This line from a post by Sarah Hernholm on LinkedIn has stuck in my head.

But I keep hearing this pattern in schools:

Students must disclose AI use. Teachers can use AI privately, without saying a word.

That double standard breaks trust.

For example if you used AI to create a writing prompt or to write questions on a quiz, do you share that?

Schools have been pretty clear that they want students to disclose when they have used AI, but does the school let the students know when they use AI?

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Comment below with how you share your use of AI in teaching or any thoughts on how we should be sharing AI use in the future.

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Tags: EdTech, Technology, Poll, Survey, AI, Classroom

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Comment below if you’ve lived through one of these processes. I’ll bet there are some stories worth sharing and discussing.

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Tags: EdTech, Technology, Poll, Survey

Nine current and former students of Lawrence Public Schools (USD 497) have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging that the district’s use of the AI-based monitoring tool Gaggle violates their First and Fourth Amendment rights. They claim the system—purchased in August 2023 for over $160,000—flagged innocuous phrases, intercepted journalism drafts, and blocked mental-health messages, even for student journalists who were supposed to be exempt. The students argue this constituted overly broad surveillance that hindered free expression and access to vital support. They are seeking injunctive relief, damages, and a jury trial.

From the article…

A handful of Lawrence High School journalism students previously argued their files were protected by the Kansas Student Publications Act, legislation that protects student journalists, ensuring editorial independence and shielding them from censorship by school authorities. They argued the Kansas Reporter’s Shield Law, which protects journalists’ confidential notes and sources, prohibited the district from deploying Gaggle and possibly looking through their reporting material. Their arguments have been regularly supported by the Student Press Law Center.

You can read the full article at The Lawrence Times.

This is the first legal action of this kind I have seen and could have wide reaching implications. In the past several years tools like Gaggle, Securly, and GoGuardian have exploded in usage around the concerns of student safety on school issued 1:1 devices. This type of software is used widely across the country.

This lawsuit specifically brings up concerns around student journalism and these tools. It does not go as far to say these tools are a violation of every student’s privacy, but I can see that argument being made.

It is certainly bringing front and center the delicate balance between student privacy and student safety.

Does your school use any kind of surveillance tools like this? AI or human monitored? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Tags: AI, Students, Article, News, Law, Privacy, Gaggle, Securly, GoGuardian, EdTech

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Have a challenge not listed above? Or want to elaborate on the problems in your school? Share it in the comments for discussions.

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Tags: EdTech, Technology, Poll, Survey

Working with AI is easy to get started with. Type a sentence or two into a chatbot and you’re good to go. Tasks that used to be complex operations that had to built with multiple complex steps, can now be done with a couple plain English sentences into ChatGPT. It’s a very low barrier of entry to using complex and flexible computing power.

Now comes the step beyond simple questions. This is where Prompt Building comes in. How can you optimize the sentences you feed into the AI model to give you the best results possible? How can you use this AI Model to do ever more complex tasks?

Thankfully there is a lot of resources and I wanted to share a few with them here with you.

1. Prompting Guide by Google

2. Building Effective Agents by Anthropic

3. Prompt Engineering by Anthropic

4. A Practical Guide to Building Agents by OpenAI

5. Identifying and Scaling AI Use Cases by OpenAI

6. AI in the Enterprise by OpenAI

7. 10 AI Prompt Lessons I Learned the Hard Way

How are you working with AI? Do you have specific prompts or prompt structures you use all the time? Do you have a particular prompt you use often? Or one you are proud of crafting? Let everyone know and discuss in the comments.

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This post is part of an ongoing series called Tech Tidbits. Featuring a collection of short ideas, observations, and thought. If you want to receive more posts like this, please subscribe below.

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Section: Tech Tidbits

Tags: AI

This post is part of an ongoing series of chapters from the book CHOICE. Please view this post for an introduction and table of contents. To keep up with each new chapter published, please subscribe.

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Everything in the school district has some technology component to it. That is the world we live in. Don’t confuse using technology with the job of the technology department. Just because something is done on a computer, doesn’t make it the responsibility of the technology department.

The technology department is there to provide support when things go wrong and to maintain systems to prevents things from going wrong. Very often I see a technology departments stretched thin because tasks are being offloaded to them.

• A principal doesn’t know how to send out an announcement. They send the content to the tech department and ask them to do it.

• A councilor doesn’t remember how to update a class in your student information system. They send the request to the technology department to complete.

• A teacher can’t remember how to close out their grade book. They ask the tech department to do it for them.

Some tasks are only done once a year. Staff aren’t able to learn or remember how to complete the task. Those tasks often get bumped to the technology department.

If the technology department and the staff do not have clear lines and boundaries, many of these tasks become part of their responsibility. “It’s easier for us to do it, than to keep teaching someone how to.” It’s a common refrain that can be disastrous for the department.

The technology department needs to know how to do everything and support everything that utilizes technology. The technology department cannot be responsible for doing everything that utilizes technology.

Everyone in the school district is going to be using technology. Remember, it’s A Utility now.

Author Comments

Providing a peak behind the curtain of the thought and writing process.

This chapter is more of a rant from personal experience, but I’ve seen it repeated in many districts. You can debate if it’s good or bad that schools are becoming more computer dependent and centric, but it’s happening/happened. Not knowing or being uncomfortable on a computer is no longer an option.

Section: Choice

Tags: EdTech, Technology

From NVIDIA

Powered by the NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip, NVIDIA DGX Spark delivers 1000 AI TOPS of AI performance in a power-efficient, compact form factor. With the NVIDIA AI software stack preinstalled and 128GB of memory, developers can prototype, fine-tune, and inference the latest generation of reasoning AI models from DeepSeek, Meta, Google, and others with up to 200 billion parameters locally, and seamlessly deploy to the data center or cloud.

I am very excited to see this product in the wild and see some real user testing. It’s a project I will be following closely. The idea of having a full AI model running locally brings a new world of possibilities and personalization around AI.

What are your thoughts on desktop AI computers like this one?

This post is part of an ongoing series called Tech Tidbits. Featuring a collection of short ideas, observations, and thought. If you want to receive more posts like this, please subscribe below.

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Google Workspace, Office365, Adobe Photoshop, Xcode, Slack, Salesforce, AWS, Azure... the list can go on and on.

The same tools used by the biggest companies in the world are accessible to everyone today. To students, to teachers, to small business owners.

Cloud computing has made it possible to fractionalized and commoditize these softwares that used to be monolithic installs with high price tags. Now you can spin up an instance for free or a small fee and hit the ground running.

Software and tools are no longer a barrier of entry to starting a project and competing with the industry leaders.

What tools do you use today that used to only be accessible to Fortune 500 companies? Let us know in the comments.

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Technology used to take generations to make a significant impact in schools. Computers trickled in over years, but now, advancements like AI are transforming classrooms overnight. Students today won’t remember a world without these tools, and the speed of adoption is only accelerating. With widespread access to devices and the internet, schools must adapt quickly to keep up with this ever-evolving landscape.

How do we adapt the monolithic and slow administrative overhead in schools to keep students prepared for the world they are entering?

The technology is only going to move faster and enter the classroom quicker. How do educational institutions adapt?

Often I’ll have ideas that need to be explored more before they can become a full post here. Many of these thoughts never become posts and just sit in my drafts folder. So why just keep these to myself?

I’ll be sharing them periodically over time, and they can all be viewed at Tech Tidbits. They will be open to discussion and may turn into longer posts at some point.

If you've ever received an email like this, it's because newsletter platforms like Substack track engagement metrics—including whether or not you open their emails.

I can’t count how many times I’ve received an email like this, and this post is going to dive into the mechanics of emails and what these metrics are really tracking.

What is being tracked

Let’s start with the Subscriber page in your Substack Dashboard.

The subscribers page is your newsletter contact list. Here is everyone that subscribes to your newsletter. If anyone has given you their email address, they end up here.

Substack tracks various metrics on these email addresses. The primary metrics (and the default ones shown) are:

• Free vs Paid Subscriber - Self explanatory, but this shows you if the email address is a free subscriber or a paid member of your newsletter.

• Activity - This is a 5 star rating system developed by Substack to share “a high-level rating of how actively the subscriber has used your newsletter in the last month, including email opens and web views.”

• Subscription Date - This is date the email address was first added to your newsletter subscription. The first time it entered your contact list.

• Emails Opened - This tracks how many emails were opened in the inbox of this email address.

• Links Clicked - How many times this email address clicked a link when they opened your newsletter in their inbox.

• Subscription Source - What brought this email address to your newsletter.

If you click the Columns button on the subscriber page, you will see many other data points being track that let you really refine and drill down your audience. But I’m going to focus on these primary ones.

How it works

So how is Substack actually collecting this information? How does it know when someone has opened an email or click a link?

For email opens and reading in an inbox, Substack is using a tracking pixel in images.

A tracking pixel is a tiny, invisible image (usually 1x1 pixel) embedded in the email. When the recipient opens the email, the image is loaded from Substacks server, allowing them to track that the email was opened.

Substack uses tracking pixels in its newsletters to measure open rates. When a subscriber opens a Substack email, the pixel loads, and Substack records the open.

For link clicks, Substack is using a tracking system that creates unique URLs for each email address the newsletter is sent to.

When a subscriber clicks a link in an email, they are briefly sent through a Substack URL that records the click before forwarding them to the intended webpage. Either your newsletter or an outside link.

This allows Substack to track which links are being clicked, how often, and by whom.

Substack used both of these methods to understand who is reading your newsletter and where they are going once they’ve read it. This data is shared in your Subscriber page and used to create the Activity 5-Star metric.

Limitations to know

Tracking pixels and link click tracking in email newsletters come with significant limitations, due to privacy settings and different email clients. Most modern email clients, now preload or block tracking pixels to protect user privacy. This means an email may appear as "opened" even if the recipient never actually viewed it, or it may not register at all if the recipient's email client blocks the pixel. As a result, open rates can become an unreliable metric.

Similarly, link click tracking is affected by browser privacy settings, VPNs, and ad blockers, which can strip tracking parameters or prevent redirections. Some users may also copy and paste links directly into their browser instead of clicking them, bypassing Substack’s tracking entirely.

Which get me to my opening line, “It looks like you haven't opened our email in a long time.” I use an email service that blocks tracking entirely, and I’m not alone in this. If I’m subscribed to a newsletter, I show up as a 1 or 0 star rating in Substack’s Activity. I’m shows as 0 star subscriber to my own newsletter.

I open most newsletters I’m subscribed to, but my email client prevents that data from ever getting back to the sender. So your subscriber list may show low open rates, but that might not be the whole story. Particularly you cater to a more tech savvy or privacy focused audience.

There is an additional feature now showing up in email clients that allow the use of one time or temporary email addresses. These are the subscribers you have that have an email address of random numbers and letters. This is a further privacy measure by some users to protect themselves from tracking.

I have seen several guides o newsletters talking about purging their subscriber lists. Deleting emails that are not showing any engagement. The way this engagement is tracked in not always reliable, as explained above.

What to focus on

So what metrics can I rely on for my newsletter? I’m not saying to throw out the metrics provided on your subscriber page, but take them with a grain of salt. There are many ways they can be distorted.

Focus on actual subscriber growth, how many people are subscribing to your newsletter.

If you have a paid their of your newsletter, focus on the conversation of free to paid subscribers.

These are much more stick stats that can’t be skewed by privacy settings. Open rates are a useful reference, but they shouldn't dictate your entire strategy. Quality content and direct reader engagement matter far more than a number in your dashboard.

Additional Resources

Substack has some great articles in their support section that goes into more detail of how to use your dashboard and the metrics provides.

• Stats and Traffic

• A Guide to Substack Metrics

• How Are Opens Captured

• Subscriber Dashboard Guide

I highly recommend reading through these articles to understand how to use the Substack platform you are publishing on.

Substack’s analytics can be helpful, but they have limitations. If you're a writer, use these tools wisely. Understand what they can and can’t tell you. And if you're a subscriber, know that your email activity might not be as private as you think.

Have you looked at your Substack metrics? How much do you rely on them? Let’s discuss in the comments!

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This post is part of an ongoing series of chapters from the book CHOICE. Please view this post for an introduction and table of contents. To keep up with each new chapter published, please subscribe.

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The quickest way to derail a 1:1 device program is by scaling up too quickly. Moving at an unsustainable pace, going from no devices to full 1:1 in grades K-12 overnight, will overwhelm your technology team, your curriculum department, your teachers, and your budget.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that a 1:1 initiative is just a simple math problem:

Take the number of students in your district, multiply it by the cost of each device, write a check, and congratulations—you’re now a 1:1 school.

Many school districts approach it this way. The focus becomes raising the money, making the purchase, and achieving a milestone. From the outside, a fully 1:1 district looks impressive. But what happens after the initial rollout?

The Hidden Challenges of Scaling Too Fast

A rushed implementation leads to several problems:

• Technology Overload: IT teams are suddenly responsible for managing thousands of new devices, troubleshooting issues, and handling breakage. All with the same resources they had previously.

• Curriculum Misalignment: Teachers need time to integrate technology into instruction. Without proper planning, devices become expensive distractions instead of learning tools.

• Budget Shock: What happens when all these devices need to be replaced in four or five years? A massive initial purchase means an equally massive refresh cycle down the road.

A Smarter Approach to 1:1

Instead of going all in at once, districts should focus on a phased rollout. Start with pilot programs, invest in professional development, and ensure long-term sustainability. A successful 1:1 program isn’t just about buying devices—it’s about creating a system that supports students, teachers, and IT staff for years to come.

Author Comments

Providing a peak behind the curtain of the thought and writing process.

I’ve been apart of district plans that have included both approaches. A slow phased approach and an all upfront approach. Building a 1:1 program needs to be slow and deliberate. You can’t add hundreds or thousands of devices and expect to be able to support them overnight.

What has your experience been in implementing a large scale technology program? Have you been part of an all at once approach?

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BookBub is a website that I discovered last year and has been a huge benefit to my reading, and a detriment to my wallet.

BookBub described itself as

BookBub is a free service that helps millions of readers discover books they'll love while providing publishers and authors with a way to drive sales and find new fans. Upon joining, members receive unbeatable deals selected by our expert editorial team, handpicked recommendations from people they trust, and real-time updates from their favorite authors. BookBub works with all major ebook retailers and devices, and partners with thousands of the industry’s leading publishers and authors to promote their books. BookBub was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Creating an account on BookBub allows you to add books, authors, and genres you want to follow. Anytime a book in your preferences goes on sale you’ll get a notification to buy. Often these books are $2.99 or $1.99 on various platforms.

I have been able to greatly build Kindle library by using this website. I’ve also been able to discover many great and new books that I would not have found on my own.

The best use I’ve found is for books recommend to me. I will add those books to my list and buy them when they go on sale. I might not be willing to spend $19.99 on a title that I don’t know much about, but for $1.99 I’m willing to give it a change. I’ve discovered several new authors this way. Leading me to buy several other of the author’s books.

If your goal in 2025 is to read more, check out BookBub. Discover the books to read and pay less for them.

If you want to see more reviews like this in the future or have a software/website I should review, please let me know in the comments.

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Are you facing challenges in technology project planning, software implementation, or educational technology integration? Whether you're a school leader, small business owner, or organization looking to optimize your tech strategy, I am here to help. With over a decade of experience as a Technology Director in public education, I specialize in simplifying complex technical issues and guiding organizations through strategic technology decisions.

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What I Offer:

🟡 Technology Project Planning – Ensure your technology initiatives are well-structured, cost-effective, and aligned with your goals.

🟡 Software Implementation & Integration – Navigate the challenges of selecting, deploying, and integrating software solutions seamlessly.

🟡 Educational Technology Support – Leverage technology to enhance learning, streamline workflows, and improve student outcomes.

🟡 Digital Transformation Consulting – Upgrade your infrastructure and processes to stay ahead in an evolving tech landscape.

🟡 Data Management & Security – Implement best practices to protect sensitive information and optimize data-driven decision-making.

🟡 Small Business Tech Strategy – Get expert guidance on cost-effective tech solutions that improve efficiency and growth for your business.

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To help you explore how I can assist with your specific needs, I’m offering a free 20-minute introductory phone consultation for subscribers of my newsletter. This is a no-obligation opportunity to discuss your challenges and discover potential solutions.

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If you’re ready to take the next step, schedule your free consultation today. Let’s work together to create a technology plan that works for you!

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If you’ve worked in educational technology or special education, you are probably familiar with the monopoly that Tobii Dynavox’s Boardmaker has on the market for tools like this. I’m hoping to show and explain some alternatives that are out there using tools that are already available in to educators.

Step One: Create a blank Google Sheet.

We will be creating a basic template in Google Sheets that can be used over and over again with the formatting and dimensions staying constant.

Step Two: Inserting Images.

Select the first cell in the sheet if it’s not already selected. Click on Insert → Image → Insert image in cell.

It’s important to select “in cell” and not “over cell.” The formatting we will be using later will depend on the images being inside the cells.

You’ll get a prompt to upload the images you want. You will need to import each image one by one. We need one image per cell for the formatting to work. You can upload images from your computer, Google Drive, or any link on the web (be mindful of copyright rules with this option).

Once you have a few images upload into each cell, you will have a sheet that looks something like the screenshot below.

Step Three: Resize the Image Row.

Click on Row 1 to select the entire row of image you upload.

Place your mouse directly below the 1, it should turn into an arrow that you can use to drag down and change the size of the entire row. This will automatically resize the images to fit the row height.

It will look like the screenshot below.

Step Four: Formatting Cells

With Row 1 still selected we are going to adjust the alignment of the image.

First change the horizontal alignment from Left to Center. Second change from vertical alignment from Bottom to Middle.

Step Five: Expanding and Adding Prompts

Now that we have the first row of images uploaded and formatted. We can begin to add some more row using copy and paste.

Select the entire Row 1 and copy it to the entire row 4 and 7.

You can then add your prompts below each image.

Each image will be in its own cell and each prompt will be in its own cell. With an empty cell separating each complete row.

The specific images and prompts are not important at this point. Remember we are making a template that can be used and customized over and over again.

Step Six: Spacing and Boarders.

Now for some clean up formatting. Select the entire area of images and prompted.

• Click on Boarders.

• Change the size of the boarders to the largest available.

• Change the boarder colors to white.

• Select all boarders.

This will create the spacing we need to print this sheet and having it readable on paper.

Step Seven: Page Preview.

Let’s see how we did. Select File → Print. This will give you a preview of how it will look on a printed sheet of paper. Select the paper size and orientation you will be using.

If needed, hit cancel and create additional formatting on the Google Sheet to make it exactly how you want it to look.

After everything looks good and the way you want it, save this Google Sheet as a template. The next time you need to create a board or edit an existing one, create a copy of this template and insert the images and prompts you want. All the sizing and formatting will stay the same.

The template created in this tutorial is available for you to make a copy of by following the link below.

Google Sheets Template

I hope you found this tutorial helpful. If you have any questions or need clarification, please let me know in the comments or join the chat to talk directly with the community.

Have you Googled yourself? Years ago, I would periodically check how my name showed up in Google and other search engines to find what information came up. It was interesting and sometimes you’d find things you didn’t know existed.

We’re now entering an age of asking AI about ourselves.

Admittedly, I have a somewhat unique name and there are no glaringly famous persons by my name. I’m know someone named Michael Jordan would receive a much different response, and would need a much more specific prompt.

But for my case, let’s keep it simple and see what the AI knows.

The Prompt

“What do you know about Stephen Woicik?”

I kept the prompt very short. Not wanting to give the AI specific directions on where or how to look.

I entered this prompt into four different AI tools; ChatGPT, Perplexity, Microsoft Co-Pilot, and Google Gemini. The unedited responses from each tool is listed below. I have included the source document links created by the AI as well.

ChatGPT

Stephen Woicik is an educational technology professional currently serving as the Technology Director at Agawam Public Schools in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts. In this role, he has been instrumental in implementing new systems, such as the PowerSchool Student Information System and Parent/Guardian Portal, to enhance the district’s educational infrastructure. (source)

Before his tenure at Agawam, Woicik co-developed a “Choose Your Own Device” (CYOD) program in the Maynard Public Schools. This initiative provided students and staff with the flexibility to select devices that best suited their learning and teaching needs, promoting a more personalized and adaptable educational experience. (source)

Beyond his work in educational institutions, Woicik has collaborated with numerous small businesses to optimize their operations through technology. He has also contributed articles to The Motley Fool, focusing on topics such as cryptocurrency. (source)

Woicik maintains a personal website where he shares his projects and ideas related to education, technology, and business. Notably, he developed the “Marker 1 Font,” a crayon-style font designed for classroom use, and a stock portfolio spreadsheet template for tracking investments. (source)

In his current position at Agawam Public Schools, Woicik can be reached via email at swoicik@agawamed.org or by phone at 413-789-0534. (source)

Perplexity

Stephen Woicik is the Director of Technology at Agawam Public Schools, where he oversees technology-related initiatives and operations ([1][6]). He has a professional background in education and technology, with a history of leading projects effectively. He is also involved in community service as the Treasurer of the International Association of Lions Clubs, Somers Chapter, a role he has held since 2008 ([3]).

Educationally, Woicik attended Fordham University, where he was active in athletics, playing varsity soccer, track, and basketball. He served as the soccer team captain during his senior year ([5]). Additionally, he describes himself as an "online extrovert and real-life introvert" with diverse professional experiences centered around education and technology ([4]).

Microsoft Co-Pilot

Stephen Woicik is a writer and contributor for The Motley Fool, a financial and investing advice company [A]. He writes articles on various financial topics, including market trends, investment strategies, and stock analysis [A]. Woicik's work is published on both the U.S. and Australian versions of The Motley Fool's websites [A] [B].

Google Gemini

There seem to be a few people named Stephen Woicik:

• Stephen Woicik is a photographer and graphic designer based in Connecticut.

• Stephen Woicik is the Technology Director for the Agawam Public School district in Massachusetts.

• Steve Woicik played soccer at Fordham University.

• Stephen Woicik co-founded Rivik Media, a web development and consulting firm.

Is there something specific you'd like to know about one of these individuals?

Overall the responses were pretty accurate with a few errors. Ranking these responses I would order them…

1. ChatGPT

2. Perplexity

3. Gemini

4. Co-Pilot

ChatGPT was the most current and accurate. What’s surprising with ChatGPT is going through the source links (specifically paragraph two) the material it used to create the paragraph is behind a login and paywall. I can’t even access the data it was using. ChatGPT also included contact information.

Perplexity was a close second, but had a few glaring errors. Maybe you can spot where the errors are? When I first did this test, I was expecting Perplexity to be the most accurate. Perplexity is the AI tool I use most often. I find it usually provides better results than ChatGTP.

Gemini and Co-Pilot were on the same level. Co-Pilot’s description was correct. I did write for The Motley Fool, although I no longer do. Gemini split me out into several different people. Interesting, Gemini was the only tool that did not provide source links for where it came up with the information.

Gemini and Co-Pilot felt more like a quick internet search. The same information you’d get form reading the first page of a Google search. ChatGPT and Perplexity attempted to write a real response with research.

This was done as an interesting experiment. If you’re curious, I encourage you to try to the same. You may find some surprising things about your online persona. It’s also good practice to know what others see when they look you up. As we move more from search engines to AI engines, this will be come much more common.

Let me know in the comments if you do try this experiment or if you find anything interesting. I’m also curious about how other AI tools might handle the data. If there are other tools you’d like me to try for this post, let me know.

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3. That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.

Would you rather be robbed of your physical possessions or digital possessions? It’s an interesting thought experiment I’ve discussed recently.

If you asked me 10 years ago, I would probably say my physical possessions. But as the years have gone by, more and more of my precious and irreplaceable possessions are digital.

I brought up in a previous post the idea of digital heirlooms. Domain names, pictures of family and friends, my writing, my journal are all digital. It’s harder for me to think of physical items that are not replaceable.

Yes, there are some heirlooms and physical assets that I care very much for and would not be able to replace. But I think digital outweighs the physical now. I’m not sure when this shift happened, but it’s a sign of the times.

This may also be a product of my age. I’m in the late 30s now. My kids have grown up in the all digital age. Almost all of my photos of my kids are digital. I care very much about those.

I’m curious if this is true for everyone? For the sake of the experiment, let’s assume you are not getting your possessions back. They are gone and would need to be replaced by you. What would you rather lose? Your physical or digital possessions? Would you rather be robbed or hacked? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

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How much technology do you use in a day?

This post came as a result of a few notes and projects I’ve been working on. But it boils down to…

How many devices do you hop on and off in a day? How many pieces of software do you use? How many accounts do you log into just to get through your day?

On the hardware side, I’ve shared my opinions on wanting more single purpose hardware. You can read my wish list for 2024 and 2025. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that I use several devices in a day. I move from my personal phone (which I’d call my primary device), a work smartphone, a e-ink Kindle, an iPad, a Chromebook, sometimes a desktop, and whatever other device I may be testing or experimenting that week.

But I think back to my college days when I had a laptop. And that was pretty much it. I had a cell phone, pre-smartphones, that just handled sms and phone calls. But I basically just used a laptop to do everything. I didn’t even have a TV. I would watch shows and movies on my laptop. Who else remembers when MacBooks came with a little IR remote and called themselves media centers?

Ok, enough with the nostalgia.

More so than the hardware is the amount of software and apps I use in a day. The now ubiquitous presence of cloud based software, means I can access my software from any devices with an internet connections. And every device has an internet connection now.

These software/apps have become so accessible and so specific in functionality, I can find the exact software I want to use. It’s as simple as putting in my email address, creating a password, and I start using it.

Starting a new project? My first habit now is to find a piece of software that will help. Surely someone else has done this and built something to help.

Do you ever consciously curate this software? Cut back or think about if you really still need it? Or does this just happen naturally for you, you stop using the app when you just don't feel like it anywhere? Do you ever remove these apps from your device? Or delete all these online accounts you have created?

I’ve started to take inventory and have started to curate my software. There is so much I help on to, just in case. That’s not a good reason to keep an account. Take a back up, file it away, and delete the account/software.

I challenge the readers here to do the same. Start cleaning up the digital clutter you’ve created.

How much technology do you use in a day? Is there any software you can’t live without? Did this software exist five years ago? Leave your own technology list below and share your comments in the discussion below.

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