018 - Interview with Barbara Fernandes, CEO of SmartyEars, and Safe Internet Browsing Tips

Your App Lady

Your App Lady

Show Notes

Series 1 Episode 18

Welcome to series 1 episode 18 of the Your App Lady Podcast!

All about apps and tech that I love and use every day.

Interview: Barbara Fernandes

Smarty Ears: http://smartyearsapps.com

Barbara Fernandes, the founder and CEO of Smarty Ears received her master degree in Speech and Language Pathology with an emphasis in bilingualism from Texas Christian University. Barbara speaks three languages (English, Spanish & Portuguese), and she has worked with children from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and native languages in several countries. In addition to her passion for working with bilingual children, Barbara’s passion for technology has led her to become an active blogger known as “GeekSLP” and the blog of the American Speech and Language Association known as the AshaSphere. As GeekSLP, Barbara has been invited as a guest speaker in universities and international conferences, and given workshops and presentations around the world on how technology can be implemented to improve the speech and language skills.

In 2004, Barbara was one of the participants of the program jointly administered by the U.S. Department of Education and the Brazilian Ministry of Education, called “Promoting the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Society Through Assistive Technology: Culturally Appropriate Solutions.” Barbara has created over 60 applications that combine her knowledge of technology with her expertise in speech and language sciences. Smarty Ears is where Barbara’s passion is met. As the CEO of Smarty Ears, Barbara Fernandes has created applications which have been sold in over 50 countries to speech pathologists, special education teachers, and parents of children with special needs. In her spare time, Barbara enjoys traveling abroad, scuba diving and playing with her gadgets and three dogs.

I interviewed Barbara at the Texas Speech Language and Hearing Association Annual Conference. We were in the exhibit hall so you may hear some background noise.

I frequently recommend Smarty Ears apps for speech therapists. They are especially good for school therapists who have groups. Whether you are a speech therapist, interested in what goes into making apps or just curious about how people change careers, I think you will enjoy hearing from Barbara.

Tech Tip

My tech tip today is how to protect your computer or phone through safer internet browsing.

For more information:

https://www.addictivetips.com/vpn/tips-safer-internet-browsing/.

When looking online, it’s important to be wary of downloading documents and software from unknown sources. Here are some tips that will help you download safely.

1) .exe files- Be careful to only to download .exe files from trusted sources. EXE files are installers that will install a piece of software onto your device when you run them.

2) .pdf files - Another file type to look out for is .pdf. PDFs are a legitimate and useful file type for sharing high quality text or image documents, so you’ll see them used for academic papers, business documents, and more. However, there are some security holes in the .pdf format so in general you should avoid .pdfs from untrustworthy sites.

3) Update any antivirus or anti malware software often to make sure you have the latest updates.

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Betsy can guide you through designing (or redesigning) your app or websites. Contact her at [e-mail] or 713-542-8118 to get details about working with her.

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Voice over work by John Swasey - VO Producer -281-794-6551

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