Review: Action Alert

About this time last year, we purchased my daughter (15) her own laptop. She does most of her school work using the computer, taking several online classes. It was also getting to the point that she sometimes needed to get out of our main school room and into the quiet, solitude of her own room for study. That also meant that she would need to take her computer, unsupervised, with her.

While I completely trust my daughter to not visit inappropriate sites, I do worry that she may unexpectedly come upon something. I also am concerned about the distractions of the Internet. After all, browsing YouTube or chatting with friends is much more appealing than writing that paper that is due. I’ve been looking for monitoring software that provides accountability without being so controlling that it is more hassle than it is helpful. When I was given the opportunity to review Action Alert, I was cautiously hopeful.

Action Alert has two versions, a Free Protection version and a Maximum Protection version. I was provided with the Maximum Protection version ($29.99), which has the following features.


  
I opted to try this program on an extra computer used primarily by my son. The software loaded easily. Not everything went as smoothly after that.

The software reset my home page to the Action Alert Safe Search, which is simply Google Safe Search. The idea is to direct and encourage use of a safe search engine and the resetting of the home page was exactly how the program is supposed to function.  However, when I went to my settings, since I preferred a different home page, I could not override the software nor could I find instructions in the manual.  I did eventually email Action Alert to find out how to override the home page setting and received a prompt reply. I understand that resetting the home page is just the first step of defense, but I did not find it to be very effective since the user can just open another tab and select a different search engine.

The Site Blocking and the Activity Notification Alerts were the next two tools I tried.  I blocked Facebook for a test run, and that did seem to work well.  It didn't matter if I opened a new tab, the site was blocked.  The Activity Notification Alerts are sent via email or text and are generated if inappropriate keystrokes are typed. However, there was sometimes a delay in the reporting. If you are looking for accountability, this should be fine.  If you want notice for immediate action, it might not be as useful of a feature.

I loved the 60 hours of recorded screen shots with the Activity Video Recording feature.  Since I was looking more for accountability than filtering and blocking, this was a very useful tool.  A child cannot exactly dispute their activity with a screen shot.  Unfortunately, I suspect this feature, which saved a screen shot every 5 seconds (as default, users can set a different interval), contributed to a larger problem I had.  My computer seemed to be running some programs very slowly.  Suspecting that Action Alert was the cause of the sluggishness, I decided to remove the software.

After I removed the software through the uninstall option in the program, I opened up my browser to see if things were back to normal.  While the program was removed, Facebook was still blocked.  The tool bar search field was also still set to Action Alert.  I phoned customer service, who helped me work through the problem by advising me to clear my browser's cache. Action Alert seems to utilize browser add-ons,which are readily available for free, to block websites. Regardless, I did quickly get the information needed to get everything back to normal.

While helpful to the problem at hand, I  did have an uncomfortable exchange with customer service.  At the closing of our phone call, my email address was requested.  I declined.  Frankly, I didn't see the need to supply it, especially since I had removed the software. The customer service representative seemed to have an issue with this and wanted to argue my decision with explanation that I had chosen to download the free software (unaware I was supplied the full product for review) and that the information was for their "notation".  After politely declining to provide my personal information several times, I finally had to just thank him for the help on my issue and hang up rather than further engage.  While everyone is allowed a bad day, I felt this exchange worth noting as I did not feel that my desired privacy required an explanation.

Since my computer was back to running normal speed upon removal, I did not reinstall the software and was unable to test out the other features. 

Based on my personal experiences, I cannot recommend Action Alert at this time. It may be worthwhile to check back as they make improvements.  If you would like to give Action Alert a try, a free version is available. The Maximum Protection, which is available for $29.99, comes with a 100% refund within 30 days if you are not fully satisfied.

 Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool. You may read more reviews on this product by visiting here.

Review and Giveaway: My Memories Suite

Can I just start this review off by saying that I am not a scrapbooker so you know from where I'm coming?  I do like the concept, and have even tried it a time or two. However, there are a few things that get in my way.  The cutting.  The pasting. Actually having printed photographs.

Ever since I went digital with my photographs, I rarely get them printed.  If I do, it is for a particular purpose (e.g. the annual framing of photos for grandparents at Christmas), rather than to put them in some sort of order for viewing.  Instead, they remain on my computer's hard drive with good intentions. I had heard of digital scrapbooking before, but really didn't think I had the level of creativity that would be needed, not to mention the time to get down the learning curve of the software.  So, I left it at something that is a great idea - for other people.

When I was given the opportunity to review some new digital scrapbooking software, My Memories Suite, the wanna-be-scrapbooker in me took over.  I really wanted to give it a try, fully recognizing that I might when all is said and done, I still think it is a great idea for others, but not me. This was new territory with an unknown outcome.

My Memories Suite is a downloaded product, though you can purchase a CD back-up if you'd like.  The download and installation process went smoothly.  When I opened up the program, it was pretty straight-forward and intuitive.  This is a good thing, since I tend to not bother to read instruction manuals.

When creating a new file, users are given the option to select a template or create their own.  I started off with the template option. There are over 30 templates already preloaded.  Some of them have a theme already, others are more customizable with your own selection of background papers and colors.  Of course, text, shapes, and embellishments, and can be added as well.  Even video, music, and narration can be added to the pages for a more interactive scrapbook.  Additional pages, templates, and embellisments can be purchased from My Memories, and there is also a selection of free products to download.

I think I fared pretty well.  The only real problem I had was finding some of the items I downloaded from the site.  They landed in areas and files of the program I didn't expect, and it took a bit of hunting around at first.  I didn't make a full scrapbook, but I did make some single pages.  I have to admit, it was much easier than I anticipated.  I've tried creating similar items in graphics programs in the past and more often than not ended up frustrated.

My first attempt was a page that showed off the various birthday cake creations of my husband's mom. This took no time at all.  I simply pulled the pictures into the template, selected a festive background, and added a bit of text that matched the colors of the background.

After seeing how the basics worked, I decided to play around a bit more and opted to create my own page, rather than use a template.  This time I created a display page for some of the lapbooking products available from our family business.  Sizing, moving, rotating, and framing the pictures was a breeze. After a textured background, some flower embellishments, and text, I was done. When this is an 8 1/2 x 11 as intended, the text is more readable.

One thing I've attempted before on a graphics program is a simple photo composite.  I've needed to do these in the past for my daughter for theater opportunities.  Though I've managed, it has never been as easy as the one below.  This one was a template. I just selected three photos and a background. I did adjust the size of two of the photo areas so it didn't crop as much from the original.

My last project was more like a traditional scrapbook page and documented my son's last birthday celebration.  I got "fancy" on this one by adding and positioning/rotating some embellishments.

I imagine there is a lot more that can be done with this program, but I didn't think the above was too bad for a first try.  Check out the Page Gallery on the My Memories website for better ideas of what can be done. Wow! There are some great pages to see there. I'm looking forward to playing around some more, especially with the interactive features, like adding video and audio to the pages, or creating a complete themed scrapbook.

There are a variety of ways to share your creation, including exporting it as a jpeg file, getting it printed as an album, printing on your own printer, or burning to a DVD. You can easily share with friends and family or make a special scrapbook as a gift.

Overall, I liked My Memories Suite quite a bit and can now see a place for digital scrapbooking, even for me. The program was fairly intuitive, and I liked that the products that you can download (either purchased or free) can also be used in other graphics programs.  Of course, as I mentioned earlier, finding some of those products was a challenge at first, but I figured it out soon enough.  Also, I couldn't find a way to make the pages a size that wasn't standard (e.g. 8 1/2 x 11, 12 x 12, or 8 x 8).  There may be a way to do this, but it wasn't obvious. Regardless, I can do this type of scrapbooking.  No cutting, no pasting, and no printed photographs required! 
 
Now, I have two bonuses for all of my readers. I have a coupon code that will give you a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value!). Please enter code STMMMS53515 to get your discount.

Secondly, I have a giveaway for one lucky winner who will receive a code to download the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software, a $39.97 value, for FREE!

Giveaway Closed!  Congrats to  the winner, Sarah, comment #8.

There are numerous ways to enter.  Be sure to leave a way to contact you should you be the lucky winner!

Mandatory entry:

• Visit www.MyMemories.com and click "free kits" in the navigation bar.  Leave me a comment letting me know your favorite.

For additional entries (leave a comment for each):

• Follow My Memories via their blog, Facebook, or Twitter.  One entry for each.
• Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect.
• Subscribe to this blog (rss or email)
• Like Chatter, Clatter, and Things That Matter on Facebook (this is a brand new page and needs a little love!)
• Follow Chatter and Clatter on Twitter
• Post about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, or others (please specify in your comment).  This will count for two entries for each! Make sure you leave two comments.

The giveaway will end on October 21st at 6 p.m. EST and the winner will be chosen by a random number generator. 


Disclaimer:  I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation, though the given coupon code is part of an affiliation program. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Review: Graphics Toolbox

I've always admired all the fancy graphics that others have created. In an effort to be equally creative, I've played around with MS Paint, included on most Windows computers, and similar programs. After each session I've come to the same conclusion: I'm terribly inept and my learning curve for graphics programs is flat. I've long written off being a graphics guru in my future.

When I found out that the Crew would be reviewing Graphics Toolbox, a powerful graphics program, I was both excited and nervous. Graphics Toolbox is the brainchild of Lynda Holler. Lynda's background includes 25 years in the fashion industry, where she used a powerful software program for her work. A number of years ago, she realized that there was not a professional level graphics program that was both easy to use and affordable for the average user. Together with William Tsao, the developer of the software used in her fashion work, Lynda created Graphics Toolbox. The end result was a program with intuitive and creative graphics tools, added functions for new users, and an affordable price.

I am not in a position to discuss in detail how this program compares to other programs available to the average person. I simply do not have the technical knowledge nor experience working with other programs. Some of the links below may help those a bit more knowledgeable better determine how Graphics Toolbox may compare.

Introduction Video
Graphics Toolbox vs. Other Window Programs
Download User Manual

When I first opened the Graphics Toolbox program for this review, I was overwhelmed. Granted, I'm overwhelmed with any graphics program. However, some of the functions that I had become somewhat familiar with on other programs did not work the same on Graphics Toolbox. There were also a number of things that looked entirely new. After a few clicks, I took a deep breath and closed the program. Luckily, the Crew was also offered some training sessions by Lynda.

Both my 13-year-old daughter and I attended a 90-minute tutorial titled Bobby at the Great Wall of China, where Lynda showed us the basics of the program as well as how to create a fun school project by manipulating photos. This tutorial, among others, is available at the Graphics Toolbox website. After seeing the software in action, it didn't seem so intimidating. My daughter was thrilled to find a program that she could use to color her hand-drawn pictures on the computer. Shortly after the session, she scanned in one of her drawings and added color. After adding some texture to the color and creating borders and ribbons to match, the first project was done.


After the tutorial, I as able to get up to speed with the basic functions. There are a few functions that I really like about the program:

• the framing tool - various sized frames are provided to size out your final project. The rest of the space on the screen is used as a work area. Objects can be manipulated in the work area, and then applied inside the frame of the final project.

• colors - there are many color options and the ability to create your own color card. For example, users can bring in blog and website colors and create a color card for potential designs.

• zoom function - zooming in and out is as simple as placing your cursor over an area and rolling toward or away with the mouse's roller ball
  

• ribbons and fancy lines - many options for easy embellishments

Lynda suggested that it is best to have a particular project in mind to learn, rather than just playing around with the program. For me, I found that to be true.

Inspired by the tutorial, I decided to play around with some photographs. My son absolutely loves Legos and he's always taking pictures of his various creations. I came up with the idea to place him in one of his many Lego projects. Using the irregular framing tool, I clicked around the outside of the boat that he made. Next, I found a picture of my son. Using the same irregular framing tool, I cut him out of the background and then resized the image. Next, I placed him on the boat. The background was found at Google Images. I resized the background image into my frame and then moved the boat with my son from the workspace on top of the image.



I do not scrapbook, but I have no doubt that the ribbon and color options would appeal to those who do. Below is a display of several of my daughter's drawings by hand. All roughly the same original size, I scanned them directly into the program. I resized and rotated the top two drawings. For the frames, I selected from one of the many patterns available and then copied a color directly from the the drawing I was framing. Once I had my page how I wanted it, I chose the striped ribbon to frame all the drawings. The original ribbon color didn't match, so I again pulled colors directly from the drawings and used the change color function.


I have barely scratched the surface with this program. Now that I have a better understanding of the basic functions, I look forward to playing around with the program and using it more for both fun and educational projects.

Overall, this was a very fun program to use after getting over initially being overwhelmed. To give it a try for yourself, I recommend that you take advantage of the free, fully-functional, 30-day trial Before downloading, make sure you check the system requirements in the FAQ section of the website. I originally had this program on our older computer, and it ran too slow for my liking. However, I had no trouble after downloading to a different computer.

Graphics Toolbox retails for $149. For more ideas on how to use this program as well as find more information on its capability, visit the Graphics Toolbox website.

Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew's blog to read more reviews on this product and others.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result in my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was given the provided with the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.