Soft Technology

Did you know that you can just open the Google Search app on your phone, tap the mic, and command your device like an unbottled Genie? Thanks to Whitson Gordon and this LifeHacker article , my phone is now listening to me in a whole different way! Open the "Google" app (on my phone it looks like the image on the right) and say “OK Google” (or tap the mic) to get started. Call the Holiday Inn Express in Conroe, Texas. Define "boondoggle” How long is the movie “Gravity”? How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon? Listen to “Royals” by Lourde on YouTube. Navigate to HEB "on foot.”  Navigate to Rice University by car. Note to self: I'm parked on level E2. (Then add to Google Keep) Open Spotify (or any other app.) Play the theme song to MASH. Remind me to call Brad tomorrow at 9 a.m. Set alarm for 30 minutes from now, label, get laundry. Show me a video of how to tie shoes. Show me pictures of Galveston sunsets. Show me pictures of the newest Samsung phone. Text Sylvi...

The biggest problem with staff development is that many times, it doesn't work.  . If you want it to " work ," then you have to work .  . Here are some ideas each of us can implement ourselves (school leaders, you can help!) to make sure our own professional learning sticks. If you've attended staff development with me, and want to do #6, please email me at amy@friedtechnology.com .  Download Printable Action Plan Google Doc Action Plan Download this file in any format you want  here . Use this within your school or district freely, republish freely online with a link back to this page and an acknowledgment of authorship. 

Tell students what engagement is. Sometimes they don't know what it is or that they're supposed to be engaged. When they know, they can help teachers design engaging work. Engagement means students are . . . attentive persistent and committed Students who find value in their work persist even when it's difficult.

I've been working lately on a New Teacher Academy and it has had me thinking a lot about the very basics of being a good teacher. My daughter, Sylvie, a high school senior this year, also contributed to these ideas. If you'd like to contribute, please add a comment to this entry or open the Google Doc using the link under this chart and comment there. Link to the Google Doc (open to comments)

I'm working on the idea of a student choice continuum to help explain Project Based Learning. This continuum is not meant to represent "good" verus "bad" instruction; almost all forms of instruction can be done well or poorly, purposefully or not. For example, I learn well by listening, so for me, an interesting, well-delivered lecture could be effective. My son, however, is not much of an auditory learner. Doing a Project would be better for him than a lecture.  I'd appreciate your constructive feedback on this idea. This is version 1. What can we do to make it better?

If you're in education, I'm sure you've seen the posts called something like "If Teachers Planned Inservice." The implication is that inservice is always boring (which it often is) and that if teachers did it, it would be either 1. nonexistent or 2. less boring. As a person who plans inservice as part of my job, I hope that what I have planned for you is 1. not boring and 2. useful to you. In fact, that's my number one and number two hope for every session I provide. My question for you though is this: If you are a teacher, you provide a form of "inservice" every day in your classroom. Do you have the same standards for your teaching as you have for mine? I teach you only a few days a year; you teach your students about 185 days a year. How do you maintain the level of interest and relevancy that you expect from me? I'll grant you that's incredibly difficult, but it is worth pondering. What I want you to know is that I (and many, many others...

Above is an embedded Google Presentation with full view access shared via Google Drive. If you don't see it, try this link . Please feel free to use it with your staff. I'd love to hear from you in the comments if you do.