Super Snapfish Sale!

In honor of the holiday weekend, Snapfish is offering 50 4x6” prints for 1 cent each! Additional photos are still only 9 cents a piece. To take advantage of this offer, use the coupon PENNY at checkout for the rest of the week. This offer expires July 10. Some of Snapfish’s photo gifts are also being offered for up to 50% off until supplies last.

I think it is time for me to go through our photo gallery and actually order some prints from our digital archives!

NECC News: League of Scientists Interactive Game

I have spent the last 4 days learning so much about new technologies and best practices in education that my brain is on complete overload. I was also on the hunt for innovative products that I could share with you. Today I learned that a brand new interactive science game for grades 3-5 called The League of Scientists which looks like a great way to work independently or with multiple players on interactive games that use science content provided by ISTE.

Here's additional information about The League of Scientists from the press release:

ISTE Provides Curriculum for Tabula Digita’s New Interactive Science Game Soft Launch at 30th Anniversary NECC

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®), education game-maker Tabula Digita, and the Monsanto Education Fund partnered last year to develop an interactive science game for grades three through five. Called the “League of Scientists,” the game was soft-launched with game maker Tabula Digita’s at ISTE’s 30th annual National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) on July 1.

“We know that students are engaged by interactive games and that teachers are excited about using them to supplement learning inside and outside the classroom,” said Don Knezek, ISTE CEO. “That’s why we were pleased to be part of this project – it’s an opportunity to be part of changing the way we do education and science and to reach a group of students we’re losing.”

The League of Scientists is free. It allows students to compete against each other in a series of multi-player games, constructed around a standards-based science curriculum. The curriculum was developed by ISTE and covers grade-appropriate life science, earth and space science, or physical science concepts.

The product was introduced to a room full of interested educators as well as more than 100 virtual followers on ISTE Connects who were able to contribute questions throughout the session.

No promotional consideration was paid for this post. This press release was sent to me by NECC and ISTE as a member of the media.

MapQuest Finds Fireworks for You This 4th!

The 4th of July is all about the hunt for the best fireworks. If you happen to be on the road, MapQuest just announced a new feature on their site just in time for the holiday weekend that locates and provides details about local fireworks displays along with other holiday weekend events!

To view firework information, enter a location on the map and look for an icon that looks like fireworks on the carousel located on the right-hand side. Click on it to find events are marked along your route or the map in general.

Whether you are staying at home or traveling this holiday weekend, know that you can find nearby fireworks with a click of a button. Thanks for the tip, MapQuest!

By the way…Congratulations to Emily from MamaSick who won the $25 gift certificate to Zazzle. The SuperWhy prize package will be sent to Michelle from Grown in My Heart. Thanks to everyone who entered and Tweeted the contests!

MapQuest Tricks & Tips for Smooth Summer Road Trips

Today’s Tech Savvy guest post comes from Shawna Landers, Director of Marketing for MapQuest. Shawna the lead marketing strategist for the company’s three business units who directs overall efforts for brand marketing, search engine marketing, PR, promotions, trade shows, research, product and trade marketing. Today, Shawna is here to share tips and tricks to help make this summer’s road trips go smoothly.

Ah the days of old style road trips. Remember packing everyone in the ‘aircraft carrier-sized station wagon with mom playing car bingo or telling the kids to find all the state license plates to keep them busy? Dad had the trusty road atlas or paper map folded to guide the way.

Nowadays, cars have DVD players, kids have their own MP3 players and mom and dad can plan their trip down to a science.

That’s where MapQuest comes in. As travelers needs change over time, so does MapQuest --there are several neat features that help make road trip planning a breeze – all while saving some money along the way.

Here are some of my favorite tools that help me plan road trips:

Fuel Cost Calculator
This gem makes it incredibly easy to calculate the cost of gas for your road trip. After you create your route, just click on the Fuel Cost link to input the MPG of your vehicle and voila! Instant calculation of your vehicle’s gas cost. It even makes the calculation based on the local gas prices in the area along your route.

Avoid Tolls / Highways
Want to save a little cash by avoiding tolls? Just look to the right side of your written directions and you’ll see Advanced Routing options. Here, it’s as simple as checking off the boxes to Avoid Tolls, Avoid Highways and more. As soon as you check off a box, the route will recalculate for you.

The Road Less Traveled
We all know that if you go off the beaten path, you can create some of the greatest memories. Want to go through a forest or by an ocean? MapQuest will automatically calculate the shortest distance for your route, but YOU can choose how you want to go simply by clicking and dragging the highlighted route to where you want to go.

Real Time Traffic
How frustrating is it when you sit in traffic for hours, burning gas and raising tension in the car? Before you leave the house, try out MapQuest’s Real Time traffic. You can find live traffic in over 100 cities updated every five minutes. If you see a big jam up, create a new route around the traffic before you walk out the door.

Place Carousel
No, I’m not talking about an amusement ride…the MapQuest Place Carousel is a simple on-map search toolbar that lets you click on any business category or select brands and they will instantly show up along your route. If you’re looking for a shopping center, coffee shop or hotel options along your route, you can find it instantly.

MapQuest Local
MapQuest has a nifty feature called MapQuest Local that lets you see local concerts, events, movies, restaurant ratings and more. It’s an easy way to see everything in one place and find things to do nearby your home or where you’re going.

MapQuest Gas Prices
Gas prices can be up to $.15-.20 a gallon difference just a mile or two away depending upon your part of the country. Next time you want to fill up, check out the gas prices in your area or where your destination may be. MapQuest has a Gas Price portal that lets you easily find gas prices by lowest price or distance – and the prices are updated up to seven times a day.

My Places
Finally, this last feature really makes trip planning a snap. Now, you can set up an account and save all your routes, maps and searches. Save all the kids soccer fields, make a route to drop off the Cub Scout troop boys, and so much more.

Save time and money the next time you set out on that cross country journey or just going away for a short getaway- give these MapQuest tools a try!

Thanks to Shawna for being our Tech Savvy guest and offering these great cost saving ideas for road trips.

No promotional consideration was paid for this post.

NECC: 30 Years & Look How Far We’ve Come!

I’m spending the next few days attending the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) being held here in DC at the gorgeous new convention center. NECC is the premier conference for any educator who is passionate about using technology in their classroom, school, or district. I’m happy to say that while I’m not a NECC newbie (went to San Antonio and presented in Seattle while pregnant with Little Miss Techie), the conference is still overwhelming.

This afternoon will kick off the 30th NECC conference and the next three days will prove to be busy. Last night I circled countless sessions I want to attend in a program that is larger than it ever has been before. There are tons of presentations I want to attend to learn more about Classroom 2.0 technologies (podcasting, blogging, wikis, Google docs) to use with my students next year and I’m looking for ideas about how to get girls more involved in higher level computing classes for some consulting work I’m doing for a local non-profit.

Then of course there is the expansive exhibit hall where tons of vendors will be showcasing the latest and greatest in technology specifically designed for educational purposes. PBS will be there showing off their fabulous new PBS Teachers site (hooray!), Promethean will make me even more determined to write a grant to bring an interactive white boards into my school, and BrainPop is giving away a school subscription to their site for a year which I’d love to win! I’ll be able to connect with favorite vendors like Crick Software, makers of Clicker and Clicker Paint, and the wonderful Tom Kelly from Tech4Learning whose company makes favorites like Pixie and Image Blender.

I know I’ll do some networking, run into some colleagues, go to some cocktail parties, and pick up a bag of knick-knacks to bring home to the kids but am also hoping to gain some new knowledge about cutting edge products that are designed for the home market to share with you as you look to find the best for your children. It will be an intense 3 days with long hours and tons of time on my feet but I’m so excited to be around passionate educators with great ideas and learn about new products.

So congratulations to NECC on their 30th anniversary. It is amazing to look back on 30 years and see how far computing has come. Here are some photos I snapped or artifacts from the NECC timeline that I have fond memories of using in the past. Take your time and browse! I've got to run to meet Tyler from On Our Minds to talk about blogging, education, and books over burgers at Good Stuff.

We didn't have an Atari so I loved sleeping over at
my friend Larisa'shouse so I could play.
They also had MTV but that's another story!

The first computer my family owned!

I was lucky enough to have a 56K modem
in college which Tech Savvy Daddy
kindly provided tech support for
constantly. I was the envy of my friends
who were always visiting to check e-mail
on my computer.

No promotional consideration was paid for this post. I am attending NECC on my own dime.

Memories of Michael Jackson

Thriller was the first album I ever purchased with my own money.  I remember walking by the music store at the Hillsdale Mall while out shopping with my parents when I was 10 and needing Michael Jackson’s album so badly.  At the time, Thriller was all over the radio, along with Madonna and Huey Lewis and the News, but I wanted Michael’s album more than any of the others. I handed over the $8.99 plus tax and proudly carried my tape home with me.  I pulled the cassette out of its plastic box so many times to listen to Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean, Wanna Be Startin’ Something, and others over and over again on my Sony Walkman, memorizing the lyrics to all the songs on the album. 

Tonight when Tech Savvy Daddy came home, we talked about the death of Michael Jackson as we were preparing dinner....

If you want to read the rest, please click here to read it on DC Metro Moms.

DC Metro Readers: Win Tickets to Bugs Bunny on Broadway at Merriweather

If you live in the DC Metro area and loved Looney Tunes cartoons as a kid and want to relive your childhood, I have been offered a family 4 pack of tickets for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performance of Bugs Bunny on Broadway at Merriweather Post Pavillion on Saturday, July 11

The concert will feature Warner Brother’s Studio cartoons on big screens while their original film scores are performed live by the BSO. “Bugs Bunny on Broadway is the perfect way to introduce your child to classical music through classic Warner Brothers cartoons and favorite characters like Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, and Porky Pig.

This unique concert will feature musical masterpieces of Wagner, Rossini, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, and others, as interpreted through the “hare-raising” cartoon scores of legendary Warner Bros. Studios composers Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn, in such iconic Looney Tunes as “What's Opera, Doc?,” “The Rabbit of Seville,” “Corny Concerto,” “Baton Bunny,” “Long-Haired Hare,” “High Note,” and many more.

Bugs Bunny on Broadway made its debut at The Gershwin Theatre in 1990. Now almost two million people worldwide have seen this concert in performances with the world’s greatest orchestras. It has been called “hilarious” by The New York Times and “spectacular" by The New York Post.

Spending a Saturday evening under the stars introducing classical music with my kids with some free tickets sounds pretty good to me!

Enter to win by leaving a comment telling me which Looney Tunes character you loved most. Comments will be accepted until Midnight on Thursday, July 2 and the winner will be notified on July 3.

Thanks to Merriweather Post Pavillion for providing tickets for this giveaway and sending my family to the show!

Online News, Twitter, and Washington DC’s Metro

These days I rarely read the newspaper on a daily basis. As a busy mom always on the go and more often on the computer, I tend to get the majority of my news on the internet. I scan the headlines for world events via CNN, keep up with local news via The Washington Post’s site, set up RSS feeds for my hometown papers, and get The New York Times headlines on my iPhone. Perhaps I’m contributing to the death of newspapers through all of my internet reading but news published via online outlets provides the most up to date information at the click of a button especially when confronted with a tragedy like Monday’s Metro crash.

I also subscribe to news feeds via Twitter. Twitter is proving to be an incredibly useful way to get news because the 140 character format makes it quite digestible and easy to read. AFriends and neighbors who rely on Metro’s Red Line to get in and out of DC on a daily basis have told me that they found out about Monday's accident through tweets on their phones. One friend told me that her husband was on a Red Line train coming home when the train stopped in a tunnel. For 45 minutes they waited inside the tunnel with very little information about what was going on from the train operator and riders learned of the crash through Twitter.

If you aren’t on Twitter, sign up just for the convenience of getting breaking news delivered to your phone. Here are a few news outlets that Tweet:

• CNN
• ABC
• CBS News
• The Washington Post
• The New York Times
  
• NPR Politics

If you live in the DC Metro Area or plan to visit, Metro established Twitter acconts for each of their lines just before President Obama’s inauguration. Follow the line you ride the most to learn of any delays.

Click below to subscribe to any of the following Metro lines:

• Red Line
• Blue Line
• Green Line
• Yellow Line
• Orange Line

You can also sign up for Metro e-alerts here.