Coke Rewards for Schools

You can now donate to your school even if the school is not registered for Coke Rewards for Schools. If a school is not registered, they have until June 15, 2011 to redeem points. If the school does not register, accumulated points will be donated to a participating organization.


Like many other programs, Box Tops for Education, Campbell Soup Labels for Education, Target's Take Charge of Education donation program, Office Depot's Back to School Program, Donors Choose, Staples and Do Something Give Back Join a Pack program the participants are as diverse as your community. With the economy the way it is, cuts to many budgets, from local to federal, opportunities exist to encourage community support for our schools. 


My Coke Rewards now allows you to support schools that have not registered yet. 
What can schools select with Coke Rewards? Browse the catalog.

Refresh Your School Technology Sweeps - Donate points to help your school win $20,000 in computers, cameras, tvs and more from Best Buy®. Every 5 points donated earns a school 1 entry. School that register by 9/13/2010 are entered in this sweepstakes.

Q: How does my school earn entries for the Refresh Your School Technology Sweeps?


A: From July 29 – September 30, registered schools can get 1 entry for every 5 points donated by a My Coke Rewards member. During this same time, any school that registers for the program will earn 1 entry for registration and 1 entry for every 5 points donated by a My Coke Rewards member. See sweepstake rules for full details.

Q: What brands participate in the My Coke Rewards for Schools Program?


A: Any My Coke Rewards points earned from codes found on participating brand packages can be donated to a school. My Coke Rewards participating brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, Sprite Zero, DASANI, POWERADE ION, Minute Maid, VAULT, Pibb Extra, Fanta, Fresca, Barq’s, and Mello Yello. For a full list of participating brands and packages, check out the “Pick Up Points” section of My Coke Rewards. Any Bonus Points earned can also be donated to schools. Participating brands may change so check the site for a complete list of current participating brands and packages.

Q: How can I help my school get registered?

A: Help put your school in play and make great things happen. Talk to your school principal, parent teacher group leader or faculty member and ask them to appoint a School Coordinator for yourschool - or even volunteer to be one. The School Coordinator is responsible for managing the school's account, encouraging community point donations, and redeeming rewards for the school. Use our email tool below to forward a message to your school and encourage them to register. Or, if you are authorized to be a School Coordinator, get your school signed up today.

This is a great opportunity to encourage community support for your school. I have tried to get anyone at Butler High School to register the school since 2006. Today I searched for schools in our district by zip code then conducted another search by city and state. Here are the results:


A BRIAN MERRY ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
A R JOHNSON HEALTH SCI ENG HS (Magnet) - Not Registered
ACADEMY OF RICHMOND CO HS - Not Registered
AQUINAS HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
AUGUSTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL - Not Registered
BARTON CHAPEL ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
BAYVALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
BUNGALOW RD ALT CNTR - Not Registered
BUTLER COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCH - Not Registered
COLLINS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
COPELAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
CRAIG-HOUGHTON ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
CROSS CREEK HIGH SCHOOL - Registered
DAVIDSON FINE ARTS SCHOOL (Magnet) - Not Registered
EAST AUGUSTA MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
EVENING SCHOOL - Not Registered
GARRETT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
GLENN HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
GLENN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
GLENN HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
GOSHEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
GRACEWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Registered
HAINS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Registered
HORNSBY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
JENKINS WHITE ELEM SCHOOL - Registered
JOHN M TUTT MIDDLE SCHOOL - Registered
JOSEPH LAMAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
JOSEY HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
LAKE FOREST HILLS ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
LAMAR-MILLEDGE ELEM SCHOOL - Registered
LANGFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
LUCEY C LANEY HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
MEADOWBROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
MONTE SANO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
MURPHEY MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
NATIONAL HILLS ELEM SCHOOL - Registered
REYNOLDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Registered
ROY E ROLLINS ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
SEGO MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
SOUTHSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
TERRACE MANOR ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
TOBACCO ROAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
TUBMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
WALKER TRADITIONAL MAGNET SCH - Registered
WARREN ROAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
WESTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
WHEELESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
WILKINSON GARDENS ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
WINDSOR SPRING ROAD ELEM SCH - Not Registered

Do you support schools by participating in any of these programs, Box Tops for Education, Campbell Soup Labels for Education, Target's Take Charge of Education donation program, Office Depot Back to School Program, Donors Choose, Staples and Do Something Give Back Join a Pack program, local businesses to major corporations?

Do you have a favorite? Which programs to you recommend when seeking community support? Do you support schools not in your district to support family and friends that do not live in your community? What ways do you encourage/participate in community opportunities to demonstrate your support for learning, education, and those who will eventually replace you?



Comments are welcome.

What does PLN mean to you?

What is a PLN? What are you talking about? What does it do for me? 
Common questions when one mentions the acronym PLN or PLE, particularly around a group of digitally disconnected individuals.


This morning I retweeted (RT) a tweet sent out by Steven Anderson (@web20classroom) to support Beth Still's (@bethstill) Wallwisher project titled, "What My Personal Learning Network Means to Me":

At some point people acknowledge their personal/professional/perpetual/persistent learning networks (P⁴LN) or environments (PLE) but they may not share their Aha moment or give credit where credit is due.


On January 3, 2010 I blogged a "Thank you to my PLN" and created an ABCD award for them.


Want to learn more about PLNs and PLEs? There are so many links and resources available that I cannot list them all here...please feel free to leave a comment if you have published information on your experiences with PLNs and PLEs.

edtechpost wiki - Collection of PLE Diagrams (Diagrams, links & categorized - 1 of my favorites)

EDUCAUSE - "7 Things You Should Know about Personal Learning Environments" in their collection of 7 Things briefs.

EduTech Wiki article on Personal learning environments.

Wikipedia provides a history of Personal Learning Environments.

Mohamed Amine Chatti's ongoing research on Technology Enhanced Learning blog post on PLE links with links to many other blog posts and articles.

However you reference your PLN/PLE, personal, professional, perpetual, persistent...or whatever adjective you use, it is yours, once you have learned it, applied it, the knowledge cannot be taken away from you...so enjoy it!

Thanks again P⁴LN for continuing to grow on my learning journey!

P⁴ - Personal, Professional, Perpetual, Persistent

Please share your comments, recommendations, and links about your PLN/PLEs and don't forget to thank them.


Don't forget to visit Beth Still's Wallwisher project, "What My PLN means to me..."

Technology Sharing Valentine's Day Certificate

With Valentine’s Day just a few days away…why not share your passion for technology. A simple gift certificate that anyone can use. One hour of 1 to 1 technology sharing. You can tailor the certificate to the recipients' needs or your choice of what you want to share.

In December 2009, I shared a Technology Sharing gift certificate because I work with diverse groups of people who span the technology scale. So here is the Valentine's Day version:

Give one and pass one on to someone else to continue paying it forward. From sharing your favorite blogs to using a specific piece of hardware or software to teaching about personal security or demonstrating the power of your PLN (Professional / Personal Learning Network). From F2F (Face to Face) to virtual, using a local library or a favorite wi-fi spot, from cell phones to netbooks...it is all up to you.

Whether you consider yourself an experienced techie, a novice, or someone who doesn't know a computer mouse from a real mouse the certificate is here for your use, modify, and to continue giving, learning, and sharing. You can give the certificate to those who may need some additional attention outside of a group setting or give the certificate to a group who may want to learn something you want to share. Maybe you know someone that you want to learn from...give them the certificate and request 1 hour of their time.

You can tailor the certificate based on what you want to give. A gift of your time to share tech info and skills cannot be purchased but the results are priceless.

I would love to hear how you give your technology presence versus presents. As always, your comments are welcome.

Out with the old and in with the new

Happy 2010!

As many people are bringing in the new year in a variety of methods, some people are resolving to downsize by getting rid of things and supporting the old adage "out with the old and in with the new". One way to help others get rid of the old without removing the memory or the personal history is to integrate technology. Capture the personal memories, experiences, and history with the technology available today. This can be an individual, family, or community project and become a shared learning experience for all participants.

Maybe grandparents or parents are not the techsperts, but every family has at least one gadget girl or guy or self proclaimed social networking geek. Where do you start? Wherever you want. Tomorrow is not promised...so if you lost everything and everyone tomorrow, are there certain things you would want to share?

The knick knacks on the shelves...where did they come from? Why are they on the shelf? Do the knick knacks have more family history than what can be seen on the shelf? Why not spend some quality family time and capture the memories for the future?

Not everyone is ready to go public...so why not start a family blog? Not ready to share with the whole family? Start on the home computer. Use the KISS (Keep It Short and Sweet) method to empower the participants. Model or demonstrate your favorite sites or how you have created a piece of cyberspace for your personal history.

I broke 3 of my own picture frames and took it as a sign to scan the pictures. I moved many things that my mother has collected over the years. While I could explain some of the pictures to my daughter, I wondered...What if some of these knick knacks were displayed digitally with the history and personal memories associated with it?

I know my mother is not ready to be a public blogger...yet, she subscribes to blogs using RSS and even posts a comment when the mood strikes. She still journals with pen and paper. I know this blog post won't get her started but it may plant a seed.

If you do this with items for tax donations or high value items for insurance purposes...why not store the high value memories for posterity before a significant emotional event (SEE)? Turn the event into a significant emotional educational event (SEEE) for everyone.

If you have helped a family or community member downsize their things by integrating technology, please share your ideas, successes, and lessons learned.

Technology Sharing Gift Certificate

A simple gift certificate that anyone can use. One hour of 1 to 1 technology sharing. You can tailor the certificate to the recipients' needs or your choice of what you want to share.

From sharing your favorite blogs to using a specific piece of hardware or software to teaching about personal security or demonstrating the power of your PLN (Professional / Personal Learning Network). From F2F (Face to Face) to virtual, using a local library or a favorite wi-fi spot, from cell phones to netbooks...it is all up to you.

Whether you consider yourself an experienced techie, a novice, or someone who doesn't know a computer mouse from a real mouse the certificate is here for your use, modify, and to continue giving, learning, and sharing. You can give the certificate to those who may need some additional attention outside of a group setting or give the certificate to a group who may want to learn something you want to share. Maybe you know someone that you want to learn from...give them the certificate and request 1 hour of their time.

The certificate can be used for any holiday and you can tailor the certificate based on what you want to give. The certificate was created from one of the Holiday templates in Google Docs, Presentations, and Spreadsheets.

I would love to hear how you give your technology presence versus presents. As always, your comments are welcome.

What are you doing? Leadership Day 2009

For the 3rd year, Dr. Scott Mcleod, is "Calling all bloggers - Leadership Day 2009". Many bloggers have already created their blog posts in support of this annual project. I am taking a homework break to do my part.

Leadership means more to me than a textbook answer, primarily because of my military experience. Working with people so they can replace you is just part of the job. In the field of technology, there are self proclaimed leaders, self made leaders, and leaders leading the way just because they chose to move forward even though the world was against them. However you define it, just search #leadershipday2009 and see the blogs, tweets, images, and events occurring all around you in support of Dr. Mcleod's Leadership Day 2009, blog call to action.

I want to know, "What are you doing to improve the situation"? Lifelong learning is a personal choice. Some school districts incorporate lifelong learning into their mission or vision statements, yet do not encourage, support, and provide guidance about lifelong learning. Technology is here to stay, you can ignore it, discount it, blame it for world problems, but the students who will replace you...and yes we are all dispensable will bring self taught technology skills if we are not engaged, as educators, administrators, parents, guardians, and community members.

You want to do something but don't have any ideas? Start with your local library. Many libraries have computer labs even when schools do not. Sign up for a computer workshop...or better yet...give one. Some of my better experiences have been with diverse audiences in library computer labs. The environment is relaxed, everyone who is there signed up to be there, and sharing knowledge just comes with the workshop. Then challenge others to do the same thing. Do something that improves your technology skill level then find someone else and issue the same challenge, you will be amazed at what you can learn from others, reading blogs created by others, or even following people on Twitter.

We all agree, the technology will never replace the educator but technology provides the resources that cannot be found in a siloed classroom. So ask yourself, "What have I done to incorporate self directed learning to improve my own educational technology leadership skills?" You will never know it all, even the best of the best, network with others who can be called upon when assistance is needed, from homework help, troubleshooting advanced network issues, to core subjects. So go ahead, jump into the lifelong learning journey and bring at least one other person with you. You never know, you may start a new trend and everyone might learn something new. Just remember, you don't know what you don't know, so you might as well jump in and get your feet wet. We all started somewhere, from tearing a computer down and putting it back together to teaching someone how to do email and setting AUPs in our home, businesses, and communities. In the words of the infamous Nike commercial, "Just Do It" anything technology related, from learning to point and click to checking out the other commands on a menu bar to implementing a security checklist to back up your data then share the knowledge with someone in person or to the world through a blog.

ISTE recently released the NETS for Administrators. I have used ISTE NETS in many of my own homework assignments, newsgroup posts for my daughter's high school, and even sent the links and information to our local elected school board members. ISTE NETS also exist for Students and Teachers. I have seen ISTE NETS mentioned in school board's plans of action, yet in a discussion with educators and administrators, you get the deer in the headlight look.

So if you are interested in reviewing ISTE NETS:

For Administrators (2009)

For Teachers (2008)

For Students (2007)

For those not familiar with the acronyms:

ISTE - International Society for Technology in Education

NETS - National Educational Technology Standards

If you don’t have a blog or you are intimidated by the thought of commenting on someone else’s blog you can send your thoughts to me and I will post them for you. If you wish to remain anonymous that is OK too, all I ask is that you provide recommendations over groans, gripes, and complaints. Everyone can complain, it takes a leader to do something about it even in the face of diversity.

So in support of Leadership Day 2009, "What will you do?" Send a link from Dr. McLeod's Dangerously Irrelevant blog? Research your own school, district, or state board of education to see if standards exist that may not be enforced? Contact some educators and see what you can do together to make a difference? Conduct or attend a technology workshop at a local library, coffee shop, technical or state college? Fight the ban on cell phones in schools by providing links to educators' blogs and sites who are incorporating cell phones as learning tools. Listen to students who may have recommendations to improve the technology situation. Have an idea that isn't mentioned...post a comment.

Thanks to Dr. Scott McLeod for taking time from his own busy schedule to keep the Leadership Day blog call to action a positive and shared learning experience.

Be sure to visit Dr. McLeod's Leadership Day 2009 blog post, where he also provides links to the summary of posts from Leadership Day 2008 and Leadership Day 2007.

Just think of the difference you are making or could have been making if you started participating in Dr. McLeod's Leadership Day challenge in 2007.

Remote Participative Parenting Continued

My daughter took this picture during one of our VTCs. Only the digital generation will take pictures of their parents and post them on their social networks to let their friends know mom is just a click away.

I enjoy our communication through email, text, and VTC. We say what mean and we mean what we say. Even grandma enjoys the VTC and "blowing me up to full screen".



I went back for a visit and we had a couple of meals together but she had to work and of course her college social life has her committed with friends.

While my daughter didn't have this type of technology in her public school education, at least she has participative family members who incorporate technology to stay connected. I am proud to call her a gadget girl.

While I am enjoying the empty nest status, blogging has fallen down the list of priorities as I explore new interests and enjoy getting outdoors and exploring the different parks in NC.

I do not miss all of the negative press about our students from the media sources in Augusta, GA. I could return to Augusta and not read the local news about students being arrested, suspended, or harangued. It doesn't mean it didn't happen, I just chose not to view any of the local media.

Any one else out there practicing remote participative parenting as the child moves off to college, the parent moves on for career progression, or deploys in support of our country? Your comments are always welcome.