How to Save Items to Read Later

Our mobile devices allow us to read digital material from anywhere. Often, we read something we want to review later. Perhaps we want to discuss it with someone else. Maybe we want to view some of the links in the article and don't have the time right now. Perhaps we simply want to re-read the article later. How do we handle that sort of thing in a digital world?

My digital reading material falls into four categories:

1. Articles of interest in the 100 blogs which comprise my RSS feed
2. Links to articles in Twitter messages
3. Documents I have downloaded
4. Websites I am reading and wish to re-visit

Articles in my RSS Feed
I use Feedly to gather into one place new material from the 100 blogs to which I subscribe. I can flip through articles which are of no interest. The next time I check Feedly, those articles no longer appear. I can read an article, and Feedly automatically marks it as "read." When I return to Feedly, that article no longer appears.

One situation remains. I read an article and decide I want to read it, or do something else with it, later. On each Feedly post, a small ribbon icon appears. Scrolling over that icon reveals a message, "Save for later." Clicking that ribbon turns it green and marks it as saved.

At any time, I can open Feedly and click on "Saved for Later" in the left-hand column. All of the articles I have marked are now before me. As long as the ribbon is green, the article will be available in the "Saved for Later" section. When I am done with the article, I click the green ribbon to "unsave."


Links to Articles in Twitter Messages
I find out about many good articles through links in Twitter. I usually read Twitter during spare moments. It's a great way to handle "waiting time." Clicking those links to read the articles is something that generally happens later.

When a tweet looks interesting, I click the star to "favorite" it. In Hootsuite, I have a stream labeled "Favorite Tweets." Everything I have marked on my phone while reading tweets during spare minutes shows up in this stream. When I am done with any tweet, I click the star again to "unfavorite" it.


Documents I Have Downloaded
Reading is something I like to handle in spare minutes. With printed material, I have a decorative inbox where I collect magazines and books. When I anticipate downtime on any errand, I throw some of that reading material in my briefcase.

With digital reading material, I have a folder in Dropbox called "Read." PDF or Word documents I want to review go there. I can then read then from one of my mobile devices. Periodically, I examine that folder while at my desktop computer and remove materials already read. From there, the material goes into my computer's digital filing system or is deleted.

Websites I am reading and wish to re-visit
When reading material on a website that I wish to re-read later, the trick is to get the URL for that article into my to-do list. If I am at my desktop computer, I click the Toodledo bookmarklet on my toolbar. A box opens, representing a new to-do. In the note section of that task, the article's URL will already be displayed. I set a start date and due date for when I want to see the article again. The title of the task will be something like "Read this article on (subject of article)." Clicking "Save" finishes the job.

If I am on a mobile device, touching and holding my finger on the URL gives me the option to share it and by what means. The easiest is option is to share by email. As a Toodledo user, I am assigned a special email address. Anything sent to that address goes into my Toodledo task list with start and due dates of today. When I share the link via email and must choose a recipient, the Toodledo address will be the choice. The URL will appear in the body of the email. Whatever subject line is entered will become the name of the task in Toodledo.

Plenty of special apps exist for handling the concept of saving websites for later viewing. My preferences has always been to pick a very few tools and use them extensively. So, if the task can be accomplished with tools already in my arsenal, I generally reject the additional tool or app.

I only do two things
Those who have heard me speak know that I do only two things every day: check the tickler file and work my to-do list. Everything I have to do feeds ointo one or the other. On my list, you would see a repeating task prompting me to check the saved items in Feedly. You will see a second prompting me to check my "Favorite Tweets" in Hootsuite. Both of those repeating tasks appear weekly.

A great deal of new material comes my way on a daily basis. The ability to get through it quickly, mark what needs to be revisited in depth later, and move on is a key to productivity in this information age.


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Advice to a Frazzled Reader

I recently received this email from a reader:

I heard you in person about 1 year ago and bought your book. I looked through it and didn't read it. I'm as unorganized as ever and now I have an old iPhone and that's not really helping either. I am teaching full time special education and taking two graduate classes.  Any ideas?

Of course, my first suggestion would be to read the book. Aside from that, what follows is my response in hopes that it would not only help that one reader, but many others who find themselves overwhelmed.

I would suggest starting by reading the chapter on handling paper. The major concept in that chapter is using tickler files to keep your desk clear of papers and have paperwork appear on the day you need to see it.

Start by clearing one drawer in your desk and putting your tickler files (and nothing else) in that drawer. Next, start going through the papers which have accumulated on your desk, on top of the filing cabinet, on tables, etc. Pick up each piece of paper and ask yourself, "What does this piece of paper mean to me? Why is it here? What needs to be done with it?"

You will find some of it going in the trash as a result. At the bottom of most peoples' piles, paper which has outlived its value can be found. Throw it away.

You will come across other papers that serve as reference material. These will include forms which need to go in student folders, correspondence from parents which you may need to keep for documentation purposes, lesson plans, etc. Take time now to file them.

You will likely come across papers that you have no idea what to do with. Ask yourself who would be able to help you understand what to do with them and when you would likely see that person. Put a sticky note on the paper with a reminder to yourself of who you were going to ask about the paper. File it in the tickler file for when you think you will see that person.

You will come across other material which you are going to need at some future time. Instead of allowing it to stay on your desk and hope you will look at it at the right time, make a decision about when you want to see the paper again. File it for the appropriate day in the tickler file.

You mentioned having an iPhone, but it's not helping. As you are finding, having a smartphone does not make you organized. It would be the same as taking someone who does not understand math and giving them a calculator.  Digital systems are good for people who have a good organizational system but need more speed and want to the portability a digital system offers.

I am attaching a paper form to give you a start. Print it, being sure to select "landscape" mode. Put it on a copier and make 30 or so copies for the next month. Date each page and put them in a folder. At the beginning of the day, list any appointments from your calendar. In the "Fab 5" section, list that 5 most important or most critical items for today. In the "Organized Task List" section, list the other things you want to do today in the order you want to do them. Things you want to do during your planning time should be listed together. Things you want to accomplish after school should be listed together.

Keep that one sheet of paper with you throughout the day. On the right-hand side is a place for you to jot down whatever comes up. When you talk with a parent on the phone, take notes in that space. When you meet with a parent or attend a faculty meeting, take notes there. If you fill up that section, continue on the back of the page.

When the day comes to an end, read the notes you have written. Decide what you need to actually do about any of them. Write the results of those decision on your to-list for the next day, some day later in the week, a day next week, etc. If there are items you had on your list for today that you did not do, re-write them for tomorrow or another day.

At the top of the page is a place for you to answer the question, "How did you make today count?" That question forces you to think about whether or not your time was spent accomplishing something of worth. File the completed page in the the same folder where you have the blank pages for future days. You will now have notes from all of your parent contacts, faculty meeting notes, etc.in one place. You will have your to-do list for future days waiting for you.

Ironically, the time to move to a digital system and keep your to-do list and calendar on your iPhone will be when your paper system is working really well. Again, it's like the math and calculator example. Once a person learns the concepts and can do math without a calculator, that's when he or she needs to start using a calculator. It adds speed and efficiency. When your paper system is working well, you can move the same concepts to a digital system on your computer and sync it with your iPhone. So, for now, give the paper planner page a try.

Let me know it works for you.

Frank Buck

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The Words of President Reagan...On This Memorial Day

This short video reminds us, through the words of President Ronald Reagan, of the sacrifices made by those who have defended our country.




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Confidence

Sometimes you just have to believe in your ability when nobody else does.


This video is of Paul Potts. His performance of "Nessun Dorma" stunned the judges of "Britain's Got Talent" and brought the crowd to its feet. While I had seen this video before, it doesn't hurt to bring back reminders that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, and that the old saying about not being able to judge a book its cover is alive and well.

It's "Why" Not "What"

In this Ted Talk, Simon Sinek argues, "People don't buy what you do. They buy why you do it."


See if you agree with his argument. I found the talk to be inspiring

How to Keep Others Informed About Your Calendar

Throughout the workday, adding appointments to your calendar is part of the every-day drill. But who else needs to know when you add an appointment? I am not talking about who has access to your calendar and could reference it when needed. I am talking about who needs to be alerted that right now, you have just added something to your calendar.

For many, nobody else needs to know. For others, however, a secretary or business partner needs to know this information. For still others, a spouse needs to know. In addition, there may be some appointments where this other person needs to be alerted and others where he or she does not. How do you handle this notification?

In you use Google Calendar, look at the "Add guests" feature. When you create a new calendar entry, enter the email address of the person who needs to know about it and click "Add."

Adding guests in Google Calendar

If you are using Outlook 2007, while creating your new event, click on "Invite Attendees." Also look for the "Invite Attendees" option on any other version of Outlook.

Enter the email address (or addresses) for each person who needs to be alerted about your new calendar entry.

Notifying others with Outlook

This one, easy, technique keeps notification of that other person from becoming a second step that you have to remember to do later. Who do you need to keep abreast of new events on your calendar? Would this technique do the trick for you?

"Smart Tools" App for Android

I love it when one tool does many things. Smart Tools is like a Swiss Army Knife. This video illustrates what this app will do. At $2.50, it's a bargain.

Leading With Lollipops and the Art of Leadership

Have you had a "lollipop moment" because of something someone else said or did? Have you told them about it?

Take the next six minutes and twenty-one seconds to learn what a "lollipop moment" is all about and how each of us demonstrate leadership and may never know it.


In this TEDx Toronto Talk, Drew Dudley uses a simple story to illustrate the lasting impact we have on each other and why it's important to let each other know.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. 

―Marianne Williamson

Why You Need Comment Moderation

If you read this blog regularly, chances are good you author a blog of your own. One of the decisions before you is whether or not to allow comments. If you choose to allow them, something I prefer, "comment moderation" is a must.

You never want to put yourself in a situation where someone else can leave inappropriate material on your blog. Even though you could delete the comment, you canot afford for others to see it in the mean time.

The biggest source of unwelcome comments will come from "web bots," robots which roam the web looking for blogs and leaving their comments. The comments will always be very generic and complimentary. When you read the comment, you feel good that someone has appreciated what you write. But when you read the comment more closely, you see that it would be equally applicable to any post on any blog. The comment will always include a link, taking readers to their website.

Here is one example of a comment (complete with its grammatical problem) submitted on my blog:

Just wish to say your article is as astonishing. The clarity in your post is simply nice and i could assume you are an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission let me to grab your RSS feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please carry on the enjoyable work. My webpage [I am omitting the link].

Here is another:

I am really impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your weblog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Either way keep up the excellent quality writing, it is rare to see a great blog like this one these days. Here is my homepage : [I am omitting the link].

And it looks like this person wants me to be his mentor:

Heу! I know thiѕ is somewhat οff toρіc but I wаs ωondeгing which blοg platfοrm are уou using for this ѕite? I'm getting sick and tired of Wordpress because I've had iѕsues with hackerѕ and I'm looking at options for another platform. I would be awesome if you could point me in the direction of a good platform. Feel free to surf my web blog [I am omitting the link].

You get the idea. The comments, together with the links they include, take my readers to their websites. "Comment moderation" is a way to combat the "web bots." With comment moderation turned on in my blog's settings, comments go to my email. I read them in my email and either approve or disapprove them. If I approve one, it appears instantly on the blog.

Another option for battling the web bots is to use a "CAPTCHA." It is an acronymn for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart." We have all seen them. You are presented with a series of characters which you must correctly re-type in a little box. The CAPTCHA will stop the bots, but I do not recommend them for two reasons.

First, the CAPTCHA gives legitimate readers a hoop through which they must jump in order to leave their thoughts. The last thing I want to do is discourage thoughtful comments. I personally find when I am confronted with a CAPTCHA, most of the time, I mistype it initially. Some of them are so difficult to read, I frankly can't figure out what the characters are supposed to be.

Secondly, the CAPTCHA does not stop real people who want to leave something inappropriate. Any teacher who has taught secondary school knows that providing a way for someone to write whatever they like, and do so anonymously, is a recipe for disaster.

With comment moderation turned on, you take care of both problems with a single solution. You can't control the comments others leave, but you can control whether or not those comments appear on your blog. If you are a blogger and do not already have comment moderation turned on, I encourage you go to your settings and take care of that task today.

What's My IP Address?...and More

Could you answer the following questions about the device on which you are reading this blog post:

• What operating system are you running?
• What browser are you running and what version?
• What's your IP address?
• Do you have Javascript enabled?
• Do you have cookies enabled?
• What's your screen resolution?
• What's your browser size?
• What's the color depth?
• What version of flash are you running (if any)?

You could answer every one of these questions if you knew about this website:

http://supportdetails.com

Go to the site, and you will see the information about the device you are using. Think about times when you have needed to know your IP address and didn't know how to find it. Going to this site on your computer gives the answer. Perhaps you weren't sure what version of system software your phone is running. Go to this site on your phone and the answer will be revealed.

Add this site to your social bookmarks and let your friends know about it. It may not be something you will use often, but when you need it, it's nice to have,

How to Stay on Top of Reading Material

We all want to rise in our chosen professions. Even if we have attained our desired position, staying there often requires as much effort as getting there. One of the secrets is reading in our field. The wealth of material makes it easy. The scarcity of time makes it difficult.

My professional reading material comes from three general areas. First is what I receive through printed journals or books I either purchase or borrow from a library. Second is the material which appears in blogs related to my professional interests. Third is online material referenced on Twitter.

Handling the Hard Copy
I have a decorative wooden letter tray beside my desk. Magazines, journals, and books are placed there. That arrangement puts all of my printed professional reading material in one place. While I am watching television, I can grab whatever is on top of the stack. Whenever I leave the house and could possibly have "down" time, I throw some of that reading material in my briefcase. Waiting time becomes reading time.

Some articles require some action. I want to do further research, write a blog post related to the article, or discuss it with my wife. I tear that article from the magazine. The article then goes in the tickler file to handle at an appointed future date. The rest of the magazine is discarded.

Online Reading
Every day, information related to any field imaginable appears on the many thousands of blogs. Finding good blogs is not a problem. Keeping up with reading them can be, especially when one has 50 to 100 blogs found to be useful. Thankfully, a little automation makes it easy. I use a service called "Google Reader." It's free, and all you need is a Google account (also free).

When you find a blog you wish to read on a regular basis, copy the blog's URL. Go to Google Reader, click "Subscribe" and paste the URL into the blank. From this point on, when new material from that blog is posted, it goes to Google Reader. You now have only one place to look for all of your subscriptions. On my tablet and smartphone, I have created shortcuts to Google Reader, so that I am one tap away from freshly-created material related to my interests.

Google Reader presents me with a list of titles. I pick and choose the articles which look appealing. When I am done, clicking "mark all as read" clears the list. Those articles do not appear again. Therefore, each time I open Google Reader, I am seeing never-before-seen material.

One caveat exists. Often an article is good enough that I want to re-read, save, or take some sort of action regarding it. I click a star, and that "starred" article will remain in Google Reader for me to handle when I get back to my desktop computer.

Twitter
Those who think Twitter is only about what people had to eat for lunch are badly mistaken. Twitter is a great place to recommend great material to others and read the recommendation of others. Generally, the tweet includes a link to an online article. I find I can breeze through my Twitter feed quickly, often while standing in the checkout line at the grocery store.

When a tweet links to an article I want to read in depth later, I "star" the tweet, and handle it back at my desktop computer.

One of the great things about this age in which we live is the wealth of reading material that is ours for the taking. Developing a method for tapping this rich resource is well worth the time to develop it.

How do you stay on top of your reading material?

"If I Had a Daughter"

This TED Talk, filmed in March 2011, seems particularly timely for Mother's Day.



The speaker is Sarah Kay. She is the founder and co-director of Project V.O.I.C.E., a group dedicated to using spoken word as an inspirational tool. Her website is located at http://www.kaysarahsera.com.

How Many Does it Take to Screw in a Light Bulb?

When we put a new practice in, we must let it replace something else. "One in—one out." In the world of the tech-savvy leader, it's more like "one in—one dozen out." In the world of those who are barely hanging on, it's "one in—one more in—here's another—and another." When we don't fully understand the new, we hang on to the old. We do double-duty.

As a starter, here are three quick practices which make changing the light bulb a one-person job:

1. Take teachers out of the receipt-writing business

As an elementary principal, our school stopped issuing receipt books to teachers. Any student with money brought it in a sealed envelope with his name, homeroom, amount of money, and purpose written on the outside. Students went to one designated place in the school and turned their envelopes in to two designated people. These two staff members received the money. When the tardy bell rang, they  would count the money, enter the information into a database, print receipts, and print a record of the transactions which was submitted to the office with the money.

The practice worked like a charm. Teachers had more time at the start of the day to teach, rather than practice their accounting skills. With a new procedure planned, I began making the needed changes in the faculty handbook. I was amazed at how much we had been asking of teachers in order to satisfy auditors.Entire pages came out of the handbook as we took this burden and its regulations off the back of our teachers. What went into the handbook instead was a simple paragraph explaining where to send students who have money and what information each student was to have on his/her envelope.

The procedure meant freeing up two people to handle the load of receipting money for the entire school. The larger the school, the more time required. However, the larger the school, the more time is already spent on receipting money. The light bulb is simply being turned by 100 people instead of 20. Since that time, the software to handle the job has gotten better. Let's take teachers out of the receipt-writing business.

2. Never ask a teacher to produce a report from the computer when one person can run the same report for the entire school.

Progress reports and report cards should be printed by one person in the front office, not by every teacher in the school. Ditto for award certificates. On my website is an all-purpose certificate and companion spreadsheet. When it comes time to print certificates for perfect attendance, honor roll, or membership in any school organization, the entire job can be printed in one huge batch. Let's get away from the antiquated model of dividing work amongst an entire faculty. Instead, let's use our technology efficiently.

3. Data data everywhere, but that doesn't mean we have to hand-copy.

Every year, the "high-stakes test" results arrive. Every year, in all-too-many schools, principals pass out computer-generated reports and ask teachers to copy figures from those printouts to paper grids. They call it "analyzing data." I call it copying numbers. The tech-savvy leader figures a way to deliver those figures in their final form to the teacher. The teacher's time is then spent making meaning of the data, not mechanically copying it.

How many of your co-workers does it take to screw in a light bulb?  What can you do to end the madness?

 

Another Clean Desk

I thought this recent exchange on Twitter was really neat...

Always glad to hear when people are seeing results and feeling good about it!

Will Success Make You Happy or Is It the Other Way Around?

Does success make us happy? That's what our culture tends to teach us. In this TEDx Talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues just the opposite. Happiness, instead, is at the root of productivity. Motivation, inspiration, and joy in the moment really are the per-cursors to productivity. Enjoy this twelve-minute TEDx Talk.

More Thoughtful or Just Better Organized?

Let's face it. On any given day, people do things for us they did not have to do. While we may be appreciative, how often do we forget to say so? In our busy day-to-day lives, we may not think about it. At least, we don’t think about it when we are seated with a blank note card in front of us!

I am reminded of a participant in a workshop I was conducting. We were talking about tickler files and their various uses. This participant explained that she had been using tickler files for some time. Like many of us, she wanted to get better about writing thank-you notes. Like many of us, it just never happened.

She explained that on one January day, she took 52 blank note cards, one for each week of the year. She scattered them through her tickler files. She had now structured a system that caused a blank note card to appear once each week. That was her trigger…her trigger to stop and use that blank note card to thank somebody for something.

She was already sitting down at her desk. She had the note card in front of her. Now, all she had to do was write the note.

...she was thoughtful and appreciative all along. She had simply become more organized. I suspect people began to think of her as more thoughtful and more appreciative. Actually, she was thoughtful and appreciative all along. She had simply become more organized. She had found a system which eliminated the forgetfulness problem.

What papers are piled on your desk, credenza, stacked in chairs, or lining the floor. You will not need them all today? While they are on full display to serve as reminders of the work we need to be doing, the truth is that system doesn't work. More than likely, on the day you do need a particular document, it will be seven layers down. It's out of sight and out of mind.

I have written about tickler files before. Through all of the advances in technology during my professional life, nothing has been more successful for making sure papers appear in front of me at the right time than tickler files.

If you've never used this tool, you are in for a treat. Empty a hanging file drawer in your desk. Get a box of hanging files and label 31 folders with the numbers 1 through 31, each one representing a day of the month. Take 12 more folders and label them January through December.

Start taking all of the papers piled on every flat surface and ask one simple question of each one: "When do I want to see this paper again?" The answer to the question provides the answer as to where to put it. The folder you will need for the meeting on the 15th goes in folder 15. The tickets to the concert on the 20th go in folder 20. The document you will need when you meet with that out-of-town client in June will go in the June folder.

For the first time since you purchased that desk, you may actually see what the top of it looks like! The uses for tickler files are unlimited. It's easy to get started. All you need is a drawer and folders. It's easy to manage. All you have to do is pull today's file at the beginning of the day. You are now looking at every piece of paper that at some point in the past you had wanted to come back to you today.

For the workshop participant, it meant people began to think of her as more thoughtful. What benefits could this simple tool offer for you?

How You can Improve Productivity Through Voice Input

The great things about our phones are portability, large storage capacity, and their ability to put information at our fingertips when we need it, just to name a few. The terrible thing about our smartphones has traditionally been input.

Let's face it, typing with two thumbs on a piece of glass is no picnic. For every example of a 15-year old who is able to compose a text message with one hand on the phone in his pocket while at the same time looking you in the eye and carrying on a conversation, there are dozens of stories of adults frustrated with trying to compose a three-line email.

I have been a participant in this journey since around 2001 when I started using a Palm synced to my computer. I have housed my calendar, to-do list, contacts, and reference information digitally. Our journey took us through a special alphabet (called "Graffiti") with a stylus on the glass screen. That concept was replaced by small QWERTY keyboards. Steve Jobs felt that a finger on glass was the best method for input. As software which recognizes handwriting on our mobile devices is progressing, the stylus is even making a return.

Yet through it all, none of those methods for input have approached the ease of plain 'ole pencil and paper. That dynamic, however, is changing as voice input is becoming surprisingly accurate and built directly into the operating system.

What capabilities does your device already have? 
In our busy lives, we tend to continue with what is familiar. We acknowledge our devices probably have many more capabilities than we are using. At the same time, pressing deadlines and the learning curve involved puts really learning our devices on the back burner.

Getting good with voice recognition is a skill well worth the little bit of time required to master it. Take a look at your device's keyboard and see if you have one of those keys that depicts a microphone.

Is the capability talked about here already present on your mobile phone? How much could your productivity be improved through using voice input? Email 
Open a new email message. Press that little microphone key and begin speaking. Your voice will be transformed into text, and will be placed at whatever point the cursor is blinking. Have another thought you want to insert into the middle of the paragraph? Touch the screen to move the cursor to the desired point. Tap the microphone, and begin speaking.

To-Do List 
I regularly use voice input to add items to the to-do list on my phone. Tap the icon to open the to-do app, tap the icon to add a new task, tap the microphone, and now I am speaking. When I am done, I tap "OK," and the item is on my list with a start date of today and a due date of tomorrow automatically assigned. If detailed notes related to that task exist, before tapping the "OK," I touch a finger to the note section, and instead of typing the details, I touch the microphone icon again and speak the notes.

Anywhere Else 
Anywhere you could type words on the keyboard, you could touch the microphone key and speak. You will see this key on the iPhone, Android devices, and BlackBerry 10. For those running BlackBerry OS7 or before, you can download apps which will give you some of this capability.

Is the capability talked about here already present on your mobile phone? How much could your productivity be improved through using voice input? I believe you will find the little bit of practice required to get used to it and get good at it will be well worth the long-term benefits.

Google Now

I have been using a mobile device to manage my life since 2001. From the very beginning, input on the device has been the downside. Using two thumbs on a small keyboard does not compare with ten digits on a full-sized keyboard. Typing with two thumbs on a piece of glass presents even more of a challenge.

Voice input has the potential to take that downside and make it irrelevant. Apple's Siri advertisements made millions salivate over the potential voice input could hold.

On my Android, I have experimented with S-Voice, Vlingo, and Dragon Mobile Assistant. What I like much better than any of them is Google Now. I tap the microphone on the home screen of my Android, speak, and get my results quickly.

Voice input has the potential to take that downside and make it irrelevant. My favorite use for Google Now is as a GPS substitute. I do not even have to have an address. Touching the microphone and spreaking the name of the business is all that is needed. Google Now opens Google Maps, displays the street address, and begins giving me verbal driving instructions.

Other common uses I have found include the following:

• Adding calendar events: "Add event...April 25th...9 AM...Hair appointment." (I find I need to keep talking. As soon as you pause, Google Now thinks you are done and processes your results.)
• Adding alarms: "Set alarm for 30 minutes from now." I can also say, "Set alarm for 4:30." If I say, "Set alarm for 4:30. Feed the dogs," the when the alarm sounds, I also see why it was I was setting the alarm.
• Placing phone calls: "Call John Doe."
• Emailing: "Email John Doe...subject...Meeting information...message...Can you meet with me Tuesday morning at 9:00 question mark" Your person, subject, and message will be displayed. Tap to send the message. As you speak your message, you also speak the punctuations. In other words, you say "period" when you want a period in your message.
• Searching the internet: "Tennis racket" returns a Google search for tennis rackets.
• Converting units: "32 degrees Fahrenheit in Celsius." 
• Weather: "What's the weather going to be tomorrow?" "What's the weather going to be tomorrow in Chicago?"

Here is a video which introduces the concept of Google Now:





Here is a side-by-side comparison of Google Now and Siri:




Google Now requires you to be running Jellybean on your Android. Instructions on setup are found here.

For iPhone owners, it looks like Google Now is headed your way also. Here is a short video:



What have I missed? Let me know if you have found another use for Google Now. For iPhone users, is anyone using Google Now at present?

Syncing Multiple Google Calendars on the BlackBerry PlayBook

One of the nice things about Google Calendar is the ability to have multiple calendars. I have three:

1. My calendar is the main calendar, telling me where I am supposed to be. 
2. My wife's calendar lets me know about her commitments. Knowing where she will be at any given time is important information for me to have.
3. An "FYI" calendar lets me know about events which may be of interest or may impact decisions I will make.

Being able to overlay those calendars, or isolate them, allows me to see the bigger picture or zero in on any of the three areas. Having those multiple calendars sync across all of my devices is important.

My phone of choice is an Android. The day I purchased it and logged into Gmail, all three of my Google Calendars appeared and have synced beautifully ever since.

When RIM released the PlayBook 2.0 software update featuring a native calendar, I synced it with my Google Calendar. I wrote about that process in this post. Since I did run into a snag and then found a solution, the post explained both what I did wrong (though it seemed logical to me at the time) along with what I did to get the sync happening.

When in my home office, I rely on the Google Calendar on my desktop computer. When I am anywhere else, I rely on my phone's calendar. I rarely refer to the PlayBook's calendar, and therefore just realized only one of my Google Calendars (the main) one was syncing. 

If it's just as easy to have something working 100% as not, I figured a Google search would probably reveal someone else who had the same problem and someone who found a solution. (That last sentence reminds me of a recent post I wrote.) I was correct. After throwing some search terms into Google, in less than 30 seconds, an article exactly on-point on the screen.

In "How to Sync Multiple Gmail Calendars on Your BlackBerry PlayBook," Kerri Neill explains step-by-step what to do. Rather than repeat the directions here, I invite you to read her thoughtful post at the link provided.

The only part of the instructions that caused me a little pause came towards the end: "Once you see a message saying all settings have changed, you can reset your browser settings and you're all set!" I was a little unsure what "resetting my browser settings meant." So, I tried the following steps:

1. I returned to the screen where I had changed "false" to "true" and changed the URL back to "false."
2. In my browser, I selected Tools > Options > Content and enabled Javascript by checking the box. 

On the PlayBook, I refreshed the calendar. Instantly, the additional two calendars appeared at the top of the screen. Within a few minutes, the appointments assigned to those additional two calendars appeared on the PlayBook.

I realize this post is applicable only to a specific subset of readers, those whose tablet is a PlayBook and need to sync multiple Google Calendars. However, for that subset of readers, the instructions I reference may make a huge difference.

Friday's Illinois Principals Association Online Academy

I had a great time Friday presenting an online class for the Illinois Principals Association Online Academy. Entitled Time Management: The 5 Keys to Total Control and Peace of Mind, the 3-hour interactive webinar was designed to give practicing administrators practical tools to help them accomplish more, stay on top of their workdays, and experience less stress.

Here are comments from participants:

• The presentation provided a wealth of information for the tech savvy person as well as the old school paper and pencil person. 
• He was wonderful. Loved his style! 
• This was wonderful! It was really a great seminar. 
• This was a very valuable course. I tend to get caught up in the "no time zone" and feeling as if I don't have time to get to the many piles on my desk. Dr. Buck gave some great organizational tools that I plan to implement! 
• Thank you! This is the first Online Academy I have participated in, it won't be my last. 
• This was my first Online Academy. I didn't think I would enjoy the Online sessions as much as the in person ones, but I really enjoyed this and found the interactions with the other attendees to be fun and enjoyable, too! 
• This webinar got to the heart of how to tame the paper monster! I loved it! 
• This was one of the best conferences I have ever attended, in person or otherwise. Definitely worth the time to do! 
• I wasn't sure I would like this format, but really did. It provided me with a different way to learn valuable material. 
• This was one of the most helpful AA I have ever taken. Lots of great ideas to get organized!! 
• I enjoyed the online academy. I was able to get great information and stay within district. 

Thanks to those who participated in this event! I hope that the concepts you learned will be applicable every day in your jobs.