Google 20% Time
You have all heard of Google. They were one of the first to popularize the 20% time idea. They told their engineers they could use one day a week to pursue any topic they wanted. GMail and Google Talk came out of that approach. Earlier on, companies like 3M Company used a similar approach - 15% time - in which they created Post-It Notes. Hewlett Packard offered its engineers a 10% version, and helped develop the Web browser (it was called Arena and laid the groundwork for the visual Web.) These were genius ideas.
Can genius be cultivated in school?
Have you heard about Brookhouser and Giuliani? They are two English teachers who decided to apply the 20% idea to their classes: that is, one day a week. They use Project Based Learning with their students. See how they do it.
20 tips for putting Google’s 20 percent time in your classroom
