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I know Steve Spangler sells a lot of science things on his website, but I just enjoy him. I like how he explains things and how he uses colorful, attractive things in his science experiments. If you're a science teacher, I think you'll enjoy browsing the experiments on his website. Here is one on convection currents. He shares how to do all of the experiments, so you don't have to buy anything from him. This is a great example of how you can be helpful and people want to buy from you.

Excellent grant for us educations, Best buy awards due each October and announced in March.

the Best Buy Teach Awards are a great grant for technology intensive classrooms in the US. The applications must be submitted by October, 12, 2008.

I've found Lifehacker guides to be reliable in this area. This is their current guide for when to buy things this year and they keep it updated. If you have major purchases coming up and live in the US, I recommend reviewing this guide and sharing it.

"Generation V is not defined by age, gender, social class or geography. Instead, it is based on achievement, accomplishments and an increasing preference for the use of digital media channels to discover information, build knowledge and share insights." Additionally the percentages that create content, contribute, etc. affects classroom and project planning. Do we allow students to "lurk" Findings about these Generation V segments: * Up to 3% will be creators, providing original content. They can be advocates that promote products and services. * Between 3% and 10% will be contributors who add to the conversation, but don't initiate it. They can recommend products and services as customers move through a buying process, looking for purchasing advice. * Between 10% and 20% will be opportunists, who can further contributions regarding purchasing decisions. Opportunists can add value to a conversation that's taking place while walking through a considered purchase. * Approximately 80% will be lurkers, essentially spectators, who reap the rewards of online community input but absorb only what is being communicated. They can still implicitly contribute and indirectly validate value from the rest of the community. All users start out as lurkers."

We need autonomous, self-motivated students in love with the process of how humanity has learnt.

This is a fast, action packed typing game where you can race your car against other typists in real time online. Use your WPM to increase your MPH! Earn cash to buy upgrades. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

A new RSS reader has come on the scene called Fever. It lets you say "how hot" certain feeds are for you and also looks at the web and predicts the hottest things for you to read. I'm on my ipad this weekend so I can't buy and install fever (I think it resides on a Mac -- looking for a PC version now.) This is basically software that one person designed that is getting some buzz in tech circles for usability and making RSS feed reading manageable again. Worth a look.

Last week a 20 page document was issued from the Common Core Math standards writers to make "more clearly visible" where materials faithfully reflect both the letter and spirit of the math standards... I read in this... just because it SAYS it is common core math aligned, doesn't mean it is. Read this before buying and tread with caution.

Doug Johnson is a great read for his blunt, in your face honesty and his point about how technology companies are trying to differentiate is a great one. I think, however, we should extend this to schools as well. If your school is great, say why, but dissing the competition is no way to compete. If you think your school has no competition, think again. So, read this in light of the arriving and coming competition on the edulandscape and have an honest take on how you should "sell" the virtues of your school. If you can't talk about how great your school is and have to resort to how bad the other one is, prepare for a day when you'll shutter the windows and wonder how they're going to keep the bugs out of your empty building. Wake up and smell the wires burning their way into your student's computers and tablets, great teachers are just a click away and we've all got to learn how to blend and trend our courses, teaching, and to bridge our classrooms to add real value as teachers. It isn't hard as you think but if you just sit and teach like you've always taught, you're setting yourself up for some unpleasant days. You can't do everything but you can do something to improve yourself. Next practices are an important part of your best practice. Always innovate and never settle. Standards are only the beginning, you must have purpose if you're going to be a great teacher. Doug says: "But what I do know that when competitors trash each other, I tend to tune out. And I flat out hate it when I know they are lying - and I will NOT buy from a liar. A salesman recently promoted his video storage service by stating "unlike YouTube, we don't own your movies." That's just not true. (YouTube doesn't own your movies, GoogleApps doesn't own your Docs, CIPA, FERPA, etc. do not ban social media.)"

There is so much publicity and marketing around for the 'Back to school' push, and here in the UK it starts back in June as retailers grapple to win custom. But students are not the only ones returning to school after a pro-longed break, so we asked teachers what their essential items are to buy, before returning back for another school year. Here are the top 15 items, in no particular order, and you can see the responses in the Storify summary...

Bumper sticker noticed on the back of a van: It will be a great day when schools have all the money they need and the Air Force has to run a bake sale to buy a bomber. Now, don't get me wrong. I have nothing against the Air Force, and bombers, when used against the right people, can right some of the world's wrongs. But the point of the bumper sticker is still cogent. Why do schools have to struggle to fund their programs while millions are doled out to other causes?

My students are working on an awareness and social action campaign with the students from Reading, Ohio (teacher: Brian Page.) They are celebrating May DAy in a new way -- asking everyone to buy jewelry made by those rescued from human slavery and to wear it on that day. May Day: May all slaves be free one day but until then we will speak on their behalf. They have a blog, a Facebook page and more. Would you consider creating awareness next Monday and celebrate with them on May1st? We're looking for some more classrooms to join their voices to our blog at hopeforslaves.com a website we set up this week.

updated google doodle page.  did you know you can now buy google doodle merchandise?

I think this has a pretty good explanation between all the ebook readers. Personally, I'd go with Amazon all the way just because of the pricing and selection.

27% of photos taken this year were taken on smartphones. I am not sure why schools are banning cell phones and buying cameras.

No undoing for you! Face scanning uses the measurements between your eyes and a few other dimensions to determine if a person is old enough to buy something out of the machine. But the fact that it is put on a jello pudding machine is pretty funny to me. Guess junior will need an older sibling tonget that jello for him. Humor aside, there could be use for this in areas served by kids and adults although kids do get around obstacles when they want to.

More than 5.4K people are excited about these apps on Mashable.Remember that parents are BUYING apps to help kids in your subject. Why not test them out and recommend them to parents in your weekly emails or your website/blog.

Very interesting tool to use for your classroom that sort of turns your ipad into a document camera/ presenter tool. It has already won several awards in the Apple app store. You might want to take a look at this if you're 1:1 ipad as an option to get rid of document cameras or not buy them at all. Very cool

Buy online from Shakespeare's Globe gift shop - teacher resources too