Genius Hour & Passion Projects

I am in full-on summer research mode. I came across this great idea first on Edutopia. Apparently the Genius Hour originated with Google; they allow their employees to use 20% of their time on anything they want. Educators have taken this idea and run with it as a way to give students more control over their education. I LOVE this idea! I am trying to think of ways to use it in my classroom. I think it could be a really neat way to liven up choice novels. HERE is where I found an idea of how to use this concept in the English classroom. (If it doesn't take you right there, you are looking for "Project Inspiration.")