Archive for August, 2011

Back to School Twitter Party Count-down with Schwinn Bikes

Posted by ruckusholly on August 31st, 2011

During our Twitter party tonight at 9pm EST, we’ll be talking about sending the kids back to school and several of the issues that are on our minds.  One of them for many of us moms and dads is after school.  How will our kids spend their time?  Will they spend it in planned activities or at home?  How can we keep them active and healthy?

From your first ride without training wheels to a summer cruise at the beach with your friends, the thrill of riding a bike never gets old. Even if you haven’t hopped on a bike in a while, it won’t take long for the smiles and laughs to come back.  We encourage you to share your memories with us tomorrow night at our Twitter party.

We’re really excited about our grand prize giveaway.  Schwinn Bikes is offering our final winner either the Schwinn Grit (bike for boys), or Schwinn Petunia (bike for girls).  Both bikes are great ways to introduce your young child to the fun and fitness of bicycle riding.  It comes with a parent push handle that actually steers the bicycle. The handle can be removed when your child is riding alone. It has wide street tires for a comfortable, stable ride. The Schwinn Water Bottle and holder is included.  Each is s valued at $99.99.

 

Schwinn - GritSchwinn Petunia

 

 

Thursday, September 1st, 9pm EST /6pm PST / 8pm CT

Ruckus Media Group Twitter Party 

Topic: Back to School

Hashtag: #RuckusBTS

Tweet Grid Link: http://goo.gl/ehqD6

Here is what you have to do be eligible for the prizes:

*You must RSVP

*You must attend the party to receive and accept your prize (s).

*Sign up for our newsletter and “like” our Facebook page.

Disclosure: This prize, and all others, for tonight’s event, are being generously donated and shipped by the company.  Fooz Kids is responsible for payment and shipping of their own prize.

Suggestion: All the prize questions revolve around the app Chuck & Friends: Friends for the Long Haul.  To win the bike, or one of the many other prizes, download it and watch it prior to the party.

Back to School Twitter Party Count-down with Kleenex Field Trips

Posted by ruckusholly on August 31st, 2011

Kleenex BTS

School may be out for the summer, but many parents already are making plans to make sure their young students have all the essentials for a successful back-to-school season. The Kleenex brand is too. Just in time for the 2011 – 2012 school year, Kleenex brand facial tissues is committing $500,000 to help fund an important component of children’s education: school field trips. 

During our Twitter party on Thursday night at 9pm EST, we’ll be giving away FIVE Kleenex on-the-go packages, including a wallet pack, auto pack and pocket pack (information below).  We’ll be discussing this innovative program in depth, as well, and we’ll talk about field trips, amongst other back to school topics with our other sponsors, Schwinn Bikes, Blue Sky Home Series, Fooz Kids and The Digital Mom Handbook: How to Blog, Vlog, Tweet and Facebook Your Way to a Dream Career at Home.

Field trips offer experiential learning in real-world settings, and they have always been a favorite school activity for kids who like to stay on-the-go. According to the Lemelson-MIT Invention Index, hands-on activities outside the classroom, such as field trips, are one of the most effective ways to engage youth ages 12 through 17. Unfortunately, though, one in four schools in the U.S. is being forced to cut or even eliminate field trips due to budget cuts, according to a 2009 survey conducted by the American Association of School Administrators.

 To help fill the gap, the Kleenex brand is committing half a million dollars to help schools across America keep field trips as a part of the educational curriculum. The brand is inviting parents, teachers and everyone else to try to help their schools win a share of the cash by participating in the online Kleenex brand Back to School Sweepstakes program.

The Kleenex brand Back to School Sweepstakes will award 100 schools a $5,000 award to be used toward field trips during the 2011 – 2012 school year. Starting in July, consumers can enter the sweepstakes with a few simple steps:

  • Visit www.Facebook.com/Kleenex
  • Click on the “Back to School” tab at the top of the page
  • Vote for your favorite participating school -OR-
  • Register the school of your choice by clicking the “Add a School” box and filling out the digital registration form

The top 100 U.S. schools that finish with the most votes on the Kleenex brand Facebook page will receive a $5,000 award from the Kleenex brand. Voting ends on September 14. The winning schools will be notified on or around September 15, and an official list of winners will be posted on the Kleenex brand and Kimberly-Clark Facebook pages between October 14 and October 31. Visit Facebook.com/Kleenex for complete entry requirements and to learn how you and your friends and family can help win field trips for your child’s school.

Also just in time for the back-to-school season, the Kleenex brand is adding a new line of on-the-go packs with Sneeze Shield to make it easy to help keep stuff off kids’ hands in the classroom, on field trips, at home or wherever kids go.

Moms and teachers rely on Kleenex brand as the only facial tissues with Sneeze Shield help to keep stuff off hands so that kids can get on with the fun of being kids. That’s why Kleenex brand is introducing a new line of on-the-go packs to make it easier to Sneeze Shield kids wherever they go.

The on-the-go packages which we are giving out during the Twitter party include:

  • The wallet pack. It is thin and sleek, so you can always keep a tissue on hand. Their trendy design and convenient size make it the perfect accessory for hip tweens and teens.
  • The auto pack. It fits perfectly in the car door or glove compartment – no need to lug around a box of tissue or fumble in a purse for a tissue while driving.
  • The new and improved pocket pack. A long-time favorite has been improved to feature three-ply tissue.

 

Ruckus Media Group Twitter Party 

Thursday, September 1st, 9pm EST /6pm PST / 8pm CT

Topic: Back to School

Hashtag: #RuckusBTS

Tweet Grid Link: http://goo.gl/ehqD6

Here is what you have to do be eligible for the prizes:

*You must RSVP

*You must attend the party to receive and accept your prize (s).

*Sign up for our newsletter and “like” our Facebook page.

Disclosure: Kleenex is responsible for generously donating and shipping the prizes mentioned in this post.

Back to School Twitter Party Count-down with Blue Sky Home Series

Posted by ruckusholly on August 30th, 2011

Are you a busy mom or dad?  Is organization a daily challenge?  Are you looking for a cure to your organization woes?

During our Twitter party on Thursday night at 9pm EST, we’ll be giving away FIVE Blue Sky Home Series packages that include the Checkbook Planner, Multi Task Notebook, Mousepad Planner and Door Notes.

Compact Planner

Compact Planner

[caption id="attachment_651" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Blue Sky Multi Task Notebook"]
Blue Sky Mousepad Planners
Blue Sky Mousepad Planners

 

Blue Sky Multi Task Notebook[/caption]While iPhones and other smart devices are must-haves for many busy women, paper-based calendars, planners and note-taking products remain central to family organization.

That’s why Blue Sky, known for its high-quality dated planners and calendars, created the Blue Sky Home Series, a collection of calendar-based organizational products designed especially for modern households. With a fresh design from Susy Jack Contemporary Paper, The Blue Sky Home Series
combines effective organizing with crisp, modern style. This exclusive collection is available now at Target stores nationwide – just when families are gearing up for back to school.

The collection offers 14 different products, all under $10. Several large monthly dated calendars allow consumers to choose one that works best for them. The collection also offers dated planners and fun, functional organizing extras, including the compact Shopping Planner, playful Door Notes and handy
Note Tote. The Blue Sky Home Series comes in two color palettes, “Warm” and “Cool,” to complement home décor. Prices range from $3.99 to $9.99.

Blue Sky developed the Home Series based on the feedback of real-life moms, who gave a sneak peek into their daily lives and provided insight into the organizational solutions they wanted.

The Blue Sky Home Series is now on sale at a Target store near you and online at www.blueskyimg.com.

 

Here is the information for our Twitter party:

Thursday, September 1st, 9pm EST /6pm PST / 8pm CT

Ruckus Media Group Twitter Party 

Topic: Back to School

Hashtag: #RuckusBTS

Tweet Grid Link: http://goo.gl/ehqD6

 

Here is what you have to do be eligible for the prizes from Blue Sky Home Series, and others:

 

*You must RSVP

*You must attend the party to receive and accept your prize (s).

*Sign up for our newsletter and “like” our Facebook page.

“See” you soon!

 

Disclosure: Blue Sky Home Series is responsible for generously donating and shipping the prizes mentioned in this post.  

 

 

 

Celebrate Back to School at Our Next Twitter Party w/Prizes Galore (including a bike)!

Posted by ruckusholly on August 26th, 2011


Thursday, September 1st, 9pm EST /6pm PST / 8pm CT

Ruckus Media Group Twitter Party 

Topic: Back to School

 

Sponsors:

 

Blue Sky

 

 

 

Fooz Kids

 

Here at Ruckus Media, back to school is quite important to us. You can probably already tell that from our big sale. All our apps are .99 cents until Labor Day! It’s time to stock up on our entire library.

We’re huge supporters of education and literacy.  With each interactive storybook that we create, we feature distinctive interactive elements that allow children of all ages to experience a story through an array of sensory-driven activities. Our hope is that this will encourage literacy skills, hence enhancing all skills needed and used at school.  But also, most of us at Ruckus are moms and dads ourselves, and we’re scrambling to get our own children ready for school.

Our end of summer Twitter party is going to be a party you will not want to miss!  We’ll be back to school focused, and we have five exciting sponsors joining us to discuss topics of importance to all of us: field trips, keeping you and your kids organized during the school year and playtime after school.

You’ll not only find out about Kleenex’s educational initiative, the Field Trip sweepstakes, which is committing $500,000 to help schools across America keep field trips as a part of the educational curriculum, but you’ll find out to stay organized with tips from Blue Sky Home Series, a brand known for its high-quality dated planners and calendars, just when you need it most as you are gearing up for back to school time.  And what do you do when the kids come home from school?  Like all moms, we think about intellectual stimulation, as well as physical activity to keep our kids entertained in the late afternoon hours. We’ll also be offering a  free download and one year All-In-One subscription to Fooz Kids, a PC application for parents that provides a secure online environment for your kids to access the Internet.  Fooz Kids has other features like email accounts for your kids, Fooz Kids places, for kids to set up a virtual room and Fooz Kids University, where kids can test their skills with interactive games and practice questions.  Schwinn Bikes, who have been making bikes for over a century, are also on board to talk about keeping the kids outside and physically active.

In addition,  we’ll also be giving away a copy of The Digital Mom Handbook: How to Blog, Vlog, Tweet and Facebook Your Way to a Dream Career at Home.

This time, to celebrate back to school and our children,we’ll have prizes from each sponsor:

- Kleenex is providing On-The-Go kits (5), ideal for back to school in backpacks,

- Fooz Kids is offering one free download and one year All-In-One subscription to Fooz Kids (value $69.95),

- Packages (5) from Blue Sky Home Series, meant to organize a busy mom’s life, including a Checkbook Planner, Multi Task Notebook, Mousepad Planner and Door Notes (value $10 each).

- As the grand prize, Schwinn is providing a new bike for either a boy or girl (one winner only).  Each bike is pictured below.  One will be given away (value $99.99),

-A copy of The Digital Mom Handbook (value $16.99).

Schwinn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And as always, we’ll have app giveaways, including our latest and greatest app, Chuck & Friends: Friends for the Long Haul. chuck & friends

 

Hashtag: #RuckusBTS

Tweet Grid Link: http://goo.gl/ehqD6

 

Here is what you have to do be eligible for the prizes:

*You must RSVP

*You must attend the party to receive and accept your prize (s).

*Sign up for our newsletter and “like” our Facebook page.

 

“See” you soon!

 

Disclosure: Each sponsor is responsible for generously donating and shipping the prizes mentioned in this post.  

 

 

 

Announcing a HUGE Back-to-School Promotion

Posted by ruckusholly on August 25th, 2011

back to schoolToday we are happy to announce a back-to-school pricing of $0.99 per app on our entire digital library of 15 apps for iPhone, iPad and iTouch from Friday, August 26 through the Labor Day weekend, ending Tuesday, September 7, 2011. The discounted pricing offers you and your children the opportunity to enjoy our bestselling and award-winning interactive storybooks at savings of more than 50% off the regular price. 

Each Ruckus Media app features distinctive interactive elements that allow children of all ages to experience a story through an array of sensory-driven activities.  They also promote reading readiness and motor and sensory skills and are perfect for daytime, or even bedtime, reading.

The entire Ruckus Media library of 15 interactive storybooks can be found on iTunes for $0.99 from Friday, August 26 (midnight tonight) through Monday at midnight, September 7th, 2011.

 

You can choose from:

CHUCK AND FRIENDS: FRIENDS FOR THE LONG HAUL

A PRESENT FOR MILO

SPOT THE DOT

ANDREW ANSWERS

RAINFOREST SURVIVAL CHALLENGE

and more.

Happy shopping!

 

 

 

Guest Post: Tips from the Principal: iPads in the Classroom, Using Apps — and a Present for Milo

Posted by ruckusholly on August 15th, 2011
Jed-iPad Master of Educational Technology

Jed-iPad Master of Educational Technology

By Toby Price, Assistant Principal, Richland Upper Elementary

I have been using an iPad as an administrator since the day they came out. In the last year, I have learned a few things. If you have an app that you like…there will be 50 more out at the end of the week that do the same thing. The sheer number of apps can make an iPad a valuable tool or a big iPod that does nothing for you or your students.

My advice to teachers with an iPad is:

- That apps can be used to meet individual needs. Don’t feel like more apps makes it a better iPad. It’s a lot like our curriculum teach less, better and deeper. The same goes with your apps. Use less apps better and deeper.

- Keep it simple! Don’t keep a lot of apps on your iPad. Find a few games you know your students will want to play as incentives. If you don’t use it delete it. In my opinion, teachers need to get to know their students, then based on the data about their students needs, download the apps that will help their specific students.  If Billy needs help with prepositions, download an app that will help him with that.  My advice for iPads is similar to advice I have about classroom instruction. Use less apps better and dig deeper with them.

For example, Kindergarten, first and second grade teachers could use the app A Present for Milo, a wonderful interactive story about a cat and mouse.  There are tons of interactive pictures for curious fingers, and it will read the story to emerging readers.  But, to dig deeper Milo would be perfect to talk about predicting with the whole class or smallA Present for Milo groups of students.  Ask questions like, Why is he chasing the mouse? What will happen next? Why do all those other mice keep popping up? What will the people think when they come home and see their house? Milo is a fun story but is also one of the rare electronic books that has great animations and lots of teachable moments in it. DIG DEEP! Pull out the teachable moments. Keep it simple! Remember use less apps more deeply!

So remember, now that you have an iPad keep it simple. Find one or two apps that will help you improve your classroom instruction. Less can be more.

The iPad is a powerful tool. It won’t fix everything but can and will get you and your students pumped up and excited. But remember, you could buy me the nicest hammer in the world, but that doesn’t mean I can build you a treehouse. Technology is just a tool. It takes a really good teacher to build something special with it.

iPadawan Educators you are the future! May the apps be with you!

About the author: Toby Price is a father of 3, a special needs dad and a Principal to 650, and, of course, a Jed-iPad Master of Educational Technology.  The Jed-iPad Master Educator Code: Jed-iPad Master Educators challenge i-Padawans to create things that will leave the world a better then when they arrived. They encourage students to question things and explore ways to make their lives better and easier. Jed-iPad Master Educators seek out and use various forms of technology to let learners show what they know. Jed-iPad educators operate with a “What Can I do Attitude,” as opposed to an, ” If only” mindset. What can I do to make my school better? What can I do to help that child? Every child has something to contribute. As Jed-iPad Master Educators, it’s up to us to discover or uncover what it is?

Note from Ruckus:  A Present for Milo is on sale until the end of the day.  To celebrate the end of summer and help families prepare their children well for the school year, Carisa of Digital Storytime, Siva of Technology in (Spl) Education, and Patrick and Jeremy on the Teaching All Students blog have decided to collaborate on a Back-to-School App Specials promotion/sale and it ends today!  We had to be a part of this special campaign, which you can follow on Twitter at  hashtag #B2SAppSpecials on Twitter.

 


 

Pay it Forward with A Present for Milo

Posted by ruckusholly on August 12th, 2011

 

A Present for Milo

To celebrate the end of summer and help families prepare their children well for the school year, Carisa of Digital Storytime, Siva of Technology in (Spl) Education, and Patrick and Jeremy on the Teaching All Students blog have decided to collaborate on a Back-to-School App Specials promotion/sale this weekend (8/12 – 8/15)!  And we, at Ruckus, had to be a part of this special campaign, which you can follow on Twitter at  hashtag #B2SAppSpecials on Twitter.

We are so happy to be teaming up with A4cwsn on this special promotion. Now until Monday, A Present for Milo is on sale on iTunes for $1.99. Five percent of each app sale goes towards a campaign to purchase iPads for special needs children.

Please let parents/clients/Friends & Family know about#B2SAppSpecials – Back-to-School Apps Promotion this weekend.  Let’s pay it forward!

 


 

 

Spending Time with Our Friends at BlogHer 2011

Posted by ruckusholly on August 9th, 2011

We have just returned from BlogHer, which was out in San Diego this year.  We can still feel the buzz generated and were so impressed with everyone that we came across in the quick 48 hours that the conference lasted.  The beauty of BlogHer and blogging, in general, is the amount of women who are blogging for all the right reasons.  Everyone in attendance shares the same passion for writing, passion for community, passion for building relationships with brands, passion for changing the world.

And we’re happy to be one of those brands.  Before the conference date arrived, we’d arranged several meetings with our supporters and were excited to be an official sponsor of two events: Social Soiree and the Mom Select Swag Suite.

On Friday morning, we met with a handful of Ruckus supporters to match up Twitter handles to actual people.  Our group included Jill Berry from Musings From Me, Caryn Haluska from Living with Logan, Gina Osher from The Twin Coach, Megan Montgomery and Shannon Schulte from Sweepstakes Mama, Kay Lynn Akers from Two Savvy Sisters, S. Denise Hoyle from Multiple Mayhem, Alli Doubek from Couponing for 4 and Crystal from Surviving a Teacher’s Salary.  It was great to get feedback I.R.L. on our apps and talk a little about our future plans with everyone.  Here are a few photos from the breakfast:

Megan from Sweepstakes Mama

Crystal from Surviving a Teacher's Salary

Kay from Two Savvy Sisters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went to as many sessions as we could.  We went to one on web design with Jill from Scary Mommy (one of our former blog writers), vlogging with Carley from Digitwirl, as well as a many of the Geek Bar sessions where we were able to concentrate on the nuts and bolts of blogging.  We really appreciated the panelist Tara Sophia Mohr’s approach to marketing which relies on fostering genuine relationship ties with your audience instead of trying to cram something down their throats. This is something that we, as a company, are careful about.  We want real, solid relationships with bloggers.  We’re building a community and that’s why being at BlogHer was so meaningful for us.

Every which way we looked, there were other members of our vibrant Ruckus community.  We bumped into Tamara Walker from Mom RN, Carrie from Carrie with Children, Charlene from Charlene Chronicles, Leticia Barr from Tech Savvy Mama, Karen Heffren from Desert Deals Diva and Stehanie Johnson from The Blue Zoo.  The list goes on and it was an honor and pleasure to meet so many fabuous, brilliant moms who value parenting and technology as much as we do.

We ended the weekend with a bang, attending the Clever Girls Collective Ladies Who Tech Brunch.  It was a pleasure to see and hear so many of our favorite women in tech and the space was buzzing with female tech leaders.   It was further proof that women are more digitally savvy than ever.

We applaud everyone we met at BlogHer, and for those we didn’t meet, please get in touch.  You can also sign up for our newsletter, join us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, watch our videos on You Tube, connect to us on Linked In or join our feed.

 

 

 

 


 

Education + Social Media = #140Edu

Posted by ruckusholly on August 3rd, 2011

140eduIf you haven’t realized that education has a huge presence on Twitter and Facebook, then you should take a closer look.  Educators, advocates, parents and students are using these platforms to get their voices heard.  They are also sharing experiences, opinions and observations on what needs to change.  Jeff Pulver’s popular #140 conference has now branched into #140Edu to address the relevance of social media, technology and the powerful reach of the communication tools at our disposal.

Hundreds gathered at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan earlier today to hear from experts on the topic and Ruckus Media was glad to be a part of the audience, seeing that educating children is a major initiative for us.   It was a fascinating day, filled with passionate speakers.

Here are a few of our takeaways:

- According to @beccasara, a parent and advocate, who blogged about our apps several months back, stressed the fact that parental engagement means communication.  Once parents are involved, they can advocate.

- @tomwhitby and @web20classroom, the founders of #Edchat, a Twitter chat that brings together 500 educators weekly, stated that social media lends itself to educators, as a way to collaborate.  Twitter became a Professional Development Opportunity” w/ hashtags, like #Edchat, as well as #ptchat and gtchat.

- @InnovativeEdu says that we need to give our students the opportunity to learn through social media. Schools need to set them free and give them a voice.  Students need tools so they can change the world.  Technology is an investment in education.

-@pjhiggins talked about making reading viral.  Create a reading list and ask students to blog their readings. Let their readings go viral. Share buzz books with students and teachers.

- @Inga_Ros talked about how banning social media and outside information is similar to burning books.

-@dcburton said that the first three years of a person’t life are most important for learning.  Children who have parents who are responsive to learning are able to understand four times the number of words.

We loved hearing from impassioned trail blazers in education who share the same goals we do.  Want to hear the amazing speakers online tomorrow?  As the conference continues, you can tune in at http://t.co/8o9hgWB.