Alexa in Education? Teacher Evaluation Checklist!

I feel burdened to be forward thinking on the subject of using voice speakers in education. With the title Director of Instructional Technology and Innovation, I spent most of this year focused on the instructional side of my role due to rolling out the learning management system, Canvas. It’s really the nature of the title to be a support to educators and something I am fairly good at doing. But my passion and drive lean more to the word “Innovation” in my title. I love to think about educational reform, to consider new ways to do things, to enhance the educational experience with experiences. For the past couple of months, I have actually had more time to focus on this side of my role. I’ve attended conferences, researched concepts, read and brainstormed. This is the part of me that delights in being an educator.

I had the honor of attending the Technology Symposium that showcased big thinking of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga College of  Engineering and Computer Science. The keynote speaker was Chris Cochran that lives in a small town in Idaho or South Dakota, but basically some nondescript place. His talk was inspiring and motivating. He talked about the importance of thinking innovatively and why it doesn’t matter where you live to do that. He said, “Never before had there been a time when education and technology have been more democratized...You have to have confidence in nonsense. Those ideas could change the world forever.” 

Take that statement and intersect it with my ongoing desire to see educators using voice speakers in the classroom in intentional ways and my brain is now in Digital Thinking mode. I stand firm in believing that voice speakers can truly help with the equity gap of access in a very low-cost way. I also believe that voice speakers create an opportunity for more fluid connectivity than ever before. There is no need to look down at a device to find an answer, no need for keystrokes. I find myself in a space of “what’s next and how can I be a part?” 

This week while wearing my “Instructional Technology” hat, I realized we needed to be more proactive about evaluating the digital tools that teachers want to use in the classroom. I adapted some resources created by Kathy Schrock (the mother of edtech) so that our lower school teachers could do some self-evaluation of potential tools before asking the IT department to install apps on the iPads. After doing this, I realized that’s what the voice first world needs!

As a rule, people that have the skill sets to create robust voice Alexa skills or Google actions are not also educators. Designing these skills and actions are being critiqued through the eye of the computer scientist to focus on the conversational design model but that doesn’t necessarily make it good for classroom design. So this week I created an evaluation form for voice skills/actions as well. 

With this first draft evaluation form, I believe it can help teachers look for truly intentional voice skills to integrate into their classroom but also it might help developers in creating skills that match the needs of learners in more robust ways. Creating good skills is more than just conversational design and intuitive slots. The importance of being age level appropriate in language and learning is centered around grade level essential questions and standards could take voice in the classroom past rout memorization. 

I find myself asking “what’s next? And how can I be instrumental in this journey that I am so passionate about?” Today, Chris Cochran inspired me to figure that question out. Anyone want to join my think tank? 

Cutting Edge versus Bleeding Edge Technology Adoption

As a rule, I definitely wouldn't consider myself a "BANDWAGON" technology adopter- those are the ones that are using new resources blazing the trail for educators like myself that would rather consider technology use after others can give me feedback and suggestions. Why am I that way?

1. Time. There is never enough time in the day to get the things done I want to get done, much less the things I am curious about. Cutting edge technology comes with kinks and bugs. That takes time. 
2. Limited Resources. My budget for innovation isn't very big so therefore I am not going to spend it on non-proven products/tools. I want to make sure I am going to get a bang for my school's buck. 
3. Cautionary Nature. As a rule, I tend to want to make sure there are no unforeseen issues regarding adoption of technology. I prefer allowing someone else to jump off the bridge first while I watch to see if they sink or swim. It's my nature.  

All the above being said I believe it is fair to say that I stepped out my usual mold when it comes to voice user interface. In 2016 when Alexa first entered the market I immediately took it to a teachers classroom for a brief "trial" to consider the potential. I imagined this being a useful tool but I didn't truly decide to jump in until the Echo Dot Kids Edition hit the market. I liked the fact that with FreeTime, Alexa wouldn't have adult conversations with our students. I was ready to try! I reached out to many people in the VoiceFirst industry and was blessed by being given 5 Echo Dot Kids Editions and 5 remotes to pilot at our school. 

Here is what I can tell you today, bleeding edge adoption is a lot easier than cutting edge but I have enjoyed the challenge and nature of riding the wave into classrooms regarding Echo Dot Kids Edition in the classroom. Starting in August, I didn't know you couldn't use blueprints with the Kids Edition, I didn't know you had only use kids-labeled skills for this device unless you enable it in FreeTime and even then it may or may not show up in FreeTime for you to enable it. 

Cutting edge means quirky, disappointing, time consuming, and ever-changing. It means hours on the phone with developers. It means teachers feeling so frustrated that they want to quit. So for me, as an instructional technologist, it also means taking the lead in trying new things and handing the product over to the teachers. It means staying informed. It means questioning. It means suggesting. It means trial and error. It means time; finding that time, being intentional with that time, and growing from taking that time. 

So I say this, if you are going to choose to be a cutting edge adopter versus a bleeding edge adopter (where many of the why's and how's have already been answered) then make sure you believe in the product or tool's value and potential. If you don't, you will want to give up or take the easy route of waiting it out until someone else finds all the answers. I don't want that. I believe so strongly in the value of Alexa in the classroom that I am willing to be the evangelist for its classroom use in a world screaming all the reasons why it shouldn't be. I am willing to put safeguards up and wait out some awesome capabilities until it works within the parameters that equal safety. I am willing to blaze forward using critical thinking to creates opportunities for our students while still waiting for the technology to adapt to the true classroom needs. 

Being a cutting edge adopter means adopting with limitations. It means encouraging those that are on board with you. It means trying that thing again...a different way...failing...trying again. This experience has been good for me because it not only has pulled me out of my norm but also has pushed me in the area of a growth mindset and sticking to my learning goals. All the things I want for the teachers I serve and the students we teach. This process has honed me as an educator to be mindful of all the moving parts that come with learning. My one word for 2019 has been "resolve." This project alone has helped me to live that word out loud as well as to model it to others. 

Redefining Podcasts for Students and Teachers

I don't listen to podcasts. I mean there are times I've even tried to be really intentional and make educational podcasts a priority but I came to the place where I realized that mode of learning just isn't my favorite. I would rather read a blog post, scroll through Twitter, watch a youtube video, or choose a book to learn new things. One reason I don't enjoy podcasts is that they seem to take so long! I'll be driving down the road listening and all of a sudden I realize I haven't really heard the last 10 minutes! I know for some people, podcasts are their "go to" because of ease of access and how you can listen while doing other things.

While at the Alexa Conference in January, I sat in on a panel discussion about podcasting and the VoiceFirst industry. The well-known podcasters were trying to navigate the space between the explosion of voice user interface and podcasting as they knew it. I remember sitting there listening and Steven Goldstein, CEO of Amplifi Media made this comment, "We have to stop trying to make our content fit into the voice realm and start rethinking what content should look like." BAZINGA! As an instructional technologist, I deal with this concept every day all day long. Teachers wanting a digital platform to work seamlessly for a mostly analog curriculum leads to frustration. Whenever new concepts enter the market, whether it be voice or a learning management system, we must step back and rethink our current models to see what this new platform brings that could make things better or at least different!

Having zero experience in creating podcasts or really even listening to them regularly, it became easier for me to reimagine podcasts using voice than some of the people sitting around me. I had no preconceived notions I was trying to apply. I liked the idea of creating a flash briefing using Alexa as a podcast for several reasons:

• It can't be more than 10 minutes. I realized that's my big beef with podcasts, how long they last often. Someone on the panel said that the average commute in the United States is 26 minutes. This platform seems to make the concept fit. 
• On-demand content by creating a flash briefing, listeners don't even need an intent word. They just enable the flash briefing and ask Alexa for their news or flash briefing daily.
• It seemed creator friendly. Even though I really had no knowledge of how podcasting works and the tools I would need, the process seemed easy to adapt to which means the potential for student creation exists.
• Potential for interactive entertainment/learning. I haven't figured out how to create interactivity with a flash briefing but voice user interface lends itself to this feature. This is on my radar. 
• Discoverability. The beauty of creating a flash briefing is that your skill has the potential for a global audience. Another thing that was an immediate plus for me was that if you name your skill something that reaches a broad audience, whenever someone searches for that in the regular Amazon store, you skill actually shows up as one of the options. 

I created my flash briefing skill "Voice in Education" last week with lots of fanfare. My plan is to create weekly updates that help educators integrate voice first technology into the classroom. This flash briefing podcast will include tips and thoughts on intentional use of a voice user interface for learning. While at this point my focus is mainly on Alexa, the opportunities are out there for all voice speakers. You can enable "Voice in Education" on your Alexa device and it becomes a flash briefing for you when you ask Alexa what your news or your flash briefing is. You don't even have to remember the name of the skill to invoke it! 

I already have purchased a better mic system and have been brainstorming potential weekly topics. I am excited to see how I can help other educators through my continuous learning on the subject. Follow the hashtag #voiceEDU and let's share ideas with each other for intentional utilization of this tool that's price point makes it a possible "must have" in future classrooms. 

#VoiceEDU: Why Waiting Mattered to Me

I bought my first amazon echo the year they hit the market in hopes that it might have good uses for the classroom. After briefly playing around with it in the classrooms of willing teachers and in situations that I could, I decided the risks did not outweigh the benefits. The deciding factor? After a long field day morning for our elementary students, most went home for the day. About 20 students remained and we created a STEM day for the remaining time. I pulled out my echo during carpool time and students would whisper a question in my ear and then I would give them permission to ask Alexa. We danced to the songs she played, we laughed at jokes, and then I asked her to tell us a story. Without hesitation she starts in a sultry voice: “he was riding his bike right there in front of me. His legs were pumping in the sunlight...” and I scream “ALEXA, STOPPPPPP!” I still don’t know why she chose that story based on the skills I had enabled. She was quickly relegated to my office where she often helped me with efficiencies. Meanwhile, Alexa and her pal Google Assistant started showing up in every corner of our home. 

Fast forward to January 2018 when I find out the Alexa Conference is coming to my home town. I reach out to Bradley Metrock, the organizer of the event, and he not only graciously allows me to come to the conference but asks me to speak at it as well. This opened a door for me that still puts me in a position to be aware of what’s next, to bend ears, and to share concerns. At this year’s Alexa Conference, Bradley once again allowed me to be a part. I will forever be grateful for both his vision and willingness to allow a Chattanooga, Tennessee teacher into this space. 

When the Kids Edition Echo Dot came out, I remember thinking “this is it!” Bradley introduced me virtually to Dave Isbitski, the Chief Evangelist for Amazon Alexa and he and his wife sent 5 Kids Edition Echo Dots with remotes to our school to pilot. What an amazing opportunity! I sat down with those five teachers that volunteered to try things out and we planned to create blueprints to personalize the learning in the classroom. Our goal was to use the devices to create more independent learners. 

We soon found out that blueprints didn’t work with the Kids Edition Echo Dot and that only "kids skills" could be used on the device. The teachers kept apologizing for not using them more regularly and I kept feeling like every road was a dead-end. 

Until January 2019, when I finally realized that you could “whitelist” skills using Amazon FreeTime. No longer were we just using kids skills but any educational skill. And a week after the Alexa conference, Kids Edition Echo Dot could start using blueprints! Blueprints are template skills that allow owners to go in and add their own information into a skill without needed to know how to code. All of a sudden, the possibilities with Alexa just got personalized for each individual classroom. 

The really funny thing is that the weekend after the Alexa Conference I was sitting at home and decided I would just change those devices to regular echo dots weighing student access to student privacy. I mean, teachers were using them all over the nation already... why not us? I sent an email out on Friday asking the teachers to let me pick them up to perform this task but on Monday I said: “never mind!” I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I didn’t like the idea of Alexa carrying on adult conversations in the classroom because one kid thinks it’s funny and potentially yells out an inappropriate question. 

I’m so glad I waited! This week I plan to work with our integrated units and create Hyperdocs that will walk students through a lesson that will utilize Alexa in the learning process. While I would say Alexa was never a true brick in the classroom, her ability to truly make a difference in the learning process and safely doing so by using FreeTime just got real! 

Anytime a new technology enters the marketplace, we as Edtech leaders must make choices. In this case, I chose to embrace the device but keep limits and barriers in place. The cutting edge is messy and cumbersome but I’m thankful I waited out my concerns. I can’t wait to see what Amazon for Education will come out with in the future to even take this tool further in being helpful for teachers everywhere. I feel certain it will be a hybrid of the Amazon Alexa for Business Tools and taking student privacy into account. I just hope they will continue to keep their price point minimal so that this device can truly be a game changer for educators everywhere! 

NOTE: You don't have to buy the Kids' Edition Echo Dot to access FreeTime, you can buy free time as a stand-alone but FreeTime is free for one year with the Kids' Edition Echo Dot. 

Becoming a Proactive Voice in a Reactive Society

We are in an era of technology changing so quickly that it's hard for anyone to stay abreast of the topics and concerns. One thing that continuously tugs on my inner moral compass is the way we (society in general) seem to adopt the next best thing like lambs being led to slaughter.

It's a fine line for me- as an instructional technologist I don't want to wait so long to adopt a worthy concept that we are creating more work for our teachers and students than need be but I also don't want to just accept something as new and great without spending a little time "looking behind the curtain."

I have weighed the pros and cons of voice user interface (VUI) in the classroom on and off, again and again over the last 3 years. Through a series of unexpected events I've created a network of VUI programmers by speaking at the Alexa Conference last year in regards to what educators want from VUI. Because of this opportunity, a few programmers from across the country have remained in contact with me and have reached out to me via social media when Amazon Alexa has created safeguards for student privacy. I am so thankful for this new network of people because there is no way I could have remained as well informed about updates to the Alexa Echo without their help.

This school year our campus has been given the opportunity to pilot the use of 5 Amazon Echo Kid's Edition devices with remotes thanks to the generosity of Dave Isbitski, Chief Amazon Alexa Evangelist. Dave and his wife heard about my desire to use Echo dots with remotes in ways that kept student privacy issues at the forefront and they personally bought our school 5 devices with 5 remotes. I was blown away by the generosity and encouragement I received from a man I have never even met before.

While I always try to stay on the edge of technological innovation, I will never be an educator that just adopts sites, apps, or devices without doing research first. I don't want to be seen as a reactionary innovation leader but one that has been mindful of all the details that are associated with any new platform or device before blindly accepting usage.

That's why I have been patiently waiting to place these Alexa Echo Kid's Edition devices in the classroom. I wanted to do some trial work with one on my own first- which I did last year. This year we have 4 devices in our elementary school and one in our high school to try out. The reason I was ready to make the jump into implementation was 4 key things you can now do:

1. I can delete history at anytime from the device- daily, weekly, hourly, monthly. 
2. I can use a remote with the device that turns it off completely when I am not intentionally using it in the classroom setting.
3. I can set it up so it does not "learn" voices.
4. Turn off the ability to purchase things from Amazon using the echo.
   

Our pilot teachers all have their devices in their classrooms but just being 2 weeks in they have done very little implementation. As we move forward, I am thankful for the opportunity to share with the educational and VUI community ways to proactively use voice in ways that put student's needs first. We will spend this year addressing potential issues, analyzing the effectiveness of VUI in the classroom, and constantly reviewing concepts of good student privacy practices. Stay tuned as we trail blaze  forward within boundaries. We hope to represent a well thought out use of voice interface in the classroom for others to consider. 

Alexa Blueprints? The Possibilities for Education are Growing

A few months ago I stood in front of a group of voice user interface programmers and said, "I wish the interface to create a skill for Alexa was easier so that my students and my teachers could quickly create their own skills." Some people said, "It is easy!" and one in particular heard me and we have been talking back and forth ever since about what this platform would look like and what it could do. Roger Kibbe (@rogerkibbe) even sent me a link to a potential input/user interface page for students and it was so intuitive and happy looking! I believe with all my heart he is on to something amazing. 

Then this week Amazon came out with its own page. It's called Alexa Blueprints and it works simply and beautifully by using templates to create opportunities for people to create their own Alexa skills. This video is of me using the website for the first time to create a flashcards skill for first graders to learn their shapes based on definitions. That was the first concept that popped into my mind because our students had just done a STEAM time with robots to help them learn their shapes. 

So I created this concept yesterday and had all evening to think through the educational implications of using this in the classroom. Things to think on:

• I can see this being a great tool for teachers to use to create a center for learning in their classroom but you can only share your skill with those using the same Amazon account so a teacher can't say "look for my skill to help you study for this test at home, etc." Each student would have to make their own skill using their parent's Amazon account...which I can tell you from recent events at our school isn't a wise decision to give out to minors.
• Falling under the same issue, I would love to have my students create their own skills in class but
• They can only use an Amazon account under the age of 18 "with involvement of parent or guardian."
• The risk of letting them have access to my own account to create skills seems too great.
• I continue to be a little leary of using Alexa in the classroom due to the instant access to information that could be used inappropriately by students by asking innapropriate questions. This week when Alexa Blueprints came out Mark Tucker (@marktucker) reached out to me to let me know it was out there and also to tell me that he thought it would work well with an Alexa Voice Remote. I didn't even know those existed. I must dig deeper at this capability. And FYI here is Mark's Youtube explanation of the new Alexa Blueprints platform.

So there are things that I would love to see:

• Teacher accounts for Alexa that allow teachers to feel confident with using these devices in the classroom without fear of some student ordering 42 packages of Tide pods on teacher's Amazon account. Could there possibly be Alexa accounts that are not tied to a credit card?
• Teacher accounts for Alexa that allow the teachers to both create skills that could be shared with all their students so that the teacher could create opportunities for learning outside the classroom for their students using this device.
• Allow teachers to set up users under their own teacher account so that it could be used in a language arts classroom (for instance) and the students write their own stories using the templates available. 

And I know I have mentioned it before, but as an educator if you ever have the chance to speak outside your educational realm, do it. The connections I made at the Alexa Conference have allowed me to be more tuned into the possibilities of Voice User Interface than I would have ever imagined. Thank you Roger and Mark for keeping me updated on potential new things!

When was the last time you learned something challenging, exciting and new?

I'm going to tell you a secret about me: I hate to fail- I don't do it with dignity. Because I hate to fail I often don't like to take chances either. As a child (birth to 18) I was fairly athletic and always loved to be active but place a new game in front of me or a concept I didn't know yet and I immediately became a wallflower. I would allow the fun to happen all around me while I watched because I was afraid I wouldn't be good at it. This is something that I have to be mindful about even today. I have to push myself out of this comfort zone and the older I get the more I find myself willing to fail, but it's still hard. My perfectionist and competitive tendencies sometimes overpower me.

In the past couple of weeks I've found myself truly pushed out of my comfort zone regarding learning. In one case circumstances caused the need for learning and in the other case passion to create caused it. I self taught myself the intricacies of 3D printing in the last couple of weeks due to a need my students had. I'll be honest, I haven't perfected this skill nor was I even 100% happy with the end results but I accomplished it. Next step: accomplish printing AND design.

The next thing I accomplished was creating my very first skill for an Amazon Echo. Alexa can now read my blog to all the millions of people interested (humor me) by adding the skill "All Things EduTechie Oriented" from the skill store. I was actually shook when I realized I had accomplished this task. My skill set was 100% lacking in trying this. The instructions often looked like greek to me. When I finished, just like a toddler that would run to mom and ask her to put their crayon artwork on the fridge, I started texting coworkers and family with the results! I'll be honest, I took the path of least resistance to create it. There are things about it that I wish worked differently, it isn't perfect. But I did it. 

I often like to think I'm a growth mindset kind of girl. I have no problem reading material that is contradictory to what I currently think and growing from it but it took these last couple of weeks to realize I do tend to shy away from truly learning the HOW TO of really new things. So as I look at what spurred me I also can't help but see correlations in ways we can spur our students as well:

• Time. Both of these new skills took time. For one I actually put some things on hold and worked after school to get it done. For the other, the flu gave me the chance to just focus on it. We need time, uninterrupted time to think through things that are challenging. Adults and students need time to devote to learning and using that time intentionally is important for the learner to persevere.
• Reason. Tell me they why. Before 2 weeks ago I didn't really even have a desire to do either of those tasks but now I'm pleased as punch that I have accomplished them. What happened to cause this? I had a WHY- whether intrinsically motivated or extrinsically motivated knowing why you are learning something gives you the guts to keep going when it gets rough.
• Resources. To learn new things we need the access to the tools to get us through the learning goal. Whether it be the wide world web, an expert, or a 3D printer or Amazon Echo...you can't accomplish the learning if the right tools aren't available. 
• Validation. This may sound vain but learners need validation. There was this moment when I accomplished the task of creating an Alexa Skill and someone ask "are you going to create it for Google Assistant as well?" I felt diminished in that moment. I said, "Wait a minute, can we just glow in the moment in the fact I did something I didn't think I could do?" How often do we push our students to the next thing after an accomplishment instead of truly celebrating the current accomplishment? For some of our students every math problem, essay, or summative assessment has that same sense of "Oh my goodness! Look what I just did!" as I felt this week. I want to be more mindful in celebrating growth in my students and not just seeing it as a check mark and herding them forward to the next thing. 

I love weeks when you learn something about yourself that you might actually even see as a flaw. I'm going to work harder in examining myself more frequently for things I might be shying away from due to fear. What I really learned from something that is challenging, exciting and new is that it feels marvelous (even if it isn't perfected) to accomplish that which you thought was hard to do. 

When an Educator Steps Out Of Her Edubox

I always thought of myself as an openminded, growth mindset kinda educator. In the last year I've even challenged myself to look for ways to get out of my educational technology silo. Then entered this strange opportunity for me...the Alexa Conference. Just when I was patting myself on the back for being chosen to present at ASCD Empower18 (which I deemed way out of my comfort zone) in comes an opportunity outside of education all together- an opportunity to give an educator's perspective regarding the Voice First world. Think Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, etc- any voice user interface...Now think programmers, thought leaders, and even a representative from the Federal Trade Commission. Yep, that was my audience. I didn't feel so open minded. I felt out of my league.

As a rule, being a public speaker is no big deal to me because I am passionate about education and the impact instructional technology that is well integrated can have on the learning process. But, Thursday was different. I would not have even known about the Alexa Conference if it had not been in my own wonderful city, Chattanooga, Tennessee. I saw the Alexa Conference was coming to Chattanooga and reached out to it's promoter- Bradley Metrock. Not only did he invite me but he asked me to speak! And what a crazy awesome opportunity it was.

I walked into the event not knowing a soul but was welcomed warmly. The first speaker, Kevin Old, of Lifeway Tech started off and I'll be honest, my palms started to sweat and I kept hearing in my head "I'm in over my head, I'm in over my head." Because Kevin was speaking Greek to me. I'm not a programmer or even really a novice coder. Fortunately for me, the conversations went back and forth from technical to practical all day and I gleaned so much out of an industry I knew so little about.

And then it was my turn to speak. It's been YEARS since I've heard that nervous voice come out of my mouth during a presentation but boy I felt it! This wasn't my tribe, they were from all over the world and I didn't speak their language but they listened. And they questioned. And they were kind. And I realized at the end of the session that I had actual giving them food for thought. ME? A mere instructional technologist with big ideas for education. I knew I brought value to the conference when Brian Roemmele, a voice first expert tweeted about what I was sharing.

I'm still blown away by the thought leaders in that room and the discussions that were had. I'm blown away by the fact that they acknowledge that Voice First is just beginning to be impactful on our world but they see the future because some of them are already creating it in their garages.

What this conference did for me was to show me bigger pictures and potential. It also empowered me to reach outside of my educational technology world even more to be a part of the innovation that is to come. I can't wait to see what the future holds and I have a few ideas myself that I'm going to work through to see if they could lead to anything feasible.

Thank you to Bradley Metlock and the presenters and attendees of #AlexaConf for exposing me to "different" and allowing me to expose you to the wonderful world of educational needs. It was a great time and I can't wait to try some of the things I learned! And educators, if you ever have a chance to speak outside of your comfort zone...do it!

My presentation can be found here: http://bit.ly/VOICEFIRSTEDU

How IoT Could Change Education

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects—devices, vehicles, buildings and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity—that enables these objects to collect and exchange data. - Wikipedia
I've been hesitant to write this post because I know it could open Pandora's box and quite frankly I don't know if I have it in me right now to deal with the fact that people think this is what I think education should be like. My passion for edtech is obvious but because I'm passionate about it I am also sometimes pigeonholed as one of those "techies" that wants everyone assimilated. Nothing could be further from the truth. 
So here it goes, I'm going to run with my thought provoker nature- I bought an Amazon Echo with some birthday money this year. If you read the definition above for "internet of things" you will get the gist of Alexa- my Amazon Echo. Here is a little snippet of me tapping into some of her skills recently: http://youtu.be/7kBn94qFzw4 
Every week that I have owned this I have seen more "skills" being coded and available via my Alexa app on my phone. I've been so intrigued by this and how it might be utilized in an education setting that I actually posted the above video asking others what their ideas might be on integrating in a classroom setting on LinkedIn and my friend @tntechgal connected me with one of its developers, Noelle LaCharite.

After digging into how to create skills for it I realized it is a bit over my knowledge in coding at the moment but I do see possibilities! 
So then I started thinking about the fact that I am always saying "we need to be asking students ungoogleable questions" and realized how Alexa might benefit students AND teachers in regards to ciritical thinking. 
Stay with me as I make a huge step here (I realize there is much that would need to be talked out and evaluated before taking this plunge). BUT what if an Amazon Echo was in every classroom grades 7 and up? What if educators said, "if I ever pose a question that could quickly be answered with an Internet search, you can use the Internet"? What would that do to our classrooms? Would teachers progress to hitting critical thinking more often due to the immediate feedback of their lessons? Would we see a lack of basic knowledge in students because they become dependent on doing a quick search? Does that matter?
My Amazon Echo had opened up a flurry of thought in my head. What if's? Then what's? And how so's? I'm at a place where I look ahead at education and wonder what the path will be with IoT options. Wearable technology is real and being used for "cheating" now. How can we as educators embrace this new realm of technology as we dig in to see how we should limit or integrate it?