done a great job! Kimberly used technology to simplify her life and help out a whole community!
See more at Moms For Simplicity, an on the road site for HP Moms that will keep us updated with pictures, video and information on Dara Torres and the trip to FINA World championships in Rome.
How do you use technology to simplify your life?
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