Have you checked out the new items in the Google Store?

I have been a Google girl/Google jockey/Google user for at least a decade and I still share this link with people who have never visited the Google Store. My mother often jokes that if the Google store sold underwear/panties/drawers she would buy them for me every Christmas.

So when people ask where did you get that shirt, gadget, sticker, mouse pad or whatever item of interest...I share the link or just tell them to Google the Google Store. You will be prompted to select your location for a shipping location: US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. It is OK to check on another area to see what is available even if you don't live there and practice your currency conversion too!

The Google Store has something for everyone, from stickers, bibs, things to wear, to collectibles to a section for YouTube gear. Select a category: Apps, Accessories, Fun, Kids, Office, Wearables, or Doodles, search the site, or review top sellers, what's new, eco-friendly, or specials, shop by size, color, or select sort options.

Eco Friendly References

Of course, all of the no cost Google digital products and Google Labs are always cool to share tinkering time with someone.

Remember...just because you know about it, tinkered with it, or visited the site...many of your friends, peers, coworkers, supervisors, administrators have never gone beyond the search screen of Google unless it was to click on the Google Doodle. Encourage others to tinker and explore, regardless of the device they use to access the Net.

*This blog post was created for those who are interested in visiting the Google Store. I am a user of Google products, not an employee. No discount, gifts, freeware, or special privileges were offered in the creation or deployment of this post.

 

Google Inside Search

Another cool Google site to tinker with: Google Inside Search using the Chrome Extension Blog This 
Google Inside Search Google deals with more than 1 billion queries a day from all around the world returning results on an average of 0.25 seconds.

Google Under the Hood - Experiments Lab, Life of a Query, Instant Search, Search Globe.

Dive into Search and learn more about what happens behind the scenes of Google Search. Play with our Experiments Lab and get a better look at the technology behind Google.

Chrome Extension Blog This

Critical Thinking and Decision Making...still required skillsets

Regardless of your role in life, student, parent (first and lifelong teacher), educator, technology integrationist, or whatever your job title...you will be impacted by social media, technology, and sometimes you may find yourself in the crossroads when you reflect on your own critical thinking and decision making processes. You can reflect upon those decisions when you read the old standby of Dr. Suess's, Oh the Places You'll Go (1990).

You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know.
You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act.
Just never foget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

Our ability to make decisions and think critically are still core competencies that require us to learn and apply life lessons throughout our lives. Learning to adapt, implement, and overcome is just another aspect in our personal duties and responsibilities in our own lives.

Memorial Day

Don't forget to take a moment to remember those the U.S. men and women who died during military service by observing a minute of silence at 3:00 PM, local time. If you are driving, turn on your lights.

IdeaPaint finally makes a debut in the SW Augusta Lowe's

About 45 days ago I was at  my local Lowe's and inquired at the paint department and customer service about the location of IdeaPaint. I was shown chalkboard paint and said no, IdeaPaint it is like a whiteboard paint so I can write on the walls with dry erase markers. The paint department sent me across the aisle to customer service.  At customer service, she called the paint department and asked if she knew anything about the paint I was looking for, of course the same response. She asked where did I learn about this paint, and my response was through the net, particularly from my Twitter network. 

You can order IdeaPaint from the IdeaPaint website or from Lowe's. My preference was to purchase it at the store or special order it and pick it up at the store and receive the 10% military discount offered by Lowe's. 

Last weekend, as I walked in the front main aisle, I saw this display at the edge of the paint department. While I was happy Lowe's now carries IdeaPaint in the store, I thought how much cooler would it be if the area above this display had an operational piece with IdeaPaint so people could write on it with a dry erase marker and experience the product.

IdeaPaint display at SW Augusta Lowe's

I appreciate Lowe's bringing IdeaPaint to the physical storefront. If you do purchase the IdeaPaint, there is a list of items you want to purchase in addition to the IdeaPaint:  Glidden Gripper or Killz Primer, a separate roller for the primer, and typical paint prep accessories such as tape, 120 grit sand paper,  rags for clean up, and you need to let IdeaPaint cure for 7 days. Plan on vacating the room and set up for ventilation as the odor is quite different than standard paint.

Free Tech Sharing Certs for School Nurse, Teacher Appreciation Week and Mother's Day

Thanks to 2500+ using the Tech Sharing Certs for Mother's Day, Teacher Appreciation, School Nurse recognition and other days that can be associated with sharing techspertise.

With many people looking to give meaningful gifts on limited budgets here are a few free certificates that you can use or modify for your tech sharing event for upcoming School Nurse Appreciation Day, Teacher Appreciation Week and Mother's Day. Many children want to give but may not know what to give...so the gift of your time can be memorable especially when sharing techspertise.

These are created in Google Docs and you can create a copy and print or tailor to your needs. Be creative and give the gift of your time and share techspertise amongst each other.

No tech in the classroom or at home? Meet at the local library, introduce people to members of your PLN, show someone how to make that digital clock to quit blinking, challenge others to explore menu bar options, share tips on recycling tech, enjoy a Google video chat or Skype conversation.....fill in the blank with your idea.  Tech skills are as diverse as the tools available...why not help someone learn something new...or be willing to let someone show you what they have learned.

School Nurse Technology Sharing Gift Certificate

Teacher Appreciation Technology Sharing Gift Certificate

Mother's Day Technology Sharing Gift Certificate

Enjoy...and feel free to share how you used the certificates. Thanks to all of you (2500+) who have used these tech sharing certs with others.

Comments, recommendations, and/or checks in the Reaction boxes are welcome.

What kind of turtle is this?

While out on the deck, I saw this turtle traipsing through the backyard today.  

What kind of turtle is it?

If you know what kind of turtle it is, please leave a comment. 

Do you encourage others to migrate from passive to active learning?

If so...what are some of your best practices? If not...why not?

I know there is not a one answer fits all but I know there are people with success stories on helping others adopt some type of active learning and I know there are those people who continue to perpetuate passive acceptance. 

In 2009, one of the many reading assignments I completed a chapter opened with this quote from Bertrand Russel (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970):

Passive acceptance of the teacher's wisdom is easy to most boys and girls. It involves no effort of independent thought, and seems rational because the teacher knows more than the pupils; it is moreover the way to win the favour of the teacher unless he is a very exceptional man. Yet the habit of passive acceptance is a disastrous one later in life. It causes man to seek and accept a leader, and to accept as a leader whoever is established in that position.

Quotes from Thinkexist:

It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin, barefoot irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it. Jacob Bronowski

Why should society feel responsible only for the education of children & not for the education of all adults of every age? Erich Fromm

It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. Albert Einstein 

You may enjoy these posts:

Were you taught passive acceptance?

What are you really teaching? learning? sharing? 

Change, Passive Acceptance, DoD CFL, and RttT in Richmond County

Responses, comments, recommendations, and reaction box checks are always welcome!

Cool update to Blogger

Cool update to Blogger and another reason to update your browser and add visuals to your blog posts:

Blogger currently offers five dynamic views for its public blogs. These views are only accessible if allowed for by the blog author.

Flipcard:http://uniqueedtechie.blogspot.com/view/flipcard

Mosaic: http://uniqueedtechie.blogspot.com//view/mosaic

Sidebar: http://uniqueedtechie.blogspot.com/view/sidebar

Snapshot: http://uniqueedtechie.blogspot.com/view/snapshot

Timeslide: http://uniqueedtechie.blogspot.com/view/timeslide

These views require modern browsers such as Internet Explorer 8+, Firefox 3.5+, Chrome or Safari. Many elements of these views will not work should you have an older browser.

These dynamic views will work on your blog if all of the following are true:  See the Blogger article for the blog settings required for your blog.

What do you think of the dynamic views?

Unwanted Text Messages and E-Mail on Wireless Phones and Other Mobile Devices

If you registered your phone number with the NDNC registry...your registration will not expire. Telephone numbers placed on the National Do Not Call Registry (in the U.S.) will remain on it permanently due to the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007, which became law in February 2008. Read more about it at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/04/dncfyi.shtm.

National Do Not Call Registry FAQs

In July 2003, you could register your cell phone number in the National Do Not Call Registry (U.S.). With so many people using smart phones sometimes unsolicited text messages bypass your service provider's domain registry. Can't remember if and when you submitted your number to the NDNC registry? Verify if and when your phone number was registered. 

Domain Names

This is a list of Domain Names to which marketers may not send unsolicited e-mail because the messages go to wireless devices, including cell phones and pagers. These names were provided by wireless providers to protect their customers. This is not a list of spammers. 

The purpose of the domain name registry is to protect cellular and other commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) wireless consumers from unwanted commercial electronic mail messages, by identifying, for those who send commercial electronic mail messages, Internet domain names used to transmit electronic messages to CMRS consumers.

CAN-SPAM: Unwanted Text Messages and E-Mail on Wireless Phones and Other Mobile Devices

File a complaint electronically

Follow the online wizard to report the violation.

The options to file a complaint: Disability Access to Communications Services adn Equipment, Junk Fax, Telemarketing, Prerecorded Message and Do Not Call, Wired Telephone, Wireless Telephone, Broadband Service adn VoIP, Broadcast (TV and Radio), Cable, and Satellite Issues, Tower Light Outages or Signal Interference.

You can file FCC Form 1088G - Call or Message to Wireless Device (Cell Phone or Pager) Complaint. Please choose a convenient method, online, phone, mail, or fax to file your complaint. We highly recommend using our online form. This will ensure that all required information is received.

Online Form – Recommended Method Approved by OMB 3060-1088

FCC notice required by the Privacy Act and the Paperwork Reduction Act

Phone - FCC Consumer & Mediation Specialists are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET to answer your questions and assist you in filing a complaint. Call toll-free at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL- FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY.

For all the other methods, download/print the complaint form: Form 1088G English (PDF) or Form 1088G Español (PDF)

Postal-Send your complaint to the following address, making sure to include copies of all supporting information.

Federal Communications Commission

Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau

Consumer Complaints

445 12th Street, SW

Washington, D.C. 20554

Fax-The completed complaint form may be faxed toll-free to: 1-866-418-0232. Be sure to include all required information to prevent delay in the processing of your complaint. 

So if you receive one of those unwanted text messages or calls promising you something that seems to good to be true...don't just delete...report it.

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