When I was in high school, I was a bit of a nerd. It’s true. I was the bookworm, straight A, love to do homework, teacher’s pet kind of girl. But once a week on Wednesday nights, I would set aside my homework in favour of something a little more important – watching the oh-so-true-to-life antics of Kelly, Donna, Dylan, Brandon, David, and all the others on a certain little TV show called Beverly Hills 90210.

Needless to say, when it was my time to go to university, my expectations of “university life” were a little bit skewed. Because of 90210 I had imagined that my post secondary education would involve living in a beautiful beachfront apartment. It would be meticulously decorated and have ample room out front for my convertible BMW. Sufficed to say, that’s not exactly how things went down. Instead, for five of my six years of university (I changed majors, so don’t judge), I lived at home and commuted back and forth every day. I ate my parent’s food, lived in my childhood bedroom, and drove a 1984 Mazda GLC Sport (with a crank sunroof) that I bought for $1,000 and that consistently overheated and leaked oil.

But imagine for a moment that you are a Kelly, Donna, Dylan, Brandon, or David and you have the ability to live in the lap of luxury when you battling your way through university. What then would your dorm room look like? 

Have you noticed that smartphones keep getting bigger and bigger screens while our pockets remain the same size? Well, Motorola minds our pocket size with their new super thin and stylish MOTOLUXE smartphone. Now don’t be fooled by the name, this luxurious little guy won’t break the bank but it looks and feels like it should.

The first thing I noticed about the MOTOLUXE is how great it feels in your hand. The soft plastic exterior feels smooth and refined while the aluminum details make the phone feel very solid and durable. Another great thing about the design and hardware of the MOTOLUXE is that the screen goes edge-to-edge, so that you’re left with a very small footprint. The volume and power buttons are well placed and feel very sturdy so you’re not likely to accidentally hit them while on a call or while it’s in your pocket. But at just 9.8 mm thin and less than 125 grams, you’ll be lucky if you even notice that it’s in your pocket. 

As summer winds down you may be worried about getting your children back into listening and learning mode.  With that in mind, it just might be time to ease their brains back into school mode. Why not pull out the Android tablet and have some fun with my top picks for education apps on Android?

There’s nothing better than living in a world of mobile technology. Having the power to go almost anywhere with your technology and keep connected with the world is a gift I’m thankful for every day.  There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t leave the house without either my mobile phone, tablet or laptop; to be honest most days it’s all three!  But I never forget the importance of protecting these devices with the proper gear.

I remember way back in the days when computers were not as reliable as they are today.  I know I’ve been a victim of not backing up my work.  We tend to sometimes place too much faith and trust in our computers, thinking that a crash happens to other people and not to us.  

Summer is almost half way done (ouch!), which means that many of you are starting to think about school again.  Very soon - afternoons and evenings will shift from sun, fun and relaxation to reading, studying and homework.  Is your dorm, home office or family computer ready for some hard-core learning?

If you’re lucky enough to snag an apartment or dorm room alone in University, here are some appliance and furniture must haves for under $1000!

The beginning of a school year will soon be upon us and for those of you preparing to move away and start University, here are some great items to set up your dorm room on a budget!

Times really have changed. 10 years ago, if you wanted to print off a term paper or work document, you’d have to plug into your bubble jet printer and go make dinner while you waited ½ hour for your 20 page document to print. Who’d have thought you’d not only be able to print in seconds, but be able to hit the print button from virtually anywhere in your home?

Laptops make us mobile, and with that mobility comes the need to be wirelessly connected to everything in our home, including printers. Luckily, it’s easier than ever to pick up a wireless printer and install it in minutes, not hours. Plus, with the right printer, you’ll even be able to hit the print button from your tablet and smartphone.

This month a friend of mine asked me if I would tag along with her to Best Buy to help her choose a new PC for their family.  At first I was pushing my friend into purchasing a laptop or tablet, as I’m all about the mobility these days.  My friend explained to me that the family had a tablet that they shared and loved it, but they wanted a traditional PC for the desk in their kitchen, an area that has become synonymous with homework and a time for learning and sharing.

Then I was enlightened...

No school shopping is complete without looking at computer hardware and software needed. However, what a junior high school student needs is going to be very different from what a college or university student needs.

July and August are the best months to buy a computer when retailers are competing for sales and trying to capture the back to school market. But do your homework before heading out to buy so you'll be sure to get the right computer for the right grade.

In a week where most of the education news you will hear revolves around what your kids will not be getting in school this year, it is good to learn about some things that they do get.

As the final days of summer tick away, university and college students are starting to pack up and get ready for dorm living. The average dorm is pretty small and is usually shared for first year students - so pack light and be sure to use the space to the best of your advantage! 

And by using the space wisely, I don’t mean re-purposing a beer keg for your bedside table, using your desk to house dirty laundry or filling the communal bathroom sink with ice for your drinks.  Although the social scene is an important part experiencing college life, try not to overdo it

With back-to-school days away, students are typically spending time looking at the sexier toys like laptops, tablets, and smart phones; but one essential is a good printer.  I think you ought to seriously consider the Canon MX420 all-in-oneprinter because it provides an excellent balance between price, quality, and functionality.   For just over a hundred bucks the printing clarity is excellent and it comes with many very desirable features.

Whether we’re talking about high school or university, there are a few essentials that appear on everyone’s back to school supply shopping list – pens, paper, binders or notebooks, maybe some White Out, and a probably a highlighter or two. But this year there is another item that should be added to everyone’s list – the new Kobo eReader Touch Edition.

The other night I watched what turned out to be a very disturbing episode of Dateline. The premise: cyber-bullying. When I was in elementary and high school in the 80’s and 90’s, bullying was part of the academic landscape, as it has been for who knows how long. Not to undermine the effect bullying can have on an adolescent by any means – I was the target of bullying myself – in those days it amounted to teasing, verbal attacks, inappropriate pranks, and the occasional bloody nose.

But since then, the landscape of bullying has changed dramatically. In the past twenty years cyber-bullying, or the use of the Internet, social networking sites and other related technologies to harm others, has become rampant. Why the increase in such abuse? Simply put, it’s easier to be cruel when you aren’t face to face with someone.



It’s that time of year again where students race back to class, anxiously awaiting piles of assignments and group projects, just bursting to reacquaint themselves with the neo-hipster campus librarian and that first-year fling. Ha! Not exactly. The reality is that summer is coming to an end and students the world over are preparing – mentally and logistically – to get back at it. Most people within this demographic are naturally savvy when it comes to social media, which is great news. No longer is social media looked at as one giant time suck! Today the smart students will seek out ways to get ahead of the class by engaging in the following social platforms…

Your suitcase is packed, your life is in boxes, and you are heading back to class. The back to school rush can be chaotic, and the best time to organize everything for a productive year is long before you set foot on campus.  Students today are extremely lucky that they all carry around a secret weapon: A smart phone.  Powered by a wide variety of apps, a smart phone can simplify the life of any student. Check out these great productivity apps for a more organized year:

One of the things I hated most about university was lugging around those heavy textbooks. I remember showing up to my first day of classes, getting my textbook shopping list, then standing in line for hours holding what felt like a 50lb box in my arms filled to the brim with the biggest textbooks I could’ve ever imagined. Following that, I waddled over to the bus stop and took the 25-minute ride home with my new purchases. I thought, at the time, that hell couldn’t be much worse. What had I gotten myself into?