The Big G Black Bar Sorter

Another simple, yet awesome Google Chrome Extension is the:

BIG G BLACK BAR SORTER!!!

For me personally, I would get so annoyed by the items in my Black control bar and there location within my Google account.  Particularly, when the one I wanted to get to was under the "More" drop down menu.
You know, this Black Bar:

This Chrome Extension fixes that problem!  With BIG G BLACK BAR SORTER I can now customize where literally every word goes on my Black Bar!  How fabulous is that?  Check out the difference now in this screenshot below compared to the one above:

Hopefully you can see some differences, but perhaps most importantly notice Groups is gone and I added Reader in its place which used to be under the "More" drop down!  Now I am a couple less clicks to get to Reader and my efficiency has just increased because I use Reader more often and maybe not Groups and I save myself the step of having to click on "more" and pull down and click the one I need.

So, why not customize your Black Tool Bar!?!?!  Put the words you want up there and in there.  Maybe you only want three of them.  No problem.  Drag the ones you don't want to see or you are not using over to the "More" area and now they are gone.  You have to have the "More" pull down clicked to pull words to it and from it to your Black Bar or away from your Black Bar.

It could look like this:

So customize away my friends!  Use the Chrome Extension BIG G BLACK BAR SORTER to make it happen.

A Real Gem: Chrome Extensions

"Work smarter, not harder." Google makes it easy to make this phrase reality with Chrome Extensions.  What is an extension?  According to Wikipedia, a Chrome Extension is defined as "... small programs that modify the Google Chrome browser. These extensions are written using web technologies like HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. Google Chrome Extensions are downloadable through the Google Chrome Extensions Gallery.

My favorite Chrome Extension right now is the URL Shortener / QR Code Generator.  Click this LINK to go to the Google Chrome Store and download the extension. The extension will sit in your Chrome browser next on the right side of the URL.  

Just click icon of the extension and the URL is shortened and a QR code is created!

Ideas for use:  

1. Create shortened URL’s that are easier for students to type.
2. Make QR Codes to YouTube Playlists, websites, calendars, and more.
3. Copy / Paste / Print QR codes and hang in the classroom / workspace that link to interesting information.
4. Use the zoom feature to make the code larger so students can scan URL right off the screen.

Do you have a favorite Chrome Extension?  Add it to our growing Google Doc HERE that I started during the #nebedchat. 

View the doc and go to the Chrome Store. Install a few extensions that help you “work smarter, not harder.”

-Ann Feldmann

Turn OFF the LIGHTS!!

It's Time to Turn OFF the Lights!  

I have always enjoyed going to the Movie Theater to catch a couple of hours of some mindless entertainment in the dark with my pop and popcorn!  I could go to the Movies every weekend if the wife would let me.

It also so happens that I love YouTube!!  Maybe I am a sucker for a good movie or video, but I seriously LOVE YouTube!  Movies and video can alter how we think.  They can change our mood.  They can motivate us to want to be better.  They can inspire us!  They can enhance our classroom lessons!  We can learn from them.  I learned of a gem that you can find in the Chrome Web Store.

Recently, I attended the Google Certified Teacher Academy and @remedy1978 showed us this awesome Google Chrome Extension called “Turn OFF the Lights”!

Turn OFF the Lights is a fantastic little extension that will take YouTube videos and darken the entire screen around the video and leave your video lit up!  The focus will solely be on your video you want to show the kids in your classroom!  No distractions!  

I love the feature of having a blue light behind it like you see in the screenshot above!  It really makes it POP!!  You can choose from four other background colors in the settings:  red, yellow, green, and a different blue.

Simply go to Google Chrome and head to the Chrome Web Store to download the extension.  It is FREE!!  Of course, it can only be used in the browser Google Chrome because this is a Chrome extension.  

Watch this quick tutorial put together by the #tt4t YouTube Channel Team on how to get “Turn off the lights” on your computer now!  CLICK HERE TO VIEW.