30 in 30: Day 31 - Rearranging the Icons in the Google Apps Launcher

I know, it was supposed to stop at 30.  But I figured there are 31 days in January so I might as well just go ahead and create a bonus post for those few that are actually following this series.  Have I told you that I love me some Google?  I've been using it for nearly a decade as a teacher.  I created my first Google account in 2008 to use with my newspaper students and had them create their own accounts as well.  I saw the power that they had harnessed with collaboration and sharing and needed to use it in the classroom.  As the G Suite has evolved, so has my love for Google and all of the products that they offer me as a teacher and to our students.  Some of the Apps I use every day, like Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets while others I only use occasionally.  What I like is that Google allows me to move my apps around in the launcher so that the ones that I use the most often I can move to the top and arrange them how I like.  Just click and drag them around and drop them where you want them.  Click here to watch it in action.

30 in 30: Day 30 - Google Plus....not just another social media site

The final day in the 30 in 30 series is going to hopefully provide some clarity and information on what Google Plus is and what it can be used for.  Google Plus was released on June 28, 2011 as Google's answer to the social media giant Facebook.  It saw the potential social media had how users were connecting and interacting.  And although it had some potential with it's use of "circles" it just couldn't lure people away from where they were and it never really got the momentum that it needed to get the average user to sign up.  But with the evolution of Google Apps for Education (GAFE) and now to G Suite for Education, Google Plus has become a social media for schools and educators.  And although people in the technology world have migrated to using it, the average educator has not.  There are quite a few Communities and Collections already available for technology users, but might take a little bit more work to find a specific subject area.....or it might take you creating one.  I think that we have teachers that are ready to lead the way with a Community or Collection.  So the next time you are looking for that resource, rather than asking Google, may I suggest first searching Google Plus.  Connect with a few Communities and explore a few collections.  You might be surprised how helpful this social media tool can be.  I have found a ton of useful tools, tricks and tips of my own by asking questions to Communities.  People in education love to share their knowledge and resources, even to strangers.  That's just who we are.

Looking for a video tour of Google Plus?  Take a look here.  Google also has a great Help Center.  You can find it here.

30 in 30: Day 29 - Paste without Formatting

Day 29 in the 30 in 30 series is a "nice to know" feature.  I don't use it a lot and you probably won't either, but it sure is nice to know when you need it.  While I think everyone who is on a device realizes that you can copy and paste information (day 19 post on shortcuts), most of the time when I am pasting I don't want the formatting to follow the content that I am copying.  That is where this little menu item (or Ctrl+Shift+V shortcut) comes in handy.  Lets say I have some information that I want to copy from my Google Doc to a Presentation, but I want to keep the formatting of my text box in my presentation....paste without formatting.  Lets say I want to take some information from a webpage and use it in a Document that I am going to share with my class, but I don't want the text to be white with a black highlight.  Rather than pasting and having to change the formatting...just paste without formatting.  While this feature is nice to know in Docs and Slides, Google Sheets takes it one step further.  Try checking out the Paste Special option.  Lots to choose from when working with a spreadsheet.  Want to see what I am talking about?  Click here to see the video of this in action.

30 in 30: Day 28 - Voice Typing... for Student Feedback

Day 28 in the 30 in 30 series is going to address an underutilized feature that Google released nearly a year ago.....the ability to type with your voice.  That's right, just say what you want to and leave the typing to Google.  This cool little utility that is already built into Google Docs just hasn't gotten the attention that it has deserved.  You can find it in the Tools menu by choosing Voice Typing...  You will get a pop up utility (see image below) that you click on and start to talk.  Oh, and it does so much more than that.  You can also use your voice to edit and format your document. For example, "Select paragraph," "italics," or "Go to the end of the line."  Looking to see the voice command in action?  Click here to watch the video.  For the Google Support page that documents all of what the utility does, click here.

30 in 30: Day 27 - Images to Text with Optical Character Recognition in Google Docs

Day 27 in the 30 in 30 series is going to BLOW YOUR MIND.  Google has the ability to convert an image into text via a powerful Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature.  This is extremely powerful for those old documents that are sitting in an actual file cabinet somewhere that haven't been converted to digital yet.  All you need to do is take a picture of whatever document that you have, upload it to Google Drive (lots of ways of getting it there, but the easiest way is probably the Google Drive app for your mobile device (click here for iPhone ~~~ click here for Android)) and then choose the Open with --> option in Drive.  Google does it's thing in the background and after a few seconds, will open a Google Document with an image converted to text.  After a little bit of editing, you have a digital document that is ready to be shared via Google Classroom (or whatever your preferred LMS) and delivered to students.  If you are looking to see this in action, click here to watch the tutorial video.

On a side note, the orientation that you take the picture will be important.  If it is sideways in drive, the text will show up as a scrambled mess.  If that is the case, turn your phone the other direction and take the picture again.  I've found more success by holding my phone (iPhone running iOS) sideways rather than up and down.

30 in 30: Day 26 - Text Selection using Shortcut Keys (Ctrl + Shift + Arrow)

Day 26 in the 30 in 30 series is going to talk about a shortcut that I don't use that much, but is a "nice to know" sort of feature.  It's the Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keys to highlight text.  This is especially useful when trying to highlight a small or large chuck of text that just doesn't want to cooperate with you.  I think that we have all been there.  I've got a little click and drag going on to select a few words, but I just can't quite get it.  Rather than selecting the next letter, it selects an image or I accidently open a link and have to start all over.  By placing your cursor where you want to start and using the Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keys you are able to select words at a time or an entire paragraph.  Not quite sure what I mean?  Take a look at the video here so see it in action.  Happy Highlighting.

30 in 30: Day 25 - Add-ons for Google Docs, Sheets & Forms

Day 25 in the 30 in 30 series is going to talk about an underutilized feature with Google Docs, Sheets and Forms.  This feature is the ability to run add-ons within the Docs, Sheets and Forms that you already use.  These are "installed" from the Add-ons menu in each of the programs that you are already using.  There are quite a few to choose from with each serving a single or multiple purposes.  Looking for a quick and easy way to create equations, graphs or stat displays?  How about installing gMath for Docs.  How about converting that Google Sheet data into a more easily to read Doc?  Try the Save as Doc add-on.  Have a Form and want choices to be eliminated as users select them?  I've found the Choice Eliminator 2 to be quite a time saver.  Take a look at the video on where to find each of these menus and how to run and uninstall these Add-on features.  Have a Google Add-on that you like?  Feel free to leave your comments below.

30 in 30: Day 24 - Deleting and Managing Apps & Extensions

Day 24 in the 30 in 30 series is going to to be a follow-up from yesterday.  In Day 23, I talked about the difference between Apps & Extensions.  And usually when teachers get introduced to them and see everything that is available, they become a little install crazy.  If it is your first time at the Chrome Web Store, you are like a kid in a candy store without a budget.  "Look at all of these free tools....I'll take one of these, and one of these.  I'll try this and I'll try that.  Ohhhh.....and this, this, this and this."  Before you know it you have 16 Apps and 300 Extensions all on and running at the same time.  Trust me, we have all been there.  And after awhile I find that I'm only using 2-3 apps and a handful of extensions on a regular basis.  And if you have too many extensions on an running in the background, your Chrome experience becomes quite bogged down.  Some don't like to play together in the sandbox either.  So let's get rid of what we aren't using.  Apps can be removed by right clicking on the app in the launcher and choosing "Remove from Chrome".  Don't worry, you can always go back and re-install.  In order to disable/enable extensions, you will have to click on the triple dots in the upper right hand corner of Chrome and choosing More Tools --> Extensions.  From this window you can check/uncheck the extensions you want running in the background or even the ability to delete it.  And don't worry, you can always reinstall the extension in the future if you want it back.  Looking for the video on how to manage Apps & Extensions, click here.

If you are an Extension junkie like I am, you might want to consider installing the Extensity extension.  I know....install an extension to manage extensions?  Yes, seems redundant, but it is a great one for enabling and disabling within Chrome.  I highly suggest it.  Click Here for a link to the Extensity extension at the Chrome Web Store.

30 in 30: Day 23 - Google Chrome: Apps vs Extensions

Day 23 in the 30 in 30 series is going to take a look at the difference between an app and an extension in Google Chrome.  If you are like me, at first they can be a little confusing.  In short (to quote chromebook.mobi), Apps are maps and Extensions extend the functionality of Google Chrome.  Apps are maps (URL's) to interactive web pages.  If you want to think about it in basic terms, they are no more than a bookmark.  Just an easy and convenient way (through the Apps Launcher) to get to another website.  Sometimes they are fully integrated with Google, and other times not.  But all are web based.  Meaning that you will have to be on the Internet for these products to work.  And on the other side of the isle are Google Chrome Extensions.  These tools extend the functionality of your Chrome experience.  Think of extensions as a mini software program that increases the functions of the websites that you already use.  These usually include an icon that installs to the right side of the omnibox (web address bar) on the Chrome web browser.  For the video tutorial on the difference between Apps vs Extensions, click here.

For more information on the difference between apps vs extensions, visit the 2010 Chrome Developer article.

30 in 30: Day 22 - Taking Screenshots on a Chromebook

Day 22 in the 30 in 30 series is going to address a simple question that I get asked at least once a week.....How do I take a screenshot on a Chromebook?  And the answer to this question is usually another question....Do you want to take a screenshot of the entire screen or just a portion of the screen?  Both questions will be answered here and both require a combination of keystrokes.  To take a screenshot of everything on your screen you will hold down the Control button and press the Window Switcher key (see image below).  If you are looking to just grab a portion of your screen and save it as an image or have it copied to your clipboard, you will hold down Control + Shift and the Window Switcher key.  Your screen will go dark and your cursor will turn into a + symbol.  Click and drag the portion that you want and viola....screen chunk saved.  And finally the follow up to all of this is.....well where did it go?  It's actually in your downloads saved locally on your Chromebook.  And how do you see them to move them to your drive?  Click the App Launcher icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen. The App Launcher opens.
Locate the app icon for Files and click it.  If you are looking for the video tutorial, click here.

30 in 30: Day 21 - Google Chrome Tab Options

Day 21 in the 30 in 30 series will address a few Google Chrome tab options.  When working in Chrome there have been times that I needed two of the same page or wanted to mute the volume on a page while listening to music on another.  Never fear, Right-Click is here (not everyone will get my Underdog reference).  When working in Chrome, right-clicking on a tab will bring up a few pretty useful options that include: Reload, Duplicate, Pin, Mute, and a few others.  Too many words to try and explain what each of them do, so I put a video together giving you a visual of how they work.  Feel free to explore the options, or watch the video here.  PS - I'm a Right-Click JUNKIE.

30 in 30: Day 20 - Chromebook Shortcuts

Day 20 in the 30 in 30 series going to be a follow up from Day 19.  So we talked about some of the most commonly used shortcuts, but I got this new Chromebook that has some new keys.  I used to have a CAPS LOCK key that is now replaced by a magnifying glass key.  And I'm also missing some keys....like, where did my delete key go?  It takes a little time to figure out how to access some of what I used to have on my old Windows keyboard, but once you get the hang of it, there are some pretty cool shortcuts.  One of the coolest ways to find the shortcuts is to use the Ctrl + Alt + ?  This will bring up an interactive visual window.  Press the CTRL key and it will show you where each of the other Ctrl shortcut keys are (the image below is an example of what you will see).  Press the ALT key and it will show you where each of the other Alt shortcut keys are.  Same goes for Shift or Search although most of the shortcuts reside in the Ctrl or Alt menus.  If you are looking for a complete list, you can find it at the Chromebook Help page.  Hope this helps to get you a little more comfortable and quicker using Chrome OS.

Chrome OS Cheat Sheet.  After a Ctrl + Alt + ? you will
be able to view an interactive window.  Pressing Ctrl, Alt,
Shift or Search you will see where each of the shortcuts live.

30 in 30: Day 19 - General Keyboard Shortcuts

Day 19 in the 30 in 30 series isn't going to have any WOW factor.  Nothing new.  Nothing that you haven't heard of before, but it is worth spending some time on.  What is it?  Just some good old fashioned shortcuts.  While there are a few that I think most of the population of technology users know, like Cut, Copy & Paste (Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C & Ctrl+V) there are a few that I use often, like Ctrl+A for Select All that would come in handy at times if you knew what was available to you.  This post is going to challenge you.  Take a look at the list below.  How many do you know?  How many do you use?  Refer back to this post as often as needed.  The challenge is....learn one new one a day and put it to use.  You will find over time that they will not only save you some time, but will make you more productive, especially when shortcut button isn't available.  Great example: did you know that you can undo inside of Gmail even when the undo button isn't available?  Not to be confused with Undo Send....that is for another day.  Have a shortcut that you use often that isn't on the list?  Leave it in the comments section below.

• Ctrl + Z = Undo
• Ctrl + Y = Redo
• Ctrl + X = Cut
• Ctrl + C = Copy
• Ctrl + V = Paste
• Ctrl + A = Select All
• Ctrl + F = Find
• Ctrl + B = Bold
• Ctrl + I = Italics
• Ctrl + U = Underline
• Ctrl + S = Save
• Ctrl + P = Print
• Ctrl + T = Open New Tab
• Ctrl + Backspace = Delete 1 Word at a Time (instead of a single letter)
• Alt + Tab = Switches Between Open Programs
• Spacebar = Start & Stop in most audio/video programs....like YouTube

30 in 30: Day 18 - Ctrl + Click to open in a New Window

Day 18 in the 30 in 30 series going to address a little trick that I have been using for a few years that really comes in handy.....holding down the Control key while clicking on links to open them in a new window.  While this might not seem all that purposeful, I use it quite a bit when browsing websites or clicking on links while I am reading an email. I can even click on bookmarked icons (click here for the previous post on Managing Bookmarks) to load them in the background while continuing to work in my current Chrome window.  Click here if you want to watch the video of this tool in action.

30 in 30: Day 17 - Searching Google Drive more Effectively

Day 17 in the 30 in 30 series will take a look at how to search Google Drive more effectively.  One of the nice features of Drive is the ability to use Google's search box to find your Docs, Sheets, Slides or any file that you have saved in your Drive.  And while most know that this search box exists, not many use all of the search features that are available. Rather than just searching for what you think that name of the file is that someone shared with you.....or was it something that you created?  Hmmm.....didn't find it.  Maybe I called it something else?  Did I even save it here?  These are all questions that I hear when helping teachers.  Let's refine what we are looking for to help narrow those search results from Drive.  You do this by clicking on the down arrow in the Drive search box.  This will bring up a dialog box that will allow you to specifiy what you are looking for and bring back more specific and relevant results.  The image below is an example of what you will find.  If you are looking for the video to help explain searching Google Drive, you can find it here.

30 in 30: Day 16 - Aw, Snap! Clearing your Browsing Data in Chrome

Day 16 in the 30 in 30 series is going to address a little problem that seems to have a pretty simple solution.  I'm sure that we have all experienced that little message while using Google Chrome, "Aw, Snap!"  And while the message may be slightly funny that Google has presented us with, the problem is less than hilarious....especially when we have 30+ students sitting in seats waiting on us.  Not only has this funny little message presented a technical issue, but also a classroom management issue.  And while the Chromeboxes and Chromebooks have a relatively fast startup time, most of the time this doesn't seem to do the trick.  What I have found that seems to be successful most of the time is clearing your Browsing Data.  Google likes to keep track of stuff.  It makes it easier to find the websites that you need and fill in the forms again.  And while this is convenient at first, over time it creates a system overload.  Given the days, months and years worth of sites, forms, usernames, passwords and other "stuff" that Google likes to keep, it doesn't have a way of clearing up the resources to make our machines run faster.  We must do it manually.  And while I will suggest obliterating Browsing history, Download history, Cookies and Cached images and files, you can check or uncheck any or all of them.  The fastest way to clear your browsing data is a shortcut.  Ctrl + Shift + Delete will bring up the dialog box you see below.  If you are looking for the video on how to clear browsing data, click here.  You can also click here for the Google Help Link.  Hope this little trick helps to get things back to how they were when you first discovered the speed and reliability of Google Chrome.

30 in 30: Day 15 - Gmail: Customize with Style & Conversation View

Day 15 in the 30 in 30 series is the final day in the week of Gmail.  Today we are going to take a look at changing the default text for the body of a composed email and also a feature that I just can't live without.....Conversation View.  Both are accessed from the same place inside of Gmail.  Click on the Settings gear in the upper right hand corner of the screen and choose settings.  The style feature will allow you to change the way the text looks in the body of an email.  It's also pretty simple if you want to get it back to the default look.  More importantly is the use of conversation view.  By toggling conversation view on or off, you can choose how email replies are returned to you.  This is especially useful if you are emailing multiple people at the same time.  Do you want each of the responses to be returned as a separate email or do you want them all to be housed inside of a single thread?  No right or wrong answer, just how you want it to look.  And the nice thing, is that you can toggle back and forth without having to loose any features if you don't like the way it looks.  It will separate or group your conversations back to how you like them.  Looking for the video on how to get this done, you will find it here.

30 in 30: Day 14 - Gmail: Using Stars to Identify Important Emails

Day 14 in the 30 in 30 series is about using the "stars" feature in Gmail to mark emails with different priority levels.  Because Gmail comes with 12 different star labels, each one could have a different meaning for you.  Even if your inbox only has 20-25 emails (now that you have been archiving all of the ones that you don't need right now and will be able to search for in the future) you may still want to mark those ones that need your immediate attention or the ones that you can wait on.  If you are a visual person and want those few important emails to stick out, Stars might be just what you are looking for.  You can get to Stars in Gmail by clicking on the Settings gear in the upper right hand corner and scrolling down in the General section.  You can use as many or as few stars as you would like and they appear in the order that you arrange them.  For the video on how this is done, click here.

30 in 30: Day 13 - Gmail: Personalize with a Signature and Profile Picture

Day 13 in the 30 in 30 series will help you add a little customization to Gmail.  Creating a custom signature that will automatically be added to the bottom of every email sent and adding a profile picture so that when people get an email from you it is more than just a member of the Blue Man Group.  Both of these features can be done from the same Gmail settings screen.

Default Gmail
profile picture

We will first talk about adding a signature.  Most teachers have already figured out this feature.  It's great for adding any of the redundant information at the bottom of any email that you send.  Name, phone number with extension, email address, grade level and maybe even when the best time to call you.  The second feature, setting a profile picture, is something that most teachers don't have.  Either by choice or because they don't know where to set.  Knowing where to set it....that is an easy one.  Inside of Gmail, click on the Settings gear in the upper right corner and choose Settings.  On the General tab if you scroll down you will see the section that says My Picture.  Click on Change Picture, locate and upload your photo and BAM, profile picture update.

For those of you that don't want to use an actual photo of yourself, may I suggest a couple of online Avatar makers.  This is a fun way to customize your profile picture without having to use an actual picture.  A couple good ones are Pickaface and Avatar Maker.  Both are pretty straight forward and allow a ton of customization.  Create one that looks like you or get a little crazy.  Either way, it will make it a little more personal.

For those of you that are looking for the video tutorial, click here to watch how to add a signature or change your profile picture.

Avatars created with Pickaface

30 in 30: Day 12 - Gmail: Priority Inbox

Day 12 in the 30 in 30 series will keep it pretty simple.  Priority Inbox is far from anything new, but unless it is something that you turned on when it first came out in July of 2010 you probably don't even know that it exists.  If you would like an overview video of Priority Inbox, you can click here.  Looking for where to turn it on or off in Gmail, click on the Settings gear in the upper right corner of Gmail.  Go to the Inbox category and you will see where you can change the Inbox type.  If you choose Priority Inbox, you will then be directed to make a few changes and wha-lah, messages that have a higher priority arrive at the top.  Looking for the video that will help to explain how to get there, click here and I'll show you.  Time to make organizing Gmail a Priority.

30 in 30: Day 11 - Gmail: Separate your Inbox into Categories

Day 11 in the 30 in 30 series is going to help you organize that mess that you call an Inbox.  For most teachers, staying on top of the 30-40+ emails a day can be quite overwhelming.  Just taking the time to sift through what is important that needs a response and that 50% off coupon to Kohl's takes time.  What if I told you that you could separate your inbox into categories so that emails get organized in the right place.  You would only have to worry about the "Primary" inbox while you are at school and could sort through the social posts and promotions when you get home.  Add or remove inbox categories & tabs in Gmail became available a few years ago and is an efficient way to separate the important emails from the ones that can wait.  You do this by clicking on the Settings Gear in the upper right corner of Gmail.  Chose Configure Inbox and select the categories that you want to use.  Use as many or as few as you like.  It even gives you suggestions as to what it will place in each of the categories.  And don't worry, if you don't like it you can always go back to having a single inbox.  Click here if you would like to watch the video to see it in action.

30 in 30: Day 10 - Gmail: Searching with Options

Day 10 in the 30 in 30 series is going to piggyback from what was talked about on Day 9.  Once you start to archive your emails instead of deleting them, you can then go back and search for what you need when you need it.  While most teachers will just go back up to the search bar in Gmail and type in the who or what, I'm going to suggest that you take it one step further.  Most of the time you know some specific information about what you are looking for; like who it is from, a key word or date from the email, did it include an attachment or not or even if it was only sent to me.  Try expanding the search box to show you all of  the options so you actually get exactly what you are looking for and not what Gmail thinks you want.  Looking for a more detailed description of what I am talking about, click here to watch the video on how to use the search options in Gmail.

30 in 30: Day 9 - Gmail: Archive vs Delete

Day 9 in the 30 in 30 series will start a week of posts dedicated to Gmail.  Good, bad or indifferent, this tool has taken over as the #1 form of communication. Today I am going to take a look at the difference between deleting vs archiving in Gmail.  A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away we used to be limited by storage.  Massive hard drives were expensive and space was at a premium.  You couldn't keep things forever, especially those emails with photos or videos attached.  They would really take away from how many emails that you could save over time and how long you could keep emails stored.  But luckily for us, we are living in the age of Google, where storage is unlimited (for educational domains) and everything is backed up to the Cloud.  For me, this meant changing my habit of deleting emails from my inbox to archiving everything.  When you delete an email, Gmail will permanently remove it from your trash within 30 days.  So going back and searching for that important email or contact that you accidently deleted a few months back is impossible.  I would suggest archiving those emails after you are done with them and want to clear them out of your inbox.  By archiving, it actually removes the "Inbox" label from them, but keeps them in your "All Mail" container.  This way, if you want to go back and search for that important email that you archived from a few years back, it will still be there.  For a more detailed look at archiving vs deleting, click here to watch the video.

30 in 30: Day 8 - Advanced Image Search Tools

Day 8 in the 30 in 30 series is going to be about an underutilized Google tool called the Advanced Google Image Search.  Teachers are always using images and pictures.  Agendas, newsletters, worksheets and classroom displays to name a few.  They go to Google, type in what they are looking for, click on the images tab and then scroll through page after page of the million search results until they find what they are looking for.....only to realize after that the image is too small, too big or wasn't really what they wanted after all.  Repeating this process until the kids come in from recess and then finishing it up after school.  If you know what you are looking for, be specific and ask for it.  Google's Advanced Image Search will let you really refine what you are looking for.  This is a great option, but at times is too involved and doesn't let me get what I want fast enough.  This is where the Tools button comes in handy.  You can filter your results, and usually everything that you are looking for, right from within Google's image search results.  If you are looking to get better results from your Google image search, click here to watch the video that will show you how to use it.

If you are trying to figure out the differences between file formats, here is a great blog post that explains it.  In a nutshell here is what you need to know:

• .jpg - the most common image file, probably what most pictures are saved as
• .gif - used for clipart and images with animations (animated GIF's) that are not movies
• .png - used for clipart and allow transparency (grey and white checkerboard background)

Here are a couple of school house examples of each of the image types:

Example of a .jpg with white background

Example of .png with transparent background

Example of an animated .gif