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Bing in the Classroom

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Today’s post is sponsored by Bing in the Classroom. I have been compensated to share this information with RockStarMomLV.com readers. 

There is a super easy new way to help support your local schools by earning rewards for tablets. Do you know about this? Well, consider yourself now educated.

As parents, we all know the importance of technology in the classroom. It is amazing at how quickly this once trend has become a necessary staple in our children’s education. Their future is based on their knowledge of computers and technology. Like most in my generation, email was very new and very cool in 1993. When I travelled abroad, it was the quickest, cheapest and best way to stay in communication with my friends and family back in the U.S. Problem then? Not everyone had an email address, so snail mail was still very much apart of my communication. When I came home from France that winter, the internet was beginning to take hold as the quickest way to gather info, if you could hold out long enough for your dial-up to connect. I was the only person in my house full of roommates with a laptop computer. And, it was in color! That was pretty amazing as well. Otherwise, it was hours spent in the computer lab trying to get papers typed, hours in the library digging for the one book I needed out of thousands. All of that occurring by 1997.

Europe Collage

Now? Now kids are learning how to code and manipulate the internet at 5 years old. Some might be learning even earlier. My 10 year old asks for his own Facebook page on the daily, and both he and my 8 year old daughter are constantly searching YouTube and the web for their favorite characters, stories, movies and toys.  If your kids are like mine, when they are perusing the web for things like minecraft, secrets to the Disney Infinity games or American Girl Dolls, if something interesting or remotely related pops-up, they click on it without a thought. Not even considering the fact they may be inviting a virus, malware, crawlers or something else even more inappropriate into their personal space on their computer.  I have already had a computer expert come out and fix these little mishaps at least three times since they received computers for Christmas a year ago. At home it is one thing to be able to monitor your child’s searches. At school it is a whole other ballgame.  Imagine knowing during their computer time at school there is a search engine that keeps them from feeling curious about the pop-ups or other links they would be exposed to on one of their searches? Bing in the Classroom does that. Show support for #adfreesearch!

Bing in the Classroom

What is Bing in the Classroom? Launched by Microsoft, Bing in the Classroom is an ad-free tailored version of the Bing.com search engine to be used in the classroom. It is now available for all eligible K-12 grade schools in the United States. The Bing in the Classroom program also provides daily lesson plans to teachers on the home page.

We created Bing in the Classroom because we believe students deserve a search environment tailored for learning. Classrooms should be ad-free, and that should be as true online as it is offline. 

Matt Wallaert, creator of Bing in the Classroom


What else makes the Bing in the Classroom program so cool? By utilizing Bing.com, yourself, on your own computer, you can earn Bing Rewards which helps earn your child’s school earn Microsoft Surface tablets. It is super easy to do, just follow these easy steps:

1. Create a Microsoft account, if you don’t already have one. You can also sign up through your Facebook page.

Bing_Create_Account

2. Visit your Bing Rewards everyday, and click on the different options to earn points. For example: Inviting Friends to Try Bing.com, Browsing the Web, or Making Bing.com your homepage.

Bing.com Earn Rewards

3. Redeem + Donate your rewards to your school of choice to support their efforts of earning Microsoft Surface Tablets. Here’s how:

Bing Redeem

Make your donation go further by encouraging fellow parents and family members to donate their own Bing Rewards credits to get additional Surface devices for your school. When your school has 30,000 credits, we’ll ship a Surface bundle to your school within 2 months. If about 60 parents participate in Bing Rewards for a month, they can earn enough credits for a Surface. About 125 parents participating for a year can earn enough credits for Surface devices for an entire classroom. See your school’s page and credit balance.

Earn a Surface tablet for your school with Bing Rewards!

According to procon.org in regards to the topic Tablets vs. Textbooks, the pros seem to be more substantial than the cons when it comes to having tablets vs textbooks in the schools. Here a few examples of how:

  • Tablets help students learn more material faster. Technology-based instruction can reduce the time students take to reach a learning objective by 30-80%, according to the US Department of Education and studies by the National Training and Simulation Association. [6]
  • Tablets can hold hundreds of textbooks on one device, plus homework, quizzes, and other files, eliminating the need for physical storage of books and classroom materials. The average tablet contains anywhere from 8 to 64 gigabytes (GB) of storage space. On the Amazon Kindle Fire, for instance, 1,000 books take up one GB of space. [8]
  • E-textbooks on tablets cost on average 50-60% less than print textbooks. According to a 2012 report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), K-12 school districts spend more than $8 billion per year on textbooks. [6] E-textbooks can save schools between $250-$1,000 per student per year. [9] Tablet prices also continue to drop, making them increasingly affordable. Tablets cost on average $489 in 2011, $386 in 2012, and are projected to cost $263 in 2015. [10][11]
  • On a tablet, e-textbooks can be updated instantly to get new editions or information. Schools will not have to constantly purchase new hardware, software, or new physical copies of textbooks. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said that “too many students are using books that are 7-10 years old with outdated material.” Tablets are especially beneficial for subjects that constantly change, such as biology or computer science. [6]

Considering how simple it is, why not start earning Bing Rewards today, and participate in a unique opportunity to work as a community to support your local schools in achieving the goals of a technologically advanced education system.

This post was created in partnership with Bing. Thank you for sponsoring today’s post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

RockStarMom Recommends :: For Your Little Entourage

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RockStarMom Recommends is a featured round-up series of products, projects, or places to be I discover on my own, or ones that were sent to me via sponsorship or media opportunity. I will always let you know which is which, and I will only feature topics I would or have bought, participated in or travelled to myself. 

This week’s RockStarMom Recommends features products, projects and places to be for you and your little entourage!

1. The new American Girl® Doll Historical Character books  and American Girl® Craft Books for Spring 2014 | My daughter’s eyes grew as big as saucers when I presented her with the new American Girl® Historical character book, The Traveler’s Tricks: A Caroline Mystery (sent to me for review by American Girl®). Not only is Caroline her absolute favorite, but she’s also a Nancy Drew fan at heart. The combination of the two is a win/win for her, and me, especially for summer reading. The craft books are a great way to keep minds engaged and hands busy. We are big fans of both at our house! Historical character mystery books retails for $6.95, craft books prices vary. americangirl.com

2. LEGO Store Las Vegas | It is the first of its kind in the entire state of Nevada, and the kids in Vegas are stoked about it! Of course, much smaller than the giganotosaurus stores you may be used to at Downtown Disney or other mega-mall, but it works! At the grand opening kids had the opportunity to help a LEGO Master Builder build bricks to help design the R2D2 at the front of the store. Once inside, the same cool features you would find in any other LEGO store, like the Pick a Brick wall, also features the 3-D interactive Digital Box that displays what the final creation inside your box will look like. Your kids will be entertained for hours. Located at the Fashion Show Mall.

3. Eat Cleaner To-Go Wipes | I am a fruit cleaner freak. I have all kinds of fruit and veggie cleaners under my sink, and everything gets washed. What annoys me the most? When I am out around town or traveling and want a piece of fruit that I have not purchased and cleaned on my own. Anal, I know. It’s the little things I guess. Let me tell you how excited I was to receive these Eat Cleaner To-Go Wipes to review. Love them. Threw them in my bag one day when I was out with the twins, and what do you know? I was using them for everything! Not only to clean the apples they wanted from the market, but also to wipe their hands, their faces, the fork they kept dropping, the list goes on. Biodegradable and all-natural so they can be used on everything. store.eatcleaner.com

RockStarMom Recommends Little Entourage Collage

4.Snugwugg® |I just have to give a shout out to a colleague who has been working on this project for over a year now. Lisa Cash Hanson was an award recipient of the Huggies MomInspired Grant for her invention, the Snuggwugg. After all her hard work and perseverance, the Snuggwugg finally gained a US Patent and is on the market! Here’s what the Snuggwugg® does: a multi-use smartphone interactive pillow ages 3 months to 4 years. Can be used with smartphone or toys, or flashcards. Ends kicking and squirming during diaper changes, is great during travel in car seats and planes, perfect for tummy time and play. Great baby shower or welcome to the world gift! Retails for $39.95.  Snuggwugg.com also available on Amazon

5. The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, Scottsdale, Arizona | OK, so it’s not much of a break from the Las Vegas heat, but Scottsdale does offer some pretty remarkable activities and cultural discoveries for the family. A quick plane flight or 6-hour road trip, the whole family can enjoy this summer vaca (even mom!). From May 26 through Sept. 1., the resort will offer guests a buy one, get one Kierland FlowRider session, an “Aloha Package” welcome amenity, $50 food and beverage credit, and rates from $149 per night. What is also killer about the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa is the location. Just a few steps away, the Kierland Commons has a great collections of shops and some of the best places to eat in Scottsdale…my favorite is the Zinc Bistro. kierlandresort.com

6. Hold On Handles | By looking at this product, doubts may arise. I am here to tell you, these things work! I, too, was a non-believer. Come on…twin toddlers are really going to hold on to those handles and not run away from you? Especially my twin toddlers? Yup. Given the choice of whether they wanted to stroll or walk? They chose walk every time. The compromise? They had to hold on to the handles or they had to go back in the stroller. Guess what? They never let go of their handle unless they got too tired to walk. I have seen these used also in grocery stores (on the carts) and even latched on to the back of dad’s pants. If you are struggling with your toddler who is discovering that independence can be kind of fun, give them the illusion of choice and see if they work for you. If they worked for my boys, am pretty sure they will work for anyone else’s kid! Retail prices vary $19.99 to $27.99. greaterthanonekids.com

Thank you American Girl® and Eat Cleaner Wipes for the chance to review your products for today’s post.

LOOK Style Society

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Need your hair done? Gel manicure? Make-up application? Little Botox? Quick spray tan? (Is there anything quick about that?) I may have found the perfect spot for locals getting ready for a big night on the Strip. LOOK Style Society has got it all for you under one roof. Prices are reasonable, location is accessible, and most definitely a RockStarMom Recommends place to be.

LOOK Style Society Las Vegas product

The salon itself is well planned. You can thank local builders, Christopher Homes for the well thought out design and plenty of detail. LOOK Style Society is a revolutionary new concept in the world of beauty destinations. Located in Town Square Las Vegas, the ultra-chic environment features a fashion-forward array of beauty services and products. Here’s what you can expect to find at this all-inclusive destination:

  • Sam Villa’s HairShow Blowout Bar
  • A flagship essie Nail Lounge
  • The MedSpa by Dr. Orna Fisher, M.D.
  • Sunless Tanning by Chocolate Sun
  • Skin Spa
  • Makeup Lounge
  • A complete array of hair services from the city’s best stylists

Here’s what I loved about the LOOK Style Society:

  • The LOOK cafe with handcrafted coffees, high-end tea selections, SmartWater, and snacks set in a sweet coffee shop style area while you wait for your services
  • Exclusive top-rated beauty products available in The Beauty Boutique
  • Private VIP areas for bridal parties, birthday parties or just a fun Girls’ Day Out at the salon
  • Everything I need to primp all under one roof

LOOK Style Society Las Vegas umbrellas

While there, I had the chance to have my hair blown out by one of the stylists in the Sam Villa HairShow Blowout Bar. You don’t know Sam Villa? No worries. I was not familiar with him either until the stylist started to explain his affiliation with Redkin and the work they have created together for hair care products and styling tools.

All stylists are trained by Sam Villa, known as the “hairdressers’ hairdresser,” whose credentials include 30 years of teaching experience, winner of “Favorite Platform Artist/Educator” at the prestigious Stylist Choice Awards in 2007, 2011 and 2012, education artistic director for Redken 5th Avenue and chairman of his namesake digital education and styling tools company. All beauty professionals taught by Villa are known for speed, consistency and creative finishing services. 

One example is the Texturizer, which I asked to be used in my style. A styling tool that looks similar to a crimping iron, and is used under the top of the hair and near the roots to give lift and texture. Love it! I also loved how the stylist would share techniques with me on how to get a salon professional look at home. Drying each piece carefully with a rolling brush, then taking that same piece, hand rolling it, and pinning it to my head while she went on to the next. By the time she finished, my hair had cooled, and had great body with a lasting curl. 

Sam Villa HairShow Blow Out

Personally, I’ve never done a spray tan before, but I hear that if you are to do one, then the Sunless Tanning by Chocolate Sun is the way to go. All the products are natural and organic, which caught my attention right away. They are also said to not stain nor leave that funky after smell often associated with spray tans. I went straight from looking at spray tans to checking out the oola sunblock, both for me and my kids. LOOK Style Society carries both lines, and as far as organic sun care goes for your skin, this is the one I prefer for me and my children.

Do not forget to book your next main pedi at LOOK Style Society in the essie Nail Lounge. A flagship store that has every single color of essie ever known, as well as the wildly popular gelish options as well.

essie flagship nail lounge LOOK Style Society Las Vegas

Finally, who can resist a VIP area set up just for you and some girlfriends. I found this amenity to be one of the most valuable, especially for those upcoming brides who want a personal, yet luxurious experience of getting primped for the big day. Bachelorette parties, bridal and baby showers, even birthday celebrations are welcome in this space. The beauty is that Town Square is minutes away from the big hotels on the Strip. Why bother with the fuss of a busy hotel salon when you can have local convenience and pricing?

LOOK Style Society VIP

Speaking of pricing, book a service now through May 31st book a service using the code: KIMVIP and you will receive 40% off.