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(BPT) - Modern technology has revolutionized many aspects of our day-to-day lives. While it is hard for some to imagine a day without social media, smartphones and Wi-Fi, these were not available a mere 20 years ago. Technology has revolutionized the way we order food, purchase clothes and read books.

“Technology used to be considered a separate entity from arts and crafts,” said Stephanie Leichtweis, CEO of Fibre-Craft, a leader in creative activities. “We believe it is vital to incorporate these together, and are working to meld tech innovations with artistic expression to provide a nuanced version of online and offline activities.”

To see the full influence of technology on arts and crafts, Fibre-Craft has outlined some ways that classic crafts have been redefined by technology:

Design, upgraded

Art projects used to be inspired by books, classes and our own imagination. The world we found ourselves in dictated our crafts of necessity and the ones for fun. With the advent of social media, inspiration and creation are driven from many different platforms.

The way that we participate in arts and crafts has changed as we garner ideas from others and share ours with those not only in our neighborhood but around the world. "DIY and crafts" is one of the top three most-pinned and most-browsed categories on Pinterest, one of the leading platforms for inspiration, along with YouTube.

A recent survey found that nearly 40 percent of adults who worked on an arts and crafts project found inspiration on YouTube, and one in three turned to Pinterest. And when complete, individuals can also share their own finished pieces to inspire others as well!

Coloring + painting redefined

Coloring has been a pastime for decades; the first coloring book was published in the 1880s. It is a great activity for children, as it can provide hours of entertainment and is easy to take on-the-go. Just as painting “by numbers” updated a classic art form in the 1950s, newer technologies are giving coloring and painting a 21st-century twist.

The newest way to color has arrived with the launch of an art/tech hybrid — DabitZ. The latest series from Fibre-Craft, DabitZ merges the artistic spirit with innovative technology to take classic coloring to new heights with “dabbing.” Starter sets come with everything you need to try this photomosaic art form and to make your own masterpiece. DabitZ is inspired by the painting technique called Pointillism, so users don’t need to be talented artists to “dab it up.” Starter sets include templates called DabDesignZ, and the free DabitZ app can transform any picture into a template design as well. Simply take a photo, create a template, print it and dab it up, connecting technology to offline play and the world around us.

Photography update

Capturing photographs is a treasured tradition that helps keep memories alive long after the moment has passed. As camera phones have become ubiquitous, they have reinvented how photographs are taken, shared and viewed. No longer do you have to wait to return from an adventure to share your activities — you can post on social media in the moment! And with high-quality lenses on phones and filters on apps, you can create images worth 1,000 words — and likes.

“Smartphones have made photographers out of all of us, and opened a range of possibilities,” Leichtweis said. “With the new DabitZ app, everyone can take photography to the next level and create their own personal masterpiece.”

Handmade 2.0

Homemade gifts are one of the most treasured items to receive from a loved one, especially from a child. As they grow, many children provide handcrafted items to relatives, who can treasure these items for years to come.

Handmade items are increasingly trendy in home décor, fashion and foodstuffs. Those with special talents are able to capitalize on their craft, thanks to new online stores and marketplaces. This growing trend is a wonderful way to support artisans and causes whether at home or a world away.

With new updates to technology, how we create arts and crafts will continue to change as well. To try the latest arts update, visit www.DabitZart.com or www.FibreCraft.com.

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(BPT) - It’s everywhere — inside as well as outside your home. As digital device usage increases, you’re exposed to more and more of it without realizing how it may affect your vision in the future. We’re talking about blue light.

In its natural form, your body uses blue light from the sun to regulate your natural sleep and wake cycles. This natural light also helps boost alertness, heighten reaction times and elevate moods.
However, we use our eyes much differently than prior generations because we now use a number of artificial sources of blue light including digital screens, electronic devices and LED lighting. The evolution in digital screen technology has advanced dramatically over the years, and many of today's electronic devices use LED back-light technology to help enhance screen brightness and clarity.

These LEDs emit very strong blue light waves. Because of the widespread use and increasing popularity of these devices, we are now exposed to more sources of blue light for longer periods of time. Studies suggest 60 percent of people spend more than six hours a day in front of a digital device.

The flickering of this artificial blue light creates a glare that can reduce visual contrast, affecting sharpness and clarity. That in turn could contribute to eyestrain, headaches, physical and mental fatigue due to increasing amounts of time sitting in front of a computer screen or other electronic device. 

Studies show this high-energy, blue-violet light has been found to cause significant damage to retinal cells, and is a risk factor for the onset of age-related macular degeneration, a deterioration of the part of the retina responsible for sharp, central vision.

Our eyes' natural filters do not provide sufficient protection against blue light rays from the sun, let alone the blue light emanating from these devices, or from blue light emitted from fluorescent-light tubes.

Mother Nature arms us with “internal sunglasses” made up of macular pigment. This pigment, which is comprised of zeaxanthin (zee-uh-zan-thin) and lutein at a ratio of 2:1, is found in the center of the macula (fovea). This pigment absorbs harmful blue light that can affect eye health. These “sunglasses” protect the rods and cones needed for central as well as peripheral vision.

However, if this macular pigment isn’t at optimal density, it will allow more blue light to damage these rods and cones, negatively affecting not just what you see, but how you see.

Zeaxanthin and lutein aren’t produced by the body, they must be ingested in order to ensure optimal macular pigment density. Zeaxanthin can be found in foods like corn, wolf berries and peppers. Lutein is found in foods like spinach and kale.

Since the average American diet is scarce in zeaxanthin, supplementing this antioxidant is key. Vitamins for macular health, like those made by EyePromise, can be of big benefit. 
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Vision becomes even more precious as we age, since the loss of independence a very real threat to aging Americans. Reduce your risk of harmful effects of blue light to your vision by increasing the density of your “internal sunglasses.”

(BPT) - Today’s youth are well-versed in transitioning their computers and phones from school to home, and futurists believe that will be even more necessary in coming years. Project Tomorrow’s recent Speak Up Data shares that “Students in a blended learning environment (utilizing both physical books and online digital resources) are more likely to self-direct their learning outside of school.”


The best tech device options allow your student to learn and play anytime, anywhere and in any environment.  The critical items to consider are devices that allow full access to learning applications; nine-plus-hour batteries; keyboards; easy connectivity; a backpack-friendly weight; powerful browsers that allow for fast-loading videos; access to school assignments and research tools.  


Cost-effective technology such as the Intel processor-powered Chromebook is being embraced by entire school districts for its fostering of streamlined education allowing faculty and IT administrators to communicate with students at school and at home.  As a bonus, your student can also use a Chromebook to socialize with friends and engage in fun learning apps and popular gaming sites.  


“This is a whole new definition of what school looks like,” notes Alice Keeler, author and Google for Education certified innovator. “Students can ask questions by posting to the stream in Google Classroom 24/7, (and) since other students have access to the stream, students are able to learn from and help each other.”


The ability to handle such multitasking is projected to serve youth well in the coming decades as technology evolves, according to a 2012 survey by the Pew Research Institute. Fifty-five percent of respondents agreed that by 2020, “The environment itself will be full of data that can be retrieved almost effortlessly, and will be arrayed in ways to help people young and old navigate their lives.”


The Intel-powered Chromebook addresses that need for multitasking with several advantages over ARM process-based models. In a Principle Technologies Test Report last year, those advantages included a 57 percent longer battery life while web browsing; 46 percent less waiting to read a textbook or take notes online; 47 percent less waiting to do math homework online; 50 percent less waiting to create an English presentation; 46 percent less waiting to team up in science class; and 100 percent more frames per second while rendering an anatomy situation.


That’s partly why school district IT specialist and education speaker Kyle Pace calls it “the biggest no-brainer in education.” 


“Schools must begin leveraging these tools to bring students into the world of working in the cloud, communicating, collaborating and creating on the web,” he advises.  “We can’t afford not to give our students this type of access -- at school and at home.”


For more information on creating and collaborating with Chromebooks, check out Kyle Pace’s blog.