Exact Colors!

Color!  We all need a little color in our life, right?  I am a fan of Google Drawings, but I was not always a fan of the color selection for shapes, text, anything.  I was so happy the day I discovered the Color Picker Eyedropper extension for Chrome!  It's easy to use and opens your world to finding the exact color you are looking for!

I hope this opens your eyes to all the colors surrounding you!

How do you spell that?

One of my personal flaws that I am first to admit to is I cannot spell!  I try.  When I was a child, I was so happy when I discovered most computer programs included a spell check.  I will rewrite sentences to avoid using certain words that spell check cannot even figure out to make a suggestion.  I know I'm not the only person out there with this same struggle!  Spelling has been a personal struggle all of my life and I'm okay with that now.

Electronic spell checkers have come a long way.  I actually use two different tools that are extensions for Chrome.   The first one is Ginger.  I have used this tool for a long time.  Well, "long time" is relative, right?  Ginger is user friendly and very helpful!  I use the free version of this product.  That means I have a limited number of words per week Ginger will correct for me, but it always finds the errors.  I know it's been a bad week of spelling when the popup messages asks me if I want to purchase!  No, I'll just rewrite the sentence, right?  Watch this video to see how Ginger works...

I also use Grammarly.  Grammarly and I have a love hate relationship.  I love the suggestions and corrections for not only my spelling, but also grammar.  I have a habit of trying to correct my mistakes before I go on with my writing.  This habit involves my fingers reaching for keys before my mind realizes where the cursor is on the screen.  Grammarly and I fight back and forth as to where the cursor needs to be!  Grammarly will also send you a weekly email to help you learn where your mistakes are happening so you can become a better writer.  At first I didn't think very much about receiving another email.  Now, I like it!  Watch this video to learn how Grammarly works...

What do you use to check spelling?

Favorite Chrome Extensions

Chrome Extensions!  A little icon can do so much!  First of all, extensions are small programs to modify and enhance the functionality of the browser.  I love extensions!  Who doesn't love to simplify!

Goo is one of the first extensions I suggest to add to Chrome.  In education, a QR code is a necessity for providing learners with a fast and direct path to access resources.  Here is a short video to discover the power of Goo!

Although Goo is my first "go to" tool, I have to admit I am excited about the ease of QuickMark!  I was so surprised to learn how quickly I can create QR codes with this tool!  Watch this short clip to learn more!

What is your favorite extension?

Timer Loop

Timer Loop was recently recommended to me for using in the classroom.  And, I agree it's a great tool!  Timer Loop is a Google Chrome Extension where you can set up multiple timers to continuously run and alert you throughout the day!  One trouble I hear from teachers is remembering to stop in the middle of a lesson because they have to take attendance at exactly 10:00, give or take a few minutes.  Who can remember that when you're in the middle of something big!  I also realize this tool is great for when you have rotations set up in your classroom during the day.  Timer Loop helps you manage your classroom so that when students hear that time is up, transitions can easily take place without a lot of disturbance.  Timer Loop...done!  Start using it today!

Feedly

I was recently asked what tool I use to read all my blogs.  I'm so sorry to say Google Reader is gone!  I used to check Google Reader multiple times a day!  I loved how all the blogs I was interested in reading could be a simple click away.  I could easily access my favorite blogs from my laptop top, my phone, or my iPad.  I remember that time, so fondly!

Then, Google announced Reader was going away.  I played around with a few other apps, but nothing seemed to fit as well as Reader.  I remember the night so clearly.  Google Reader was closing forever at midnight.  At 11:30PM I very reluctantly migrated my Google Reader information into Feedly.  After that night, I would open Feedly up every so often to see who had added content to their blogs, but it was never the same kind of relationship with blogs again.

Many months went by when someone asked me what tool I was using to gather blogs in one place to read.  I wasn't very happy to say Feedly.  But then, I regained my blog reading energy.  Time and separation have healed my wounds from Google Reader leaving me.  Feedly allows me to, once again, easily categorize blogs by interest, keep up with blogs from all around the Internet, and discover new blogs.  I like the bookmark feature where I can save a specific blog post for later.  I like that I can easily share a post via Twitter or Facebook.  When I come across something truly awesome, I can even pin the post to a board on Pinterest.  I like how I read posts on my laptop, iPad or phone.  And, with the Google Chrome Extension I can easily add items to Feedly!  Amazing!!  This works for me.  Reading blogs is no longer a chore, but again easy!

QR Code Creator - goo.gl

QR Codes are one of the most useful tools used in classrooms.  You can direct your students to the exact location on the web and not worry if students are following multiple steps to get to a specific page.  It saves so much time when trying to get a large number of views to a certain location on the web.

There are many free and paid websites that can be used to create QR Codes.  I've tried many and have found it easy to use all of them, but it can be tedious when going though multiple presentations and creating individual QR codes for an entire class.

I have been using a Chrome extension for a while now that seems to streamline the process.  I have chosen to use goo.gl

When creating a QR Code it is important to shorten the URL because long web addresses can sometime make reading a QR Code more difficult.  By using goo.gl you are shortening the web address and creating the QR Code in one simple click! Since this extension is easily located with all the other Chrome extensions, I can be on any webpage and click the goo.gl extension.  Instantly the URL is shortened and copied to my clipboard.  By clicking QR Code, a QR Code image instantly appears!  From here, I can quickly paste the QR Code where ever I might need it.

The piece that I truly appreciate is that goo. Gael is also linked to my Google account.  This means I can always go back to my history at goo.gl to see a list of all the QR Codes I have generated.  

There are many options available for shortening an URL and generating a QR Code.  The one I choose to use is goo.gl!  Try it and see if you find it useful as I do!

Google Chrome Extensions: Tab Scirssors & Tab Glue

I admit it, I'm a tab hoarder!  My screen often has at a minimum of 10 tabs open at the exact same time.  I will click and click to move from tab to tab.  The worst is when I'm trying to set add an event to my calendar and keep clicking between tabs to refer to an email for details!  I have found the perfect solution to my problem!  Tab Scissors and Tab Glue!!  These Chrome Extensions have saved me from click, click, clicking!

Watch this video to see how these Chrome Extensions will help you...then go directly to the Chrome App Store and install!