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I haven’t lived within a full day’s drive of my niece and nephew since they were born. In an odd way, the COVID-19 pandemic gave me an opening to be closer to them because they were suddenly much more willing to get on video calls with me, which these low-tech, outdoor, free-range children were previously loath to do. Their remote schooling situation in 2020 and 2021 also forced them to learn new computer skills, like video conferencing and setting up their first email addresses. At that time, they were 8 and 10 years old, so they were ready.
Last year as their birthdays were approaching, I was desperately trying to come up with the perfect gift idea, something they would love and that would nudge them to think of me as the fun aunt. Around the same time, I was shopping for new sneakers for myself and saw that Vans.com has a design-your-own-shoes module(Opens in a new window) that lets you select a sneaker style as a template and then customize the colors and fabrics of every part, from the laces to the toe. And wouldn’t you know it, there are options for kid’s sizes.
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The Sneaker Challenge
“This is perfect,” I thought. “I’ll let them design their own shoes, and then I’ll pay for them and ship them.” But how was it going to work?
I didn’t want to take the security risks of sharing my password with them, letting them log into my account to design the shoe, have them log out, hope all their work saved, have me log back in to make the payment, and so forth. Plus, if I shared my password, I’d be a bad tech role model, and I was trying to build a reputation as the cool, tech-savvy aunt.
Then I realized there was a very simple solution.
Remote Access to the Rescue
Zoom Meeting has a built-in remote access tool that’s included in the free version. It works like this:
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Two or more people start a Zoom call.
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Person 1 starts screen sharing.
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Person 1 then gives temporary control of their mouse and keyboard over to another person on the call, Person 2.
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Now, Person 2 can see Person 1’s screen and control what happens on that screen and only that screen. For example, if Person 1 only shares a browser tab, Person 2 can only access what’s on that tab.
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When everyone’s finished, Person 2 can surrender control or Person 1 can revoke control—which they can do at any time.
Remote access tools are regularly used for IT support in businesses, where generally, people share access to their whole machine, not a single tab. Remote access tools can also be lifesavers if a family member or friend isn’t physically near you and needs help troubleshooting their computer. Let’s say, for example, that my niece and I are on a video call, and I can’t hear her, but she can’t figure out why. She can share her screen and give me remote access so that I can remotely control her mouse and keyboard to open all the audio settings on her computer and hopefully find and fix the problem. When we’re done, she can regain control of her computer, and I no longer have access.
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Warning: Never give remote access to someone you don’t know, such as a support person you’ve only talked to by phone. Scammers pretending to be customer support use remote access software to get into people’s bank accounts, collect personal information, and run other scams.
In the case of the sneaker designing, I logged into my Vans account and went to the screen where you first pick a shoe style to customize. That browser tab would be the only one I would make available while screen sharing to minimize the potential that my nephew (who went first) might accidentally select something he wasn’t supposed to on my computer.
(Credit: PCMag)
How to Give Someone Remote Access in Zoom
We both joined a Zoom Meeting; I told him the plan, he seemed excited, and I shared my screen. Then I let him have control.
To give someone control of your mouse and keyboard, look at the top of the screen for the option Remote Control. When you click it, a drop-down list of options appears, including the option to give control to a particular person on the call with you.
While that person has control, you also still have control. In other words, if you see them mouse over something they should be selecting, you can move the cursor off of it. You can revoke control at any point, and the other person can also give back control at any time.
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Did I Earn the ‘Fun Aunt’ Award?
Both kids loved the sneakers once they arrived, which took a good three weeks because the shoes had to be custom made. They both did a commendable job creating shoes with aesthetically pleasing designs and weren’t garish or clashing. I was honestly impressed. See the image above.
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I asked both kids what they thought of the process. Was it fun? Did they like it? Would they recommend it? They said yes to all those questions but said the remote access feature was slow—which it is. You don’t get perfectly smooth controls. There’s some lag time and hesitation in responsiveness. But it works.
They also told me that they now go to the Vans website to design for fun, not only shoes but also backpacks and hoodies. My niece said, “If you feel like you’re only supposed to use it to buy shoes, you don’t have to. If you’re interested in graphic design, you can use it for that, too.” Smart kid!
(Credit: PCMag)
I asked my nephew if he thought it was a good gift, and he said yes and that it was even better than just being told he could pick out any gift. “This is cool because you can customize it to be more you,” he said.
So did I earn the title “the fun aunt?” Truth be told, I have some tough competition, but I’m certainly the one who knows where to shop for cool sneakers.
Want more? See PCMag’s recommendations, advice, and news on tech for kids.
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Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/zoom-and-customized-vans-made-me-the-fun-aunt