TOS Review Action Alert

I have been looking for a product which could help me know what the children were doing on their computer as well as allow me to block out certain lengths of active time on the internet. When Action Alert Parental Control Software came up as a possible review, I was really excited. I received a 1 year subscription to the premium version of Action Alert. The premium version costs $29.99 for the subscription. There is also a free version available without as many features. I discovered that if you choose the free version you will be directed to a page with a discount on the premium version. Action Alert does offer a 30 day money back guarantee.

Action Alert is not a standard blocking program. Instead, it is designed to help with accountability for internet usage. For every account on the computer, Action Alert can be set to different levels of security so that those who need stricter filtering have that protection and those who need less protection but need accountability can have that. It does come with a default blocking list as well as a safe search engine (which will become your homepage and auto-turn off tabs when the browser closes if utilized) or the ability to only allow listed sites which come from your favorites list or ones you add to the white list within the manger screen. At any time, an exception or addition of safe site can be made in the manager's control panel.

Installation of Action Alert should be very simple- download, input email address and a password, and go. Unfortunately for me, something went a little wrong in the installation process and my account wasn't working properly. Customer Service was excellent though. I called the support line and after trying several things I was supposed to call back in 10 minutes after waiting for the server on their end to update. Just before I called back, I received a call from a Level 2 Tech Support Manager. He worked almost an hour past closing to help me try and remedy my problem. Since he couldn't access the servers after hours, he called me back the next day to help find the problem. He worked for another hour to fix the issues I was having with my computers. I was really impressed with their customer service and dedication to solving the problem. One of my problems was I had forgotten to remove a different blocking program before installing... oops. The installation window should have mentioned removing all blocking software first!

Once I got Action Alert up and running I discovered that it took a while to figure out how to use it. The Support/FAQ inside the Action Alert Manager screen is not necessarily up to date for Action Alert. It contains quite a bit of information related to a prior product produced by the same company which required a USB key. Action Alert no longer requires any hardware, but the information is still contained within the Support information. As a result I was initially very confused as to how to use the program. Customer service was great about helping me set it up the way I needed to for my particular users though. I never figured out how to track keystrokes or usernames and passwords. Maybe this would be in the playback?

Here is a screenshot of the safe search page. I turned it off as I didn't really like all the extraneous stuff on the page, especially the advertisement on the page. I did like the Today (in history blurbs) though. I would rather have seen just the Today and the search box without all the "helps" and suggested links or advertisements on the screen.

 

Two features I really like in the premium version are the internet shutdown and the video of the screen action. The internet shutdown can be triggered remotely from another computer. If an inappropriate word is typed into the computer an alert email or text can be sent to the parent. The alerts to email have a link to shut down internet for this user. This action will disable the user's account (including the desktop) until the password is inputted or the account manager reactivates it. The user can switch to a different user if he or she knows the password though. Nothing will be lost as it just freezes the screen rather than turn it off. The list of inappropriate words seems to be very inclusive of any word which could be construed as offensive or inappropriate. I consider myself pretty conservative when it comes to language and I managed to accidentally trigger a few alerts for words I wouldn't consider inappropriate. Once I was writing a Latin word and it triggered an alert. I had to go back and review the video because I knew I was the one on the computer and wasn't out typing bad words! The screenshot recording can be set to take a shot every second if there the is a screen change, or every 5 seconds, or other length of time the manger deems appropriate. The further the length of time between screen shots, the more choppy the playback, but the longer the playback can cover. The playback feature can be used to monitor social interactions of teens and children to help them learn what is appropriate to share or not share online.

I have mixed feelings about Action Alert.  I really liked some of the features, but the bugs I experienced really "bugged" me.
First, the Pro's:
1. I love  the accountability aspect that is introduced into internet filtering. I like that I can see the screenshots if necessary. By introducing the accountability aspect with the screenshots, I can have a conversation with my children about why something might not be appropriate rather than just having them blocked.
2. I like that I can remotely deactivate an account, especially since I have at least one child who tries to just do one more thing far too often. The remote disabling is not instant though.
3. Being able to set acceptable times for a student to be on the computer was very helpful with monitoring a child who tends to get sucked in very easily. When his time was up, his account shut down (as in couldn't be used but his work was still present and not lost), and he would have to justify to me why he needed more time.
4. It worked on my older (7 year old) computer that my kids use.
5. Customer Service availability.

And the Con's:
1. I found my browser crashed more often than it had prior to installation, especially if I had multiple browser tabs open (which frequently happens).
2. My internet speed seemed to slowed a little more than it had with other filtering software although over time I didn't notice this as much.
3. I also found that while it would block undesirable sites, unless the Action Alert safe searching website is used, it does not filter search results.
 4. If you reset your password, in Action Alert, it won't reset on other computers you are using even though you are on the Action Alert website.  I find this to be counter intuitive. If I log in with the same email address, and password, shouldn't that be universal? 
5. Resetting your password will result in deleting all the video footage prior to the password reset on the computer you reset the password on.
6. I don't like when companies offer one price but if you click the right buttons or reject their initial offer the price is lowered. I prefer the company to be more forthright with pricing. 

I think this program has great potential but  needs a little work to make it more user-friendly. Given the level of customer service I experienced, I am sure that they will keep working to improve their program and it will only get better. The free version will filter the internet, but if you want to add the accountability aspects of Action Alert, you have to upgrade. I say give it a try.  I will continue to use Action Alert on my children's computer as I feel it does the job just as well as other programs I have used and adds a few features I find valuable to help me teach them. Following this review I will be taking it off my computer because I find the browser crashes obnoxious.

Disclaimer:  As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are mine. 

Family Vacations- and saving money on the trip

Family Vacations are so important. One thing we have done the last couple of years is join with a group going to the Great Wolf Lodge. By going with a group, we are able to stay in a nicer room for less than we could for the least expensive room without the group discount.

Every time we stay in a hotel, I bring oatmeal packets. These days many hotels have coffee makers in the room. We use the coffee maker to heat water and then make instant oatmeal for breakfast. If there is a mini-fridge, I hit a grocery store for a couple of apples and some yogurt too. My kids love having their oatmeal in the room since I never buy oatmeal packets at home.

This year we decided that since there is a mini-fridge, and we would have 5 meals on our vacation we would pack for 4 and only eat out at the restaurant for dinner before we went home. For lunch the first day, I brought PBJ from home. For dinner I found some noodle bowls from Trader Joe's like this for about $2 each. They were actually pretty filling and they were all natural too. I also bought a bag of salad greens and a jar of salad dressing. We ate our noodle bowls (with coffee-pot hot water) then poured the salad in the bowl and ate that.
Lunch the second day was hummus, carrots, and crackers. For snacks we brought some granola bars and apples.

Could I have fed us even cheaper? Yes! But I didn't have a lot of time to prepare food beforehand so this was still a good compromise between the restaurants and home cooking.  We swam, ran, played, and laughed. Tiger, Butterfly, and Pumpkin Pie all had a chance to take a "Jr. Lifeguard" class too. They got the opportunity to rescue some ducks from the pool and then to use the lifeguard noodle to pull each other to safety.

Did we do any book learning during this time? Nope. Did we do life learning during this time? As always, yes! Relationships were strengthened, children had to compromise on activities, and all had to work together to get out the door.

Living a Life of Science

But what about science? I remember when I was in school, we almost never did science. Science was something older kids got to do that we didn't get to until junior and senior high. Not in my home! Science is all around us from cooking, to soap making, to cleaning a bathroom, to a box of wires, batteries, and buzzers. In our home, we live science with the help of a few resources.

For "formal" science, I really like what I have seen from Apologia. We are currently using the elementary Botany book. I love the activities and depth of information conveyed even to the elementary age students.This year we have built a light hut and grown plants and dissected tulips as part of our experiments. We have also grown beans in various places to see how light effects the germination and growth of the plants.

The library is full of fabulous books. We often check out books from the library but I also have a few core books. I  love the Usborne Internet Linked Encyclopedia of Science and the new Time Book of Science Experiments.  We also have various books by Janice VanCleave. The cub scout manuals also have ideas for science experiments.

In addition to books, I keep acquiring science kit! Thames and Kosmos is one of my favorite brands but the rather inexpensive Science Wiz kits from Norman and Globus are a hit here too. For $15-$20, all the materials and hours of exploration on a topic are included. Tiger loved the electricity and inventions boxes. Later he constructed a door alarm with the materials so any time someone opened his bedroom door he would know.

The internet is full of science resources Instructables.com and Pinterest have become two of my favorites. I am amazed at the experiments people explain on pinterest!. Just yesterday I found an pin about ants eating colored sugar water and how their abdomens were changing colors. While I don't think I will set this experiment up, it is a cool thing to look at!

What resources do you use? Please share with me as I am always on the hunt for more science resources. While you are at it, check out what other TOS Crew members have to say about science resources. (This link goes live March 13).

Ahoy Mayteys

 Tiger found a book on paper engineering where all the creations are pop-ups or have moveable parts. There was a pirate ship that folds up into a card.

 After spending hours tracing, decorating, cutting, and assembling, a game of pirates ensued. It always amazes me how one small thing can inspire a great game of excitement.

Books to Reference

Until I can figure out how to make a page tab for this stuff, I am going to keep a running list of books to reference so I can find them again. Sometimes I come across a fabulous book that will enrich my schooling.

Great To Read Aloud:

Carry on Mr. Bowditch
Summer of the Monkeys
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

Books about States
Golden Numbers- A California Number Book (Sleeping Bear Press)- There are others for other states too.     This book is great because it has simple numbers, pictures, and a cute rhyme with more information about each thing in the book.