Google Chrome Extensions

     What is a Google Chrome Extension?  Think of Extensions as little programs that run inside your browser to accomplish a specific task.  There are some amazing Extensions available in the Chrome Web Store that will save you tons of time!  Go to the Chrome Web Store, search for the Extension, and click on the blue bar "Add to Chrome".  You will then be asked to allow the Extension to change your data, etc.  Click Allow and you'll see the Extension icon running in your browser.
     Everybody loves goo.gl to shorten long URLs.  Did you know there's an Extension for that?  If you add it, with one click, you can shorten your URL without copy and pasting and having to go to the site.  Another great feature is the ability to make a QR code too!

This image shows the goo.gl Extension icon running in my browser and when you click it, you'll see the shortened URL, and the actions Copy, Details, and QR Code.
 

     Another great Extension is OneTab.  Whenever you have a lot of tabs open, click OneTab, and it will convert all your tabs into a list.  Whenever you need to access them, you can restore them individually or all at once.  Another great feature is it saves 95% of memory because you have reduced the number of tabs open in Google Chrome.

Remove Ads from YouTube

How to Remove Ads from YouTube

There's a couple of ways to remove those "pesky" ads from YouTube.  The first step is to sign into your Google Account and access your YouTube channel.  Go to Creator Studio, under Channel, select Advanced, then check Disable-Interest Based Ads, and make sure Allow Advertisements to be Displayed is unchecked.  

An easier way to remove adds is the Google Chrome Extension, Adblock for YouTube.  Simply install the extension in the Chrome Store, and Adblock will remove the ads when you play a video in YouTube.

Connect Your Use of iPads to Bloom's Taxonomy

If you want to use your iPads and Macbooks to support Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy, check out Kathy Schrock’s site- Bloomin' Apps.  Not only does she have suggested Apps for each of the levels, she also has online sites as well.  There is also a list of the Google Apps (Chrome, Drive, Docs, Sheets, etc.-all G Suite Apps) shown by category as well.  In addition, she has a list for Android, Google, and Web 2.0 applications.

If you’re not familiar with Kathy Schrock, she is a “Tech Guru”.  I highly recommend following her on Twitter.

Draw and Tell

Draw and Tell

If you love ChatterPix, you'll love Draw and Tell.  It's an app I recently came across created by Duck Duck Moose.  They are the same creators of ChatterPix.  Students will love this app to create imaginative stories using their wide array of tools.  They can draw, color, add stickers, and stencils and there are tons to choose from.  Students can choose the background color, add handwriting lines, or select a coloring page.  Another great feature is the record option.  Once the drawing is complete, students can record and tell their story.  You can also do multiple pages for a picture book.  All pages can be saved within the camera roll to share or print.  No sign in is required and, as young as, Pre-K can easily manipulate the tools.  

Here's an example:

"Emaze" Online Presentation Tool

Emaze is an online presentation tool similar to Prezi.  It's free to join with an email.  Just like Prezi, they have a database of presentations already made that can be used or edited to suit your needs and can be searched by title, keyword, subject, grade level, etc.  The difference I've noticed in Emaze is, it's a little more user friendly and easier to create presentations.  They also have tutorials on how to add backgrounds, videos, links, etc.  that are easy to follow.  If you want to offer a choice or something new to your presentation tools, give Emaze a try!

Emaze