Full Schedule for 4th Annual Technology Institute June 17-18 Released

I'm excited to announce the full program and presenter line up for the Fourth Annual Technology Institute on Thursday, June 18, held at Minnetonka High School!  Full details for June 18 are below and you can register here.  In addition to this great day of learning in 33 sessions, there is also a pre-conference workshop day June 17 with twenty half and full day sessions. 

This two day event is an amazing opportunity to learn from 35 different educational technology leaders from local and national school organizations.  Speakers hail from the Alliance for Excellent Education in Washington, DC., EdTechTeacher in Boston, Bloomington Public Schools, Cambridge-Isanti Public Schools, District 287, Minnetonka Public Schools, Pine City Public Schools, Richfield Public Schools, TIES, St. Paul Public Schools, and Wayzata Public Schools.  Please join us and share your great ideas and stories of innovative technology integration!  The conference encompasses all ed tech - Google, Schoology, Chromebooks, Moodle, iPads, flipped classrooms, online learning, coding, and much more! Don't miss this! 

Keynote from Thomas Murray, 8:30-9:30am Thomas C. Murray serves as the state and district digital learning director for the Alliance for Excellent Education located in Washington, DC. He has testified before the United States Congress and works alongside that body and the US Senate, the US Department of Education and state departments of education, corporations, and school districts throughout the country to implement digital learning while helping to lead Future Ready, Project 24 and Digital Learning Day. Murray’s experiences in K–12 digital leadership, which include implementing a 1:1 program, BYOD, blended learning, and a K–12 cyber school where he served as the director of technology and cyber education for the Quakertown Community School District in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, have been recognized nationally. He is also the co-author of the recent release, Leading Professional Learning; Tools to Connect and Empower Teachers (Corwin, 2015), and serves as a school district consultant for digital learning planning and implementation. More on Tom here.

	Session 1 9:40-10:40	Session 2 10:50-11:50	Session 3 12:50-1:50	Session 4 2:00-3:00
1	AppSmashing (abbreviated 1 hour session version)	Video Creation with iPads	Collaboration & iPads	Sketchnoting 2.0: Image & Video Sketchnoting with iPads
2	Designing Learning Centers for shared iPads	AppSmashing in the Elementary Classroom	iPads & Accessibility to Differentiate Learning K-12	Google Apps Collaboration in the Elementary Classroom (focus on collaboration without accounts)
3	Engaging Learners through Reflection and Discussion	Formative Assessment Tools in the Elementary Classroom	Leveraging Technology to foster creative teaching and learning	A Library in Your Pocket: Information at Your Fingertips
4	Your 1:1 Homescreen: Secondary Apps students and teachers wouldn’t want to learn without.	Peer Instruction with Socrative	AppMazing Race	Schoology for the Intermediate User
5	Cool Google Tools for You	Google Intermediate Learning Lab	Flip with Google	Creating Authentic Learning with the iPad
6	Using Technology to Engage Students with the World	Amplifying Student Voice	Google Scripting: Using Flubaroo & Autocrat	Animoto to Zaption Great Tech Ideas for the Classroom
7	Swiss Army Spreadsheets	Tools for Common Formative Assessment	Making Learning Visible with the iPad	Innovation through a Connected Pedagogy
8	Follow up meeting with Tom Murray option	Book Creator: Show What you Know	Genius Hour	MakerSpace for Classroom Teachers

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Session 1

AppSmashing (abbreviated 1-hour version)

Greg Kulowiec, Instructor and Blogger from EdTechTeacher

This session will explore the creative potential that can be unleashed with iPads through AppSmashing. Through the process of creating with multiple applications and smashing, remixing and blending that content together, students and teachers now have the capacity to create dynamic multimedia content.  The workshop will focus on the technical process and how-to of AppSmashing as well as the philosophical approach and Why behind this approach.

Cool Google Tools for You

Peter Gausmann and Ben Stanerson, Secondary Technology Coaches, Minnetonka Public Schools

Come hear about at least 11 fantastic Google tools--from the overlooked and hidden to the just-can’t-be-ignored--that you can use in your classroom. Tools will include a YouTube video editor, a story builder, research tools, and much more!

Designing Learning Centers for Shared iPads

Beth Holland, Instructor with EdTechTeacher & blogger at Edutopia

With shared iPads, creating meaningful activities can be a challenge when not every student has a device. In this session, we will explore the possibilities when these devices are incorporated into learning centers where students create artifacts as evidence of their understanding. Please come with the following apps installed:

• Educreations OR Explain Everything (paid for)
• Book Creator (Free or Paid For version)
• Popplet (Free or Paid For version)

Engaging Learners through Reflection and Discussion

Gina Nelson, Social Studies Teacher, Minnetonka Middle School East

Sara Hunt, Secondary Technology Coach, Minnetonka Public Schools

In this session, learn about and experience multiple reflection tools you can use to create a more engaging classroom community. The tools we will highlight demonstrate the power of 1:1 devices giving students voice in an inclusive community of learners. Tools include Today’s Meet, Backchannel App, Padlet, Google Forms, Schoology Discussion Board, Answer Garden, Socrative, Future.me, Explain Everything and Notability. We will showcase our examples as well as allow participants to interact with those same tools in a live demo format.

Follow-up Meeting with Tom Murray

Tom Murray, State & District Digital Learning Director, Washington DC

Tom Murray is giving the Keynote for the Tonka Institute Wednesday morning, June 17.  During this session you will have time to sit down with Tom to discuss topics from his keynote more in depth and ask questions, as well as hear about other important topics Tom works with at the national level, such as proper digital learning implementation and personalized professional learning.  

Swiss Army Spreadsheets

Eric Gunderson, Technology Integrationist, Washington Technology Magnet School, St. Paul Public Schools

Many teachers use the amazing tools found within Google Drive, but many don't realize the capabilities of of Google Sheets. From PBIS systems to a fake Twitter feed and class leaderboard to March Madness brackets, Sheets can do things that will blow your mind! Come to experience just some of the ways teachers are using Sheets in innovative ways today.

Using Technology to Engage Students with the World

Megan Budke, Spanish Teacher & World Language Instructor, Wayzata Public Schools

Attendees in this session will learn how to use current technology to connect their classrooms to the world, using tools such as Skype in the classroom/Google Hangouts, Twitter, and Facebook. The content shared will include examples from a world language classroom, but the ideas are applicable to all subject areas.

Attendees will leave with ideas such as how to connect with classrooms around the world using Skype/Google hangouts/Twitter; how to turn a Skype call/Google hangout to a learning experience; how to use tools such as Twitter/Facebook to connect to your students AND connect with classrooms around the world; and how to create meaningful digital projects for a real audience

Your 1:1 Homescreen: Secondary Apps students and teachers wouldn’t want to learn without.

Sara Martinson, Secondary Technology Coach, Minnetonka Public Schools

What apps do students and teachers depend on for learning? How are they used in a secondary classroom?  In this session, get a brief overview of core apps used at Minnetonka,  learn how students and teachers are using them in the classroom, and see examples of their use.

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Session 2

Amplifying Student Voice

Belinda Stutzman, Technology Integration Specialist, Wayzata Public Schools

Research shows that when students feel connected in school they perform better. This session will show you different ways you can amplify the voice of your students at all levels: classroom, building, and district. We will explore different technology tools including apps, blogs, LMS features and web tools.

AppSmashing in the Elementary Classroom

Beth Holland, Instructor with EdTechTeacher & blogger at Edutopia

Even the youngest of students can AppSmash! This concept helps early learners develop technology fluency, critical thinking, and creativity. Come learn what's possible for elementary students to create when we remove all technical limitations. Please come with the following apps installed:

• Educreations, ScreenChomp, OR Explain Everything (paid for)
• Book Creator (Free or Paid For version)
• Popplet (Free or Paid For version)
• MoMA Art Lab (Free) or any drawing program
• Any resource apps that you like (e.g. NumberPieces, DigiCubes, GeoBoard, Magnetic Letters, etc)

Book Creator: Show What You Know!

David Zukor, Technology Integration Specialist, Wayzata Public Schools

Book Creator is a fantastic app for making books, but it can do so much more! Attendees will learn how to demonstrate learning in language arts, math, science, social studies, and more! Learn how to introduce Book Creator to students to help them get started and see some great examples of books created by students!

Formative Assessment Tools in the Elementary Classroom

Andrea Hoffmann, E-5 Technology Coach, Minnetonka Public Schools

Looking for ways to measure understanding and engagement of your students?  Come learn fun ways to use formative assessment to guide instruction in your elementary classroom.  Find out about tools that will give you quick and meaningful information about your students’ understanding.  Some of the tools that may be included are: Socrative, Kahoot, Plickers, Google Docs/Forms, and more!  *Please bring your device and consider downloading the apps before the session.

Google Intermediate Learning Lab

Sara Hunt, Secondary Technology Coach, Minnetonka Public Schools

Feel like you have a handle on the basic features of Google?  Are you ready to amp up how you are using it?  Come and get some ideas and put them to work right away with challenges throughout.  We will also have some time to share our new learning with each other, so you walk away with not only your new inspiration, but also a good list of ideas from each other.

Peer Instruction with Socrative

Ben Stanerson, Secondary Technology Coach, Minnetonka High School

Participate in an interactive session highlighting how instant feedback tools like Socrative can support Peer Instruction in a 1:1 classroom.  Overview of the Peer Instruction strategy by Eric Mazur and Socrative will be demonstrated in a hands-on session.  Attendees will learn how Peer Instruction can help students learn concepts by engaging in cooperative dialogue.  Please create a Socrative account at http://socrative.com/ before attending. (Optional: Download the Socrative Teacher and Student Apps)

Tools for Common Formative Assessment

Marit Oberle, Math Teacher, Technology Integrationist, and Math Department Chair, Richfield Middle School

PearDeck, NearPod, Google Forms, Kahoot and others can be wonderful tools to inform teaching and learning. Staff attending this session should come with an idea/example of a common formative assessment to implement during the session. An overview of how these tools can be used as common formative assessments will be demonstrated, along with time to try and implement the tools.

Video Creation with iPads

Greg Kulowiec, Instructor with EdTechTeacher

This session will focus on the creative potential of video creation with iPads. Beginning with fundamental approaches to video creation and expanding to dynamic layered, green screen, screencast and virtual video creation, the session will expand the creative possibilities with the iPad.  Further, participants will explore basic workflow with regards to collaboration and publishing of student-created video content.

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Session 3

AppMazing Race

Sara Hunt, Secondary Technology Coach, Minnetonka Public Schools

Peter Gausmann, Secondary Technology Coach, Minnetonka Public Schools

Get out of your chairs for this fun and engaging session!  In small teams, you’ll learn about new apps, work collaboratively, and create and share products with your phone or tablet.  Finally, you’ll learn how to fashion effective “races” for your classrooms or staff development sessions.  

Collaboration & iPads

Greg Kulowiec, Instructor with EdTechTeacher

Through the combination of iPads, Google Drive and a handful of selected creation apps, collaboration is possible on iPads that can extend from the classroom to global collaborative projects.  Collaborative screencasting, book creation and video will be explored in the workshop.  Examples of such collaborative creation will be shared along with an overview of the technical process as well as hands on time to simulate and walk through collaborative iPad creation.

Flip with Google

Anthony Padrnos - Director of Technology, Richfield Public Schools

Utilize the power of Google Apps for Education to design and streamline a flipped learning environment. This session will discuss how to combine Google classroom, forms, chrome extensions for screen casting, and YouTube to create a workflow conducive to learning while providing formative data to the instructor.

Genius Hour

Ginny Adams, Kim Connor, Kaci Demerchant & Joe Vrudny, 2nd Grade Teachers, Greenwood Elementary School, Wayzata Public Schools
Everyone has a passion.  Everyone has an interest.  Our students are no different!  What could happen if we allowed students time to research and delve into their interests and passions?  How would learning and engagement change when the students are given time to learn about what they would like? This session will share the journey of four teachers who are exploring the idea of Genius Hour- unlocking the “genius” and passion in each student.  We will cover the philosophy behind Genius Hour, share about framework and resources that may be useful when incorporating Genius Hour into the classroom, and begin a conversation what Genius Hour could look like in your classroom/school.

Google Scripting: Using Flubaroo  & Autocrat

Tyler Shepard,  Teacher, Wayzata High School

Participants will learn the ins-and-outs of Google Scripting & Google Forms in this participatory session. We will start with Flubaroo, a tool that can provide Google Drive users with a streamlined way of collecting formative feedback and assessing their students’ work. After that, we will walk through the process of setting up an Autocrat Script, allowing Google Drive users the ability to merge Google Form submissions into user-generated templates. If you are a fan of Google Drive and Google Forms, this session is for you!

iPads & Accessibility to Differentiate Learning K-12

Beth Holland, Instructor with EdTechTeacher & blogger at Edutopia

iPads provide amazing potential to both scaffold and enrich. In this session, we will explore the accessibility features native to iOS that can help to support ALL learners. Using Universal Design for Learning (UdL) as a framework for our thinking, we will focus on how students can gain increased access to content. Please make sure that your iPad is updated to iOS8 - not all features will work the same with iOS7 - and that you also have iBooks installed.

Leveraging Technology to Foster Creative Teaching and Learning

Sara Martinson, Secondary Technology Coach, Minnetonka Public Schools

Ben Stanerson, Secondary Technology Coach, Minnetonka Public Schools

Are you looking for inspiration to add more creativity to your teaching and student learning?  This session will highlight philosophical approaches to a more creative pedagogy and give you practical ways to design lessons that inspire creativity in students.  iOS devices provide unique ways to be creative, and this session is designed to highlight several apps and lesson designs that leverage the technology in meaningful ways.  Tap into student creativity with apps like Haiku Deck, Adobe Voice, Explain Everything, Notability, Popplet, BookCreator, PicCollage, PicPlayPost, and more during this session.

Making Learning Visible with the iPad

Chris Turnbull, Personalized Learning Specialist,  St. Paul Public Schools

Bring your iPad for a hands-on tour of a variety of free and low cost screencasting and multimedia apps on the iPad that can be used to make teacher instruction more visual and student learning more visible. Learn how these apps work and how to use them to engage students in content area learning, to create standards-based artifacts of learning, to extend learning time beyond the classroom walls and school day bells, and to support student and parent understanding of process and product expectations to raise students' achievement and give students a voice in explaining their own learning.

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Session 4

A Library in Your Pocket: Information at Your Fingertips

Kelli Whiteside, Media Specialist, Minnetonka Public Schools

Attendees will learn about accessing valuable online resources using handheld devices. They will learn to organize a "library in their pocket" that facilitates good digital literacy and information fluency. Featured resources include but are not limited to MackinVIA, Destiny, Encyclopedia Britannica, and Easy Bib. We will also look for ways to leverage Hennepin County Library online resources which are free to all Minnesota residents with a library card from their local library. The same strategies can be easily used by students in a 1:1 environment at any instructional level.

Animoto to Zaption Great Tech Ideas for the Classroom

Dihanna Fedder, District Integrationist, Pine City Public Schools

A - Z technology ideas that are great for the educational setting. Learn more about Apps, Add Ons, Extension and Websites that will make you and your students look at learning in an all new way. Join this fast-paced session with an open mind, your browser set to open multiple tabs and your note-taking skills honed!

Creating Authentic Learning with the iPad

Gina Nelson, Social Studies Teacher, Minnetonka Middle School East

Sara Hunt, Secondary Technology Coach, Minnetonka Public Schools

Hear how two teachers guided students through a project-based learning experiences using the iPad. Both in Social Studies and Science, students used the iPad from brainstorming to research to evaluation to their final product. The iPad served as a primary tool in learning while students explored real-world problems and challenges, and allowed them to showcase their final knowledge in authentic ways. Projects highlighted: World Savvy Project and MN Mining Controversy.

Google Apps Collaboration - no accounts, no problem!

Beth Holland, Instructor with EdTechTeacher & blogger at Edutopia

At the elementary level, some schools and districts may not have individual student accounts created. However, that does not mean you cannot take advantage of the collaborative potential of Google Apps. Please bring your Chromebook or laptop with the Chrome browser to learn what is possible. IMPORTANT: if your school or district does not allow you to share out of your domain, please have a personal Google Account for this session.

Innovation through a Connected Pedagogy

Brad Gustafson, Principal, Greenwood Elementary School, Wayzata

Attendees will learn about 5+ cutting-edge tools that can be leveraged to inspire innovation in our classrooms and schools.  Specifically, attendees will experience how innovative tools like Sphero Robotic Droids, Quadcopters (drones), 3D Printers, Social Media, and Augmented Reality have been used to transform learning via a Connected Pedagogy in our school. I will also share how attendees can "connect" and offer the same meaningful experiences to their students.

MakerSpace for Classroom Teachers

Ginny Adams, Kim Connor, Kaci Demerchant & Joe Vrudny, 2nd Grade Teachers, Greenwood Elementary School, Wayzata Public Schools

What could it look like to create a “space” (whether a dedicated space in the building or your classroom) where students are allowed to build, create, make and tinker?  What if the big question we asked of kids was “What can you create today?”  In this session, learn how to unlock students’ creativity and ingenuity through the concept of MakerSpace.

Schoology for the Intermediate User

Andrea Hoffmann, E-5 Technology Coach, Minnetonka Public Schools

Peter Gausmann, Secondary Technology Coach, Minnetonka Public Schools

Come ready to explore ways to dive deeper with Schoology.  We will showcase student completion rules, Schoology quizzes, rubrics and more!  If you are ready to take your Schoology use to the next level, this class is for you!

Sketchnoting 2.0: Image & Video Sketchnoting with iPads

Greg Kulowiec, Instructor with EdTechTeacher

Sketch noting has recently exploded as a powerful method by which both students and teachers can process information that is being consumed in the form of lecture, video or reading.  While sketch noting can be completed with limited technology (pen / pencil & paper) or digitally, iPads provide the potential to expand upon the medium through the process of image & video sketch noting. Through both creation processes, sketch notes can be brought to life on an iPad by being layered with relevant photographs through image sketch noting and by being animated with video through video sketch noting.

================================================ In addition to the two days focused on technology, there are also thought-provoking speakers to accelerate professional development and growth in your district starting Monday, June 15. Each day of the institute will feature an important area of interest for educators as well as engaging experts who will offer keynotes, workshops, and other special opportunities: Monday, June 15, 2015 – Interventions and Achievement Gap • George Batsche (from the RTI Action Network) • Yvette Jackson (author of Aim High, Achieve More and The Pedagogy of Confidence) Tuesday, June 16, 2015 – Innovation in Education • George Couros (Blog: The Principal of Change) • Heather Staker (author of the new book Blended with Michael Horn) • Eric Scheninger (author of the new book Digital Leadership) • Patti Drapeau (author of the new book - Sparking Student Creativity) • Athletic Directors Institute Wednesday, June 17, 2015 – Assessment and Grading • Doug Reeves (Director of Leadership and Learning Institute) • Rick Stiggins (Director of the Assessment Training Institute – appearing via live feed) • Nicole Vagle (national speaker on the topic of standards-based grading) • Jeff Erickson (Minnetonka principal and author of scholarly articles on standards-based grading) • Mark Barnes (author of the new book Assessment 3.0, and the recent book Role Reversal) • Preconference Technology Workshops Don't miss this great opportunity to network with colleagues while learning from some of the nation's most prominent thought leaders. For more information and to register, visit the Institute for Leadership website. Discounted registration discounts are available now as well as for those who register for multiple dates! Register your team today!

Curbi: Great Option for Filtering and Monitoring an iPhone/iPad/iPod

Please note, as of February 28, 2019, Curbi is no longer available.

Please see Apple Screen Time a Huge Win for Everyone, Including Parents! for a great solution to use instead.

Curbi is a great option for parents to filter and monitor their child's iPhone/iPad/Droid and provides valuable data to spark conversations around the use of technology.

Earlier this year I posted about options for cell phone filtering for parents, and how there aren’t any working options I’m aware of through cellular providers on 4G LTE Networks (Quick & Easy Cell Phone Web Filtering for Kids (*and limitations). That hasn't changed. I continue to get no response from Verizon (see photo to the right of their response from a Twitter exchange). Unfortunately my petition requesting that cellular carriers resume offering this feature closed. Another question that I haven't found an answer to yet is why they stopped?

So I've been trying a number of tools out besides just using iOS Restrictions. Restrictions work and are free, but you have no choice over the level of web content filtering, so it may be too restrictive for a middle or high school student's iPhone or iPad compared to an elementary student's device.  Other apps like Mobicip and NetNanny only filter web content through that specific app but not other apps on the phone/device.

For the past few months I've been using Curbi on my children's iOS devices and found it works quite well. It costs $7/month. It uses the same type of technology to manage a device that a school uses to manage thousands of devices by having you install two profiles on the phone/device. It not only filters web content through any app on the device like iOS Restrictions, it gives you many more features. Curbi lets you choose a filtering level (elementary, middle, or high school student) and choose what preset categories to block (see photo below).

  

You can set up rules as to when the Internet connection gets turned off, such as bedtime or at study times, plus toggle the Internet connection on and off at will whenever necessary. Through Curbi you can turn an off iOS apps like the camera, FaceTime, and more. You can also see a list of what apps have been installed on each device as well as how much time was spent using each app daily and weekly. There is a parent Curbi app which allows you to monitor and change these setting from your own device. You can log in to a web browser to do this as well. Each week you will receive a report of each child's usage as pictured below, which makes for a great conversation starter.  

Some things to note about Curbi: 

• Usage times will be inflated because apps run for 10 minutes in the background after use or even after a device has been turned off. 
• There will be time totals for apps listed you and your child haven't installed/heard of which are just advertisers within other apps.  
• Curbi can't turn off/monitor iMessage or Facetime or track time spent using these tools. These can only be turned off through iOS Restrictions.
• Turning off the Internet traffic on a device doesn't stop video games that don't need an Internet connection to work, such as Angry Birds.
• Your child could delete the profiles which need to be installed on her/his phone for Curbi to manage the device.  Doing so removes the filter and monitoring, but you also receive an alert to notify you that this has happened.  Again, this is a great opportunity for a conversation about why to have a filter in the first place.

Overall, Curbi is an excellent way to prevent inappropriate content from reaching your child's screen as well as helping to keep tabs on tech use.  I have contacted Curbi's developers many times with questions and suggestions and found them to be very responsive and receptive.  

Here are more tips and resources to help with parenting high tech kids.

Technology & Relationships

This month the pastors at my church, Westwood Community Church, are focusing the messages on technology based on a book titled “The Digital Invasion: How Technology is Shaping You and Your Relationships” by Dr. Archibald Hart and Dr. Sylvia Hart. Yesterday I was interviewed by Pastor Joel Johnson during the message at each service. We discussed digital footprints, filters, fragmented focus, solitude, digital yawns, parenting high tech kids, and more. I explained how last fall, because my five year old daughter pointed out how much time I spend on my phone, I made changes to limit my own screen time and distraction and shared my tips for dealing with this. The video of this interview is about 15 minutes long.   

You can start the video from the beginning if you'd like to here the entire message from Joel about how technology affects our relationships. He has some great insight about the importance of solitude with a great Henri Nouwen quote and an outline of the five benefits of solitude. Joel also gives a great overview of Sherry Turkle's TED Talk: Connected, but Alone?  If you haven't watched it, do!

Cyber Safety: Catching Up With High Tech Kids On Thursday, April 30, from 7–8:30pm, I have a parent ed class scheduled at Westwood.  If you are in the area and able to attend, please register online (it's free). Invite others, too.

Tablets, Smartphones, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Vine, Minecraft... Technology is a big part of our kids’ world! Keeping up can be challenging, but a positive and well informed approach can have a big impact on your child’s future and habits. Learn how to help your kids develop a balanced and healthy use of technology. Get tips and ideas for maintaining open dialog about technology and understand the significant role you play in helping your child be responsible and safe in today’s high-tech world. Numerous ideas and free resources will be shared.  

Past related posts:

• The Teenage Brain +Dementia of the Preoccupied
• Quick & Easy Cell Phone Web Filtering for Kids (*and limitations)
• Parenting with Purpose in the Digital Age... Managing New Devices Received at the Holidays
• New Year's Resolution: 3 Ways to Cut Back on Digital Distractions
• Crazy Busy: You Are Letting the Screen Strangle Your Soul
• How Long is Stuff Really Out There? My Students' 1995 Digital Footprint
• Parenting in the Digital Age Part 2: How Much Should Parents Snoop?
• Parenting with Purpose in the Digital Age... It's Complicated
• Balancing Choice and Control with a Half Million Apps

My First Apple Watch: Solution to Distraction?

Image Source

I read with interest the recent Wired article by David Pierce entitled, iPhone Killer: The Secret History of the Apple Watch, specifically that 

"the Watch’s raison d’être... came down to this: Your phone is ruining your life. Like the rest of us, Ive, Lynch, Dye, and everyone at Apple are subject to the tyranny of the buzz—the constant checking, the long list of nagging notifications. “We’re so connected, kind of ever-presently, with technology now,” Lynch says. “People are carrying their phones with them and looking at the screen so much.” They’ve glared down their noses at those who bury themselves in their phones at the dinner table and then absentmindedly thrust hands into their own pockets at every ding or buzz. “People want that level of engagement,” Lynch says. “But how do we provide it in a way that’s a little more human, a little more in the moment when you’re with somebody?”

How intriguing; I never thought I would read that the iPhone engineers wish we weren't spending so much time on our screens and that the phone is "ruining our life."  Imagine stepping back and looking at everyone's interactions with their screens as you go about daily life, and knowing it was something you helped to create!

I personally wish that Lynch wouldn't have stated that Apple wants to continue the same amount of engagement (substitute the less positive word distraction or interruption here) but in a "more human" way. I was hoping that the Apple Watch would become a tool to decrease the distractions and make it easier to be in the moment.  I know what they mean, but I think a larger question is whether the majority of the consumers will adjust their watch settings in order to tailor things so they can better focus on people around them and tasks at hand (pun unintentional), or if the majority of Apple Watch wearers will spend even more time on their screens due to the increased amount of alerts/vibrations that they now almost never miss--"subject to the tyranny of the buzz."  Sometimes with my phone in my pocket or my wife's phone in her purse, we miss alerts, buzzes, and notifications. Wearing an Apple Watch, it would seem those days are gone.

So for individuals like me seeing a need for ways to limit distractions, it would appear that my decisions as to what information is important enough to warrant an interruption/alert/vibration on a watch will be critical to my success.  Failure to carefully weigh in the importance of each of these could result in even further "engagement" with one's screen(s).  Alerts on my wrist to text messages, notifications of posts on social media, Tweets, news flashes, etc., even if they are all just for a few seconds as the Wired article states Apple has designed them to be, do not seem to be ways to regain focus, especially with those around you.  

Back in December I explained that my 2015 New Year's Resolutions were to Cut Back on Digital Distractions.  Specifically I explained that I was going to:

1. Use the Moment app to track the number of minutes I spend on my phone and how frequently I check it.
2. Decrease my nocializing/digital yawning.
3. Turn off app notifications to decrease FOMO and interruptions

Since then, I've done better for sure. I continue to track my time, I am trying to decrease nocializing, and have found increased freedom by turning off notifications. More an each of these will have to be additional posts... So the option to buy an Apple Watch has caused me to reflect as to whether this tool would assist with my New Year's Resolution or hinder it. I'm hopeful it might.  At the end of the Wired article, the author writes:

"Lynch is leaning forward in his chair, telling me about his kids: about how grateful he is to be able to simply glance at his Watch, realize that the latest text message isn’t immediately important, and then go right back to family time; about how that doesn’t feel disruptive to him—or them."

That does sound appealing. Perhaps a short glance is better than turning on a phone screen. I know you could argue to not even have the interruption in the first place. But with today's news headlines that almost 1,000,000 people pre-ordered an Apple Watch on the first-day, there will be a lot of people around us glancing at watches instead of phones, and likely more in the years to come. Watch behavior and etiquette will be an increasing topic of conversation in our culture.

I hope that all of us can learn to adjust our settings so that we don't have to glance at our watches even more than we currently do our phones.  We could all set things on our phone to not interrupt us as frequently as they do now, but few have. Perhaps the next level of technology innovation with algorithms at some sort of artificial intelligence level will be able to decide which things to even interrupt/alert/notify/engage us and filter out needless disruptions, prevent some glances from even being necessary. I hope so. 

I didn't pre-order an Apple Watch.  I don't think I will be getting one soon, either. The price is high and I'm not convinced what I'd be buying would make me a better person. I'm not convinced that my first Apple Watch will be the solution to decreasing the distractions in my life that I am seeking. Time will tell (pun intentional).

Be Where Your Feet Are: Quality #RealTime with Those Around You

Recently I was in a local coffee shop and noticed what appeared to be a father and middle school aged daughter seated with one another before school.  I was struck by the fact that the two of them almost said nothing to one another and instead were both engrossed in their phones.  This went on for at least 20 minutes until they left. I'm sure you have seem something similar. I've been guilty myself.  

Lately I've been making a conscious effort to not be on a screen when I'm with my children and instead pay attention to them. Common Sense Media has a push right now with PSA encouraging parents to Make Room for #realtime, perhaps you've seen it. This takes effort.

I have noticed an increase in the amount of times I'm stopped at a light while driving and there appears to be a parent and child in the car next to me not talking, with the child looking at a cellphone screen.  My wife and I are trying to keep the space and time in the car as opportunities for conversation and limiting the amount of screen time that is taking place. A related article in yesterday's Washington Post shows the importance of quality time, not the quantity of time, we spend with our children: Making time for kids? Study says quality trumps quantity. 

I also see more and more movies being played in vehicles for kids in the back seat as cars are arriving and departing in school parking lots, grocery stores, or other places that are close enough to home that it's likely was just a short errand, not a long road trip. In our family, we have reserved the screen entertainment in the car for really long road trips.  We hope to increase the opportunities for conversation as well as allow for some down time.  We think that limiting the amount of time kids expect to get entertained will benefit them in the long run.  

I always enjoy receiving a good parenting tip from others who have experience and insight. A colleague of mine, Kelli Whiteside, is an elementary media specialist and parent of three children, some older than mine.  Kelli and I have co-presented on the topic of Parenting Tech Savvy Kids a few times over the past couple of years.  One of the tips I have heard her talk about is a phrase they use frequently in their family to remind one another to pay attention to those around them versus being distracted by a screens/device:

Be where your feet are.

She says this simple phrase is a great reminder to all in her family be engaged with one another in conversation and attention, not just physically share the same space.  I think this is a great reminder for families as well as for everyone. Be where your feet are.  

So, are you where your feet are?  In a coffee shop with others?  In your car with passengers?  As a spectator at your child's events?  At home at the dinner table?  It's an intriguing question, and not just one for parents and children. Are you where your feet are during a meeting?  While at work?

Have a tip to share?  Please do!  

FYI, a link to my collection of other tips and resources can be found at tinyurl.com/CyberResources.