Better Bookmarks

The Internet abounds with great resources and materials for teachers.  Thus, bookmarks have become a teacher's very close, if not best, friend.  However, teachers end up having lots and lots of these friends, and they can only fit so many on the always-visible bookmarks bar that runs under the URL bar in the browser.  Once that bookmarks bar fills up, anything you subsequently bookmark will be added to a drop-down menu at the end of the bar.  People have come to me asking where their new bookmarks went.  Here is where you need to look:

Click on that double arrow to bring up the list of bookmarks.  That's where new bookmarks will go when the bar is full.  You can drag and drop them into the bookmarks bar.  Also, you can drag and drop the ones already in your bookmarks bar to rearrange them.  Still, this doesn't solve the problem of running out of room for bookmarks in the bar.  Here is a solution.

Much like with icons on your computer desktop, smartphone, or tablet, you really don't need the text next to a bookmark to know what it is.  Almost every website uses favicons (a portmanteau of favorite and icon), which are the icons you see in the bookmarks bar.  Most are instantaneously recognizable, such as the one I'll use for an example:  IXL.  You can edit the bookmark to delete the text, so all you have is only the favicon.  This will allow you to store many more bookmarks in the readily accessible bar.  Here's how to do it.

1.  Right click on the bookmark.

2.  Click "Edit..."

3.  Delete the text in the "Name" box.

4.  Click "Save" at the bottom of that window.  This is what IXL will look like without text next to it.  QwertyTown would just have the QT favicon if you did the same for that one.

Voila!  Now, you can keep more of your bookmarks right where they're easy to see and access!

Sharing is Caring with the Google Classroom Extension

Almost any teacher understands the struggle of trying to get all the students in a class onto a specific website or other Internet resource at the same time.  Students may type the website address incorrectly.  They may accidentally close it and don't know how to get back to it.  They may just not even go to it in the first place.  We have high speed Internet now, but trying to share Internet content with students in the classroom in real time can take a long time.  Alas, there is a better way!

Meet the Share to Google Classroom Chrome Extension.  With this extension, you can push (send) something on the Internet to each of your students' screens instantly.  If you want them to see a specific website or video on the Internet, then simply use this extension to push it to their screen.  No hassle, no struggle, no time wasted.  Here's what it looks like:

Once the extension is installed in Chrome, click on its icon (looks like Google Classroom logo).  The above will appear, and you can push whatever website you're currently on to your students.  That website will open in a new window on their computers.  There are also other options available under the extension you can explore.  Students should have this extension installed on their computers as well.  Students can also push Internet content to the teacher too.

Here's how to install it in Chrome:
1.  Open Chrome and click this link.
2.  Click the blue "Add to Chrome" button in the upper right.
3.  The extension will install, and you'll be good to go!

Now, you can instantly share anything on the Internet with your students in real time without any hassle because, as we all know, sharing is caring!

Customizing YouTube Videos

Having your students watch and interact (note-taking, annotating, researching, analyzing, etc.) with YouTube videos is a great instructional tool to add a dynamic and engaging layer to any lesson.  Some students learn better with visuals, and all students can enjoy the ability to pause and/or playback certain parts to help them understand the content.  However, YouTube has its faults when used in a classroom.  Almost any teacher has experienced the following things on YouTube that are inappropriate, distracting, and disruptive:

• Inappropriate suggested video thumbnails after the video ends
• Distracting "Up next" videos on the right side of the screen
• Crazy comments below the video
• Not being able to automatically start and end a video at a certain time

Here comes ViewPure to the rescue!  ViewPure is a free website that will solve all those problems and more.  It will remove the suggested videos after the YouTube video.  It will hide the "Up next" videos on the right side of the screen.  It vanishes the comments.  And it allows you to set a custom start and end time for the video, so you don't have to worry about wasting any class time to show the relevant ten minutes out of the hour-long video.  After using ViewPure, you get a ViewPure web link to the video you want to show.  Going to that link shows the video and only the video - no video thumbnails, no comments, no distraction.

Here's how to use it:

1.  Copy the web address of the YouTube video you want to show.

2.  Go to viewpure.com.  Click the gear icon.  This is what you'll see.

3.  Paste the web address of the YouTube video in the "Enter YouTube URL" box.

4.  ViewPure will create a custom link for the video automatically once you click "Purify".  However, you can create your own custom link in the "Enter custom URL" box if you want.  To make the link easy to remember, you can name it viewpure.com/hailstorm if it's a video about hail storms.  This step isn't required.

5.  You can create a password for the video, so only those who have the password can watch it.  This step isn't required.

6.  If you want, set a start and/or end time to show the specific portion that is relevant.  This step isn't required.

7.  Finally, click "Purify".  You'll be redirected to a webpage with the video.  Copy the web address for that page, and then use it for your class.  The web address will be live until it has fewer than ten views in a six-month period.

But, wait, there's more!  You can use the Purify button bookmark on the ViewPure website to purify any YouTube video in one click.  Go to viewpure.com, and look for this:

Click and drag the orange Purify button to your bookmarks bar.  Then, when you're on a YouTube video you want to purify, just click that Purify button in your bookmarks bar, and you'll be brought to the webpage with the purified video.  Use this only if you don't want to do any of the customization in the above steps.

Now, you and your students can watch YouTube videos in peace!

Super Shortcuts for Chromebooks

This Tech Tip is about using shortcuts to be more effective.  I'm not talking about cutting corners or taking the easy way out.  This is a blog about technology after all.  I'm talking about keyboard shortcuts.  And since this blog is geared toward technology in education, I'll be explaining keyboard shortcuts for Chromebooks, which are being increasingly used by teachers and students every year.

Allow me to digress for a moment to offer some interesting statistics about Chromebook usage in American classrooms.  According to a 2016 survey conducted by Front Row Education of over 2,500 teachers and administrators in the United States, over 60% of classrooms have access to Chromebooks, which is up 15% from the previous year.  Even 54% of Kindergarten through Grade 2 classrooms use Chromebooks.  Finally, 67% of teachers on the West Coast have access to Chromebooks while 62% of East Coast teachers have access to them.

Using keyboard shortcuts is an easy way to be more productive and efficient.  I created a PDF with the top ten keyboard shortcuts for Chromebooks, which you can download below.  Or you can use the Save to Google Drive Chrome Extension I wrote about earlier to save it directly to your Drive.

In the PDF, you'll find the classics of copy, cut, and paste.  You'll also find some other interesting shortcuts you may not have known.  To search for a word, phrase, or any other text, press Ctrl and f to open the find bar in the upper right.  From there, you can quickly find what you're looking for, which is very helpful when researching something.  If something you find on the Internet is too small or too large to comfortably see, press Ctrl + or Ctrl - to zoom in and out.  The percentage of the zoom will appear in the upper right when you do so.

You can quickly open a new tab without having to use the mouse by pressing Ctrl and t.  If you accidentally close a tab you still want, press Ctrl, Shift, and t to reopen the last closed tab.  Taking screenshots has many great uses from creating instructions to presentations.  To take a whole screenshot, press Ctrl and the screenshot key.  To take a screenshot of only a particular area of the screen, press Ctrl, Shift, and the screenshot key.  The screenshot key looks like this:

Here is the PDF with the top ten keyboard shortcuts for Chromebooks.  With these, you and your students will be productivity pros in no time!

An Extension to Extend Vocabulary

Learning and understanding words are essential life skills that help both children and adults.  In the past, if we came across words we didn't understand, we had to interrupt our reading flow by finding a dictionary, looking up the word, reading the definition, figuring out how to pronounce it, checking synonyms to gain context, and then go back to whatever we were reading.  Now, there is a tool that doesn't interrupt reading flow and provides comprehensive information about a word instantaneously.

Meet the Google Dictionary Chrome Extension.  Once it is installed, if you double-click on any word while browsing in Chrome, a bubble appears above the word with its definition and an audio file with its proper pronunciation.  If you click the "More" link in that bubble, a new tab in Chrome opens with more information about the word, including part of speech, other forms, alternate definitions, and more.

Finally, you can store words to your own personal dictionary to study later by clicking the Google Dictionary extension icon (a red book) in the upper right of Chrome.  Click "Options", and then check the box next to "Store words I look up, including definitions."  You can return to this "Options" screen to download a history of your stored words.  This is an effective tool to help both children and adults learn and understand any word they come across in Chrome as it makes almost anything they read accessible.  Here's how to install it in Chrome:

1.  Open Chrome and click this link.
2.  Click the blue "Add to Chrome" button in the upper right.
3.  The extension will install, and you'll be good to go!

Now, you'll be able to understand this sentence:  In a few days, I can't wait to be absolutely farctate!  Thank goodness for Thanksgiving!

   

How to Get Better Google Search Results

Google Search has become so ubiquitous that it generated a new verb:  Google.  Don't know something?  Google it!

Google's search engine is arguably the best; yet, we sometimes get less-than-the-best search results.  Or we can't even find what we're searching for altogether!  There are some tips and tricks to using Google Search to refine the results and find exactly what you want.

Here is a PDF that you and your students can use to become a Google super searcher:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxCFzzS4E07-WEhZZlBuUC1mSm8/view?usp=sharing

Just use the modifiers in this PDF when you search for something in Google, and the results will be much better.  You could also print this PDF and post it in your classroom, so your students can use these Google search tips anytime.

If you're like me, your Google Drive is filled with documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, presentations, and a plethora of other things I know I have, but can't always find.  As with Google Search, there are some tricks you can use to help find what you want in Drive.  Check out this great infographic on Google Drive search tips.

Now, we can finally find what we're searching for!  I just wish it worked for finding my earbuds!

Keep It Simple

Isaac Newton wisely said, "Truth is ever to be found in simplicity."  Quite right, Mr. Newton.  With Internet access at our fingertips, we now have the collective knowledge of the history of the world on demand.  Although we have access to all that information, it isn't always accessible - especially for students.  Wikipedia isn't perfect; yet, it really is an excellent source of information.  However, it's not always simple.  Here's a quick and easy way to simplify any Wikipedia article, so it is more understandable and accessible.

Let's say you want your students to read about volcanoes.  Here is the Wikipedia article about volcanoes.  As you can see, even the introduction is complex:

Yet, we can make a change to its URL address to simplify it.  In that long, white box at the top of the browser where the website's address is (the URL), you will see "en." before "wikipedia".  Take these steps to simplify this and any other Wikipedia article:

1.  Highlight the "en" in the address.
2.  Type "simple" in its place.  The address will now be https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano.
3.  Press enter or return.  And that's it!  It's been simplified!

Here's what the simple version looks like:

To make this even simpler, just go to https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page to search for any topic.  Everything you search for there will automatically be in simple form.

Enjoy the simple things in life - including this Tech Tip!

Safe and Secure

We should have a unique, strong, and different password for all our accounts, especially for our computers since they are the gateway to many other accounts.  A strong password should be at least twelve characters with a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.  Here are two effective ways to create strong, unique, and memorable passwords:

1.  Choose three characters in each of the following four groups:  symbol, uppercase letter, lowercase letter, and number.  For example, %>}QCPzbw762.  Now, you really only have to remember four sets.  Also, the letters and numbers could have special meaning to you to make them easier to remember.

2.  Choose a phrase or sentence with nine words.  For example, the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.  Abbreviate it to the following with alternating uppercase and lowercase letters:  TqBfJoTld.  Finally, include two numbers and one symbol or one number and two symbols to get the final password:  TqBfJoTlD#&3.

Check out this great article for other ways to create a strong and secure password.

Downloading or installing something on your computer can put your electronic safety at risk.  Here are three fundamental ways to prevent yourself from downloading or installing something malicious on your computer, which could also end up damaging the entire network it is on.  First, never open an email or an email attachment from a sender you don't recognize or trust.  Just delete it.  Second, never download or install anything from a suspicious website.  If something just doesn't seem right about it, don't do it.  Third, always check to see if the website is running a secure protocol.  Look for this in the URL bar:

 

The "s" in "https" means it is secure.  If the "s" isn't there, don't download!  To automatically make every website you visit use HTTPS, install the HTTPS Everywhere Chrome Extension.  It's simply one more action you can take to keep yourself safe on the Internet.  To learn more about https, what it does, and how it works, click here.

Finally, although your password may be strong, once you're logged in to your computer, anyone can walk up to it and do anything they wish.  Here's a quick and easy way to secure your computer whenever you need to step away from it, so that it's not open for anyone to use.

If you need to leave your computer, press the Windows key (looks like a four-pane window next to the Alt key) and the L key at the same time.  This will lock your computer and require your password to unlock it.  To unlock it, press Ctrl, Alt, and Del at the same time as you normally would to log in, and then enter your password.

Now, when you have to step away from your computer, it will be protected against intrusion or just pranksters who, in the spirit of Halloween, want to change your background to this:

  

A Little Saving Goes a Long Way

In the spirit of saving resources, I'll keep this post short.  Here is a great way to save toner and paper while making what we print easier to read.

Meet the Print Friendly Chrome Extension.  This extension lets you modify things you want to print from the Internet in order to reduce toner and paper.  You can use this extension to easily delete text, images, whole pages, or other things you don't want on the printed copy.  Watch this brief tutorial on Print Friendly:

Once it is installed, you can go to a webpage (or almost anything you want to print from the Internet), and then click the green Print Friendly icon in the upper right of Chrome.  A window will appear in which you will remove things that you don't want printed.  All you have to do is click on what you want to remove and then delete it.  You can also save this as a PDF once you're done editing it.  Here's how to install it in Chrome:

1.  Open Chrome and click this link.
2.  Click the blue "Add to Chrome" button in the upper right.
3.  The extension will install, and you'll be good to go!

This is a must-have tool to save toner and paper while increasing the readability of what you print.  And it helps you save a tree!

First Edcamp

Today, I had the pleasure of participating in my first Edcamp.  I had heard wonderful feedback about Edcamps, so I was excited to experience it firsthand.  It lived up to its reputation.

For those who are unfamiliar with Edcamp, here is a quick overview.  An Edcamp is a casual, collaborative, and free (That's right; it costs nothing to attend!) gathering of educators that bills itself as an "unconference".  We strive to make our classrooms student-centered and differentiated to meet the needs of our diverse learners.  Edcamp does this for educators.  At an Edcamp, the day's topics, agenda, and sessions are not pre-determined.  The participants brainstorm and decide the unique things they want to learn about, and the sessions are created out of those topics.  Here is a photo of the sessions we created today:

There were sessions about competencies, Google Classroom, Breakout EDU, digital citizenship, genius hour, RTI, and even comic books in the classroom.  Participants wrote questions or topics they wanted to learn about on sticky notes and posted them on the session board.  Other people became facilitators of sessions and posted topics they would teach to us.  Inside the sessions, participants asked questions, discussed ideas, shared successes, and provided helpful resources and methods we could put to good use right away.  At the end of the day, everyone came back together for the Smackdown, which had anyone offer up the most interesting thing they learned during the sessions.

Overall, the goal of an Edcamp is to create a dynamic, responsive, and engaging professional development opportunity to help anyone in the education field.  And this Edcamp absolutely accomplished this goal.  Kudos to the organizers of this Edcamp for all their hard work in making it a tremendous success.

It was a refreshing and inspiring day with teachers teaching teachers in a relaxed and open environment.  I can't wait to share some of the things I learned with my fellow staff.  If you have the opportunity to participate in an Edcamp, I highly recommend it.

Put It in (Google) Drive

This Tech Tip is about saving what you find on the Internet to your Google Drive. First, for those that would like tutorials about using Google Drive, please click here.

Bookmarking websites and other web content is a great way to keep and organize helpful information.  Yet, what do you do when you come across documents, PDFs, images, spreadsheets, or slideshows that you want to keep and possibly modify for your own use?  You can often find these files on the Internet, and here is an easy way that you can store them in your Google Drive, so you can always have them at your fingertips.

Meet the Save to Google Drive Chrome Extension.  With this extension installed, you can save documents, images, and videos to your Google Drive with just a couple clicks.  Then, when you go to your Google Drive, what you saved will be right there.  For example, if you find a PDF on a website that you want to keep, you can right-click on the file, and an option to “Save to Google Drive” will appear.  Click on that, and that PDF will now be in your Google Drive.  Right-clicking on what you want to save is probably the easiest way to use this extension.  Here’s how to install it in Chrome:

1. Open Chrome and click this link.
2. Click the blue "Add to Chrome" button in the upper right.
3. The extension will install, and you'll be good to go!

Now, you can kick your online saving into overdrive with Save to Google Drive!

Subtract the Ads

Welcome to my blog!  Here you will find helpful information about Google, Chromebooks, iPads, Promethean and SMART boards, and many other education technology tools.  As always, please let me know if you have any questions or need any help with them.  Here's the first one - and some may already know about this.

First, if you haven’t made Chrome your default browser, you should because it will make using Google for Education applications and other Chrome products much better.  If you haven’t installed Chrome, please click here to download and install it.  Once it’s installed, here’s how to make Chrome your default browser:

1.  Open Chrome.
2.  Click on the three vertical dots in the upper right (Chrome menu).
3.  Click Settings.
4.  Under the “Default browser” section, click “Make Google Chrome the default browser” button.

For my first post, I thought it would be a good idea that it be something everyone, staff and students, can use.  It is the AdBlock Chrome Extension.  AdBlock helps to protect privacy, improve Chrome browser performance, increase webpage loading speed, and clear away distracting (and sometimes inappropriate) ads across the Internet.  Also, it removes ads in YouTube videos.  Finally, it's free!  Here's how to install it in Chrome:

1.  Open Chrome and click this link.

2.  Click the blue "Add to Chrome" button in the upper right.

3.  The extension will install.

4.  The extension icon will appear in the upper right of Chrome as a red stop sign with a hand in the center.

5.  Click that icon and click Options.  Uncheck the box that reads "Allow some non-intrusive advertising".

6.  Close and restart Chrome, and you'll be good to go.

Enjoy the wonderful world of zero ads! It's a true addition by subtraction!