Take Them a Meal

I wanted to share this link for Take Them A Meal.

TakeThemAMeal.com  For those times in life when filling their table will warm their hearts.

Simplifying meal coordination so friends, family, neighbors and co-workers can show they care. You can find Take Them A Meal on Facebook too.

We recently had a coworker lose a child and this link was shared for those who want to do something and opted to sign up to Take Them A Meal.

The story behind Take Them A Meal: We realized that meal scheduling is done not just when tragedy strikes, but when babies are born, when friends are receiving medical treatments, and in so many other situations. 

Link for the infrequent FAQs

Additional links include: find a meal schedule, create a meal schedule, sample schedule, schedule ideas, recipes & tips, (in)frequently asked questions, send them a meal, our story, and contact information. 

Two Schools will win $10K for their library

Two schools will win $10K for their school library. Donate 5 points and your school receives and entry between March 15, 2011 and April 30, 2011.  The regular Rewards for Schools program is available also, so you can find your school and view the wish list submitted by the school coordinator.

You can donate your Coke Reward points to a registered school to Refresh Your School's Library Sweepstakes between March 15, 2011 and April 30, 2011. I would donate to my daughter's alma mater...but after 5 years of email and F2F requests no one has registered Butler High School in Augusta, GA. 

I received and email stating that local schools in my area need support, so they will receive my donation. Check the site for more details but some of the basics (eligibility, prizes, contest timeline) are listed below.

Eligibility:  The My Coke Rewards for Schools Refresh Your School Library Sweepstakes (the "Sweepstakes") is open only to schools that are registered and in good standing in the My Coke Rewards for Schools program both at the time the Sweepstakes ends and when the drawing is conducted ("Schools"). The program is located at www.mycokerewards.com/schools (the "Website"). Schools that are not registered may visit www.mycokerewards.com/schools for registration directions; registering is free. For Schools to be eligible for the My Coke for Schools program, they must be academic institutions servicing kindergarten through 12th grade which are: (i) located within the 50 United States (or the District of Columbia), (ii) listed on the Market Data Research database ("MDR Database") at the time of enrollment, and (iii) also listed at www.mycokerewards.com/schools. The Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited by law.

Sponsor: The Sweepstakes is sponsored by Coca-Cola North America, a division of The Coca-Cola Company, One Coca-Cola Plaza, Atlanta, GA 30313. Administrator: ePrize, LLC, One ePrize Drive, Pleasant Ridge, MI 48069. 

Prizes: 2 Grand Prizes: $10,000 to be used for the School's library collection, fulfilled as a gift card, terms and conditions apply. Approximate Retail Value ("ARV"): $10,000. 

Coke Reward for Schools post 8/10.2010

Where else do you tinker?

I have been using milSuite, which is touted as social media behind the Department of Defense firewall. Great place to connect with other professionals while feeling the parallelisms in public and the military education systems.

*To access milSuite, one needs a CAC or AKO/DKO credentials. The milSuite team has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr.

As I transitioned back to Georgia I have not been lounging around like stagnated swamp water. I have a fantastic opportunity to work with some terrific officers in the U.S. Army as a Course Manager in one level of an officer's professional military education (PME), in addition to my own educational pursuits, and giving scholarship and Google product workshops at the local library.

One of the pilots I am working on is to implement electives. I facilitate the Social Media elective. Many people assume that the military only does training, when in fact we have some well known colleges such as U.S. Military Academy aka West Point, Naval War College, Army War College, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Air War College...which make up one part of Professional Military Education (PME). I do not participate in the education versus training argument as I leave that to the great debaters because I move forward with people who are focused on the learning.

When you Google PME or Professional Miltary Education the results are varied. The U.S. Code: Title 10 contains the links to the chapters on Armed Forces, the U.S. Naval War College has a page with a description and resources about Joint Professional Military Education, Cornell University Law School has links with descriptions for the U.S. Code, which includes Title 10 Subtitle A > Part III > Chapter 107 Professional Military Education, and Wikipedia has an article on Joint Professional Military Education.

There are a few of us who are active on milBook who still blog publicly, just not necessarily about information that may violate the Department of Defense and service specific social media policies. Working with the military has its own set of unique challenges just as the local public school system (RCSS) does, but the parallelisms exist. You are reminded that we are all human beings and the power of sharing knowledge, skills, and abilities goes beyond any walled learning environment, or whether your career field involves a two way rifle range or crossing busy streets.

We are also in the process of implementing a milWiki portal to encourage and empower learners to share information whether they are attending the residential course, future students, or alumni. Little by little we are making a difference, whether through milBook, milTube, milWiki, or milBlog. As we embark on round two of the electives option, I look forward to sharing concrete experiences, lessons learned, and connecting with people who are knowledge sharers, lurk and learners, virtual mentors, and/or the next best thing since sliced bread. 

So where have you been tinkering?

Comments, recommendations, and/or check the block of the Reaction boxes are always welcome.

Tinkering with Google Body

If you haven't been to Google Labs lately you should check out Google Body. 
Google Body is a detailed 3D model of the human body. You can peel back anatomical layers, zoom in, and navigate to parts that interest you. Click to identify anatomy, or search for muscles, organs, bones and more.

You can also share the exact scene you are viewing by copying and pasting the corresponding URL. You will need a web browser that supports WebGL, such as Google Chrome.
Please send Google  feature requests and feedback via the form linked at the bottom right of the app. Male model is coming soon!
Many interesting comments from users
You can send a link to the view of the body that you were learning about or analyzing
http://bodybrowser.googlelabs.com/body.html#ui=1,1&opa=s:0,m:0,sk:0.56,c:0.56,o:1,ci:1,n:1&sel=&lab=&nav=3.05,155.02,22.37

So much more interesting and cooler than an anatomy textbook.

OK...I am back...not that I went anywhere

OK...I am back...not that I went anywhere...I just took an unannounced hiatus due to multiple life events which also caused me to take a 90 day leave of absence from my school work, which as of January 1, 2011 is no longer authorized. So you either have to withdraw or get back on track. Along with my return to school, I am back to blog entries.


Lessons learned:

• Being one part of the sandwich generation causes personal growth, good, bad, or indifferent. Who knew Sandwich Generation Month was celebrated every July?
• Life events can be challenging...but learn from them, go with your gut, and if you mess up, admit it, learn from it, and keep moving forward...or in my jargon, adapt, implement, and overcome (AIO).
• As long as you are a parent, you will always love your child (ren) even when they hit their lowest of lows and even when you cannot skull drag them for assistance.
• If you are contemplating seeking a degree...go for counseling. Mental and behavioral health issues impact people which make up communities...everyone can use a little assistance.

Now for the ed techie part of this post:

A Retrospective on Twenty Years of Education Technology Policy 2003

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/plan/2004/site/bb/edlite-Retrospective.htm

National Educational Technology Plan  2010, 2004....and archives

On November 9, 2010, Secretary Duncan announced the new National Education Technology Plan as part of his keynote address at the 2010 State Educational Technology Directors Association Education Forum held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD. We appreciate the tremendous amount of assistance we received in the form of comments, ideas, research and perspective from the entire education community throughout the development of this plan. Follow the (US) Office of Ed Tech on Twitter http://twitter.com/OfficeofEdTech

The National Education Data Model is a conceptual but detailed representation of the education information domain. The Education Data Model strives to be a shared understanding among all education stakeholders as to what information needs to be collected and managed at the local level in order to enable effective instruction of students and superior leadership of schools.

The Education Data Model can be used by educators, vendors, and researchers to understand the information required for teaching, learning, and administrative systems. The Education Data Model answers questions such as:

What data do schools need to collect and manage in order to meet the educational needs of their students?

What information is needed to effectively manage education organizations such that teaching and learning is successful

The Connected Online Communities of Practice project will steward a scalable, sustainable ecology of online communities in education to improve teacher and leader effectiveness, enhance student learning and increase productivity. There are already many online communities through which educators can connect with people and resources, but these communities tend to be isolated from each other, leading to redundancy of effort, missed opportunities for collaboration, and difficulty in finding appropriate support and resources. Through more efficient and coordinated online participation, education professionals will be better able to share practices, access experts, and solve problems that require systemic solutions in order to improve the opportunity to learn. The first iteration of the project report will be published in March 2011. 

The Learning Registry makes federal learning resources easier to find, easier to access and easier to integrate into learning environments wherever they are stored -- around the country and the world. This will enable teachers, students, parents, schools, governments, corporations and non-profits to build and access better, more interconnected and personalized learning solutions needed for a 21st-century education.  

Archives of National Ed Tech Plans:

The National Education Technology Plan was officially released at a launch event on Friday, January 7, 2005. Read the remarks given by Secretary of Education Rod Paige and Director of Education Technology Susan Patrick.

Tear Down Those Walls: The Revolution Is Underway

Action Steps from the 2004 NETP 

Archived data: http://www2.ed.gov/Technology/index-archive.html

Archived Information from the Office of Educational Technology—U.S. Department of Education

This page links to archived pages posted by the Office of Educational Technology (OET) under previous administrations.

Latest TRADOC Pams:

TP 525-8-2 The Army Learning Concept for 2015, 20 January 2011

TP 525-8-3 The Army Training Concept for 2012-2020, 7 January 2011

http://www.tradoc.army.mil/tpubs/pamndx.htm

Keep moving forward!
Many thanks to my PLN who kept me connected and motivated during the hiatus...RSS feeds are awesome!


Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did. Sarah Caldwell