NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2009
Scoring the Hottest School Gear
BehindtheBuy.com's David Gregg on What to Look for This Back-to-School Season
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(AP)
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Special Section Back to School Tips, trends and facts for a successful school year.
Which items are essential for students this year?
David Gregg, senior editor of BehindTheBuy.com, told "Early Show" viewers Thursday about the hottest back-to-school items, from back-friendly backpacks and the best computer deals to eco-friendly supplies for students.
Back-To-School Back Packs
Lands End Wheeled Classmate Studyhaul Bag
Sized for kids ages 8-14
Two big compartments organize their stuff
Lunch box back strap slips over the handle for "no-hands" carrying
Mesh side pockets hold water bottles
Padded back panel for comfort when they carry Inline skate wheels roll smoothly
Removable organizer pouch keeps school supplies straight
360° reflective trim helps keep kids visible
Hide-away C-shaped shoulder straps let them carry it too
Reinforced bottom and resin bumpers for durability
MP3/cell phone pocket on one shoulder strap
Glow-in-the-dark zipper pulls on main compartment
D-ring to clip on lunch box
$59
Ortlieb Velocity Backpack
This waterproof backpack has a maritime look that incorporates comfortable foam back andadjustable waist and chest straps. Food, books and electronic devices can be easily stowed away thanks to its convenient roll-top closure. It features a removable inner pocket for organizing small items like keys, money and cell phone. This new pack has a foam back with improved ventilation, protected base by means of edge protectors and bottom feet. Optional accessories: cell phone holster for shoulder strap, Notebook Insert.
$110
Jansport Classic Superbreak
JanSport gives its classic SuperBreak silhouette a revamp utilizing high performance Cordura fabric to obtain maximum color and added durability. This new pack is available in three classic colors: Red Curtain, Black and Electric Purple and features padded shoulder straps and back panel as well as a quick stash front utility pocket that makes this bag, the Perfect Score.
$40.00
Kootie Killer Hand Sanitizers
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with a concentration of 60% or higher to be effective against common disease agents. Kootie Killer Hand Sanitizer can help in preventing H1N1 influenza (swine flu). The recommends alcohol-based hand sanitizers as part of good hygiene when soap and water are not available.
Prices vary by size
Back-To-School Tech
Acer Aspire One Netbook
One of the hottest deals in the netbook category is a $299 Acer Aspire One with a 10.1-inch display, N270 Atom processor, 1GB memory, 160GB hard drive, Windows XP and 3-cell battery. It is available at Walmart, Target, Amazon and dozens of other retailers.
$299
Weighing in at just 1.08 inches and only 5.0 pounds, it fits easily into a backpack or briefcase. It offers integrated graphics performance for playing 3D games or creating photo books in iPhoto and making movies in iMovie. And it has all the MacBook features you want at an affordable price. Pricing starts at $999-purchase any mac book and get a free iPod touch.
Starting at $999
Seagate Free Agent Go External Storage Device
If you've ever lost all your data due to a computer crash you now know the importance of backing up your content. Seagate's line of FreeAgent Go portable storage devices are capable of saving up to 640GB of content - that's the equivalent to 5 laptop computers! The only way to make sure you never have to worry about losing your favorite photos, videos, movies, music and oh yeah…homework is to back it up! A rainbow of colors are available and there's even a model that is available in a blinged out special edition with chrome detailing. To add a little more style to your external drive Seagate has created an exclusive partnership with MusicSkins. You can put your own personal signature on your drive by picking a skin from your favorite artists or musicians. Free Agent drives are compact, easy to use and are available for Windows and Mac OS's.
Prices start at $100 for the 250GB version.
Back-To-School Eco-Friendly
IKEA Sunnan Work Lamp
This lamp will help save energy and reduce your footprint.
Runs on solar cells that transform sunlight into electricity, it requires no electrical connections.
Also, for each Sunnan solar cell powered lamp you buy, Ikea donates one to UNICEF. These environmentally friendly lamps will go to children in developing countries, so they can read, write and study after sunset, even if their homes have no electricity.
Solar cells transform sunlight into electrical energy -- requires no electrical connections.
LED consumes 70 percent less energy and has at least four times longer life than incandescent bulbs in similar decorative lighting.
Recharging time is 9-12 hours in sunlight, but over 12 hours on a cloudy day.
When the battery is fully charged, the product will give shine for approx. 4 hours.
Light diodes are not replaceable; diode life approx. 50,000 hours.
When the solar panel is fully charged the light intensity is 400 to 500 lux at its starting point. After 3 to 4 hours the light intensity has lowered to about 300 lux.
$19.99
Eco-Friendly School Supplies
Staples Eco Easy core (notebooks, pencils, scissors, etc.) products include:
Eco-friendly brand notebooks are made from 80% bagasse, a sugarcane waste. The bagasse line also uses eco-conscious vegetable and water-based inks for printing.
Hilroy exercise books are made from 30 per cent post-consumer waste and environmentally friendly ink.
Westcot KleenEarth scissors have green handles made from 70 per cent recycled plastic. The microband handles also have antibacterial protection against the growth of bacteria.
Staples Eco Easy biodegradable report covers are not only reusable they are also biodegradable. When you are done using them you can throw them away as they have a starch based cellulose additive that makes them biodegradable in a landfill.
Avery 100 per cent recycled chipboard binders are both stylish and eco-friendly.
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- As much as your article profiling Darien Public Schools and their effort to battle Swine Flu by introducing alcohol-based hand sanitizers might be endorsed by the CDC's 1996 hand hygiene guideline, the fact is hundreds of schools throughout the United States have eschewed that out-dated recommendation, and have opted for non-alcohol based hand sanitizers; all due to well-documented risks and concerns associated with putting alcohol into the hands of students.
In point of fact, in 2004, the New York Department of Education issued a memo that required a doctor?s note or parental permission for a student to bring alcohol-based hand sanitizer to a public school. While the NY DOE modified that edict in connection with the 2007 MRSA outbreak, licensed day care facilities, youth-related substance abuse centers, and many other regulated venues are prohibited from having alcohol-based products within their buildings.
Which is exactly why hundreds of educational facilities throughout the US (as well as substance abuse centers, day care centers, senior care facilities, corporations, public shelters, and many others) are embracing non-alcohol hand sanitizer products, typically those that incorporate the organic compound benzalkonium chloride (aka BAC).
Any nurse within a school platform will know that BAC is the same active ingredient used in Bactine antiseptic, as well as tens of dozens of other health care products, and that within a hand sanitizer product, its proven to be equally (i) effective insofar as defending against pathogens (including H1N1), (ii) safer to the skin, (iii) non-toxic (iv) non-flammable (v) provides greater persistency (vi) penetrates dirty (vii) can be applied to open cuts and abrasions.
This isn?t to dispute that alcohol kill germs that might be immediately present on the skin (presuming one's hands are clean of dirt); but merely to point out that alcohol is equally notorious for destroying protective skin cells and for causing dry/irritated skin. Dry/Irritated skin is tantamount to a shattered windshield, and in turn INCREASES risk of exposure to pathogens. Alcohol also destroys industrial floor wax, paint, and other materials, so it would seem obvious that applying to the skin is a tenuous idea.
Within a student population, many schools have observed that alcohol-based products have been inappropriately ?re-purposed?, and in other instances, local fire marshals have concluded the placement of alcohol-based dispenser devices has violated local fire ordinances. At least one school in Connecticut experienced an incident in which students set dispensers afire, which is relatively easy to do. The subsequent insurance claim is apparently in dispute because the carrier determined that the school improperly introduced flammable products, in violation of the insurance covenants.
Dozens of schools throughout the NY/CT/NJ region have recognized these issues. Within Fairfield County alone, Fairfield Board of Education made this observation more than 2 years ago and incorporated non-alcohol based sanitizers throughout many facilities.
Further, (2) federal agencies (GSA & DOT), the US Navy, all correctional facilities, and literally hundreds of schools and universities throughout the US have prohibited alcohol in lieu of non-alcohol formulas that incorporate BAC.
That said, wisdom suggests that ?too much of anything is not good?, whether it be an antiseptic product or even H2O. Any school superintendent should necessarily prioritize hand hygiene protocols that emphasize washing with soap and water.
We're not talking about chemotherapy, we're talking about pragmatic hand hygiene approaches when washing with soap and water is not convenient.
An informative blog on the topic is http://www.handhygienefacts.blogspot.com - Reply to this comment
- Buy the kids prepaid cell phones! This tip might not be too popular with teachers, but for parents it means peace of mind and connectivity should an emergency arise. A good phone for younger kids and tweens is the NET10 prepaid phone. It's not expensive and it's a great phone to introduce young kids to the responsibility of owning a cell phone. Calls are just .10 cents /minute and texts are .5 cents so it won't be a huge burden on parent's budget.
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