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Tracking Santa’s Arrival

santa trackerThanks to the internet, and a tech savvy Santa, we can now track his journey from the North Pole to children’s homes throughout the world and then back again.

To track Santa from your home, visit the Santa Tracking System that is controlled my some very special Norad trained elves.  You can also visit Santa’s workshop.

The elves at Google received special permission from Santa Claus to share these helpful links:

From the Google Blog:

“There’s one timeless question that we’re proud to say we can help answer: Where in the world is Santa at this very moment? Thanks in part to recent advances in warp-speed GPS technology and some very clever elves (elveneering?) NORAD Tracks Santa is once again prepped and ready to go.”

The kids love it (Okay who am I kidding? This is really cool). As of tomorrow young and old alike can visit www.noradsanta.org to stalk Santa as he crosses the names of over 6 billion people off of his list. And because it’s the all-seeing GOOG you have multiple “Santa stalking” options. Yes really.

Google Map — Open Google Maps and search for “Santa NORAD” or just visit NoradSanta.org and get past the language screen. You can also watch a Santa cam here.

Google Earth Plugin – If you’ve got the Google Earth plugin, you can visit Noradsanta.org and click on Track Santa In Google Earth.

Santa Mobile — Visit m.noradsanta.org or complete the “Santa NORAD” search on Google Maps for mobile.

YouTube –  Of course, Santa has a YouTube channel.

Realtime Search — You can follow Santa on Twitter at @noradsanta, find him on Facebook hereand use Google’s realtime search for updates.

Apparently NORAD has been tracking Santa since 1955, hilariously because a telephone misprint in a Sears catalogue misdirected Santa hotline callers to a NORAD higher ups phone line. Google got in on the Santa tracking game in 2004 and partnered up with NORAD in 2007, bringing Google services like Maps, Earth and YouTube into the mix.

Okay seriously, does ANY tech company have more Christmas spirit than Google?

Update: For those in need of an even bigger Santa fix, here’s his privacy policy.

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Our stories…Google Style!

searchstories

We, the Georgetown staff,  are focused on doing everything we can to learn how to use technology as a tool for learning and a tool for fun.  Google is a big help to us in both ways.

We used google search stories to help us tell a 35 second story about our lives.  We hope these help you to learn a little bit about each of us in a web 2.0 kind of way.

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Final Principal of the Day Blog Post

Principal of the Day

When my class found out I was going to be principal of the day,  some of them begged me to give them a detention.  I told Mrs. Reagan this.  So, after lunch I called into my classroom from the principal’s office.  I asked Miss VanArkel to have all students who wanted a detention to raise their        hands.det 2detMiss VanArkel counted and told me that 19 kids wanted detention.  I then announced:  For those who want detention, you must put your heads down and be quiet for 5 minutes. I heard a big groan!

pacman

My final announcement of the day is thanks to Mr. Hahn.  He is the school psychologist who was in one ofMR. hahn the meetings with me and Mrs. Reagan.  He asked me if I knew it was Pac Man’s 30th Anniversary today.  Mr. Hahn thought I should make an announcement.  Mrs. Reagan thought it would be a good idea…at the END OF THE DAY not the middle of the day.

To read my first blog post of today:  FRIDAY DETAILS

To read my second blog post of today:  CAMP VIDEOS

To  hear my final school announcement:


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Hottest Educational Gifts

Being the tech geek that I am, one of my email subscriptions is to Google Tutor. This week I received a list of the 5 Hottest Educational Gifts for Christmas.  I thought I would pass these along.  And, Santa… if you happen to be reading our blog, please remember that I would love a Kindle this year.  I think I have been extra good!

1. The Amazon Kindle Although not technically a “toy”, the Amazon Kindle is the perfect educational gadget for anyone age 12 and over. Download thousands of books directly to the Kindle and the fact that it cannot be used for anything but reading ensures your teen is actually expanding his or her literary horizon when they are staring at the screen. You can also upload PDF files, and stay on top of the news with the Kindlesanta sleigh

2. The Wii fit is a great gift for the whole family.  The Wii Fit can be used by anyone, with any fitness level and of any age, making it one of the best family gifts! Not only can you learn from the Wii, kids will stay fit, focused and active throughout the winter. This is the perfect holiday gift that actually gets kids off the couch.
3. Lego Ultimate Building Set: the Ultimate creative and educational gift Lego sparks the imagination of all age groups.  Kids get creative, learn to play together, and learn to use their imagination when playing with Lego.  The Lego Ultimate Building Set has all the pieces needed for hours of play time and lots of creative fun. Lego is also one of those timeless gifts that everyone loves, and boys and girls alike have played with Lego for a few generations. It’s a gift that lasts a lifetime, and that is also why it is in this list of favorites.

4. Playskool Talking Truck  The Playskool Chuck my Talking Truck speaks over 40 phrases and words. It is the perfect gift to keep little ones entertained for hours, and help them practice their verbal skills. The coolest part of this toy is that it will start driving when it is called. It will talk when you lift his dump bed, press his bumper, or press the top of the truck, making play time discovery (and learning!) time.

5. Snapp Circuits SC-300 This toy isn’t just my favorite, it also has the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, was named the Dr. Toy 100 Best Children’s Products, and is among the Dr. Toy Best Educational Products. With Snapp Circuits you get over 60 parts that can easily snap together to create alarms, doorbells, burglar alarms, radio, and over 3oo other fun technology projects. Kids with a heart for tech will love this educational toy! It is without a doubt one of the best educational toys, for both boys and girls who like to create fun electronic projects. Although kids get to play with circuits and build projects, they can do this safely without a risk of injury. The toy comes with a manual showing how to create the 305 possible projects. This is definitely not a toy kids get bored with easily.