Why you should consider using the Chrome browser

Coke or Pepsi, Puffs or Kleenex, and of course Internet Explorer (IE) or Chrome (no offense Firefox, Opera, or Safari) different names for basically the same product. In the case of IE or Chrome we are referring to web browsers. Hopefully we are familiar with that term but just to be sure web browsers are relatively small pieces of software that allow you to browse the World Wide Web.

Many of us use Internet Explorer because it is what we are used to or because it has been the only option but if you had another option, would you still use it? I want to present some hopefully compelling options as to why you should consider moving over to Chrome.

1. Google Web Store - Chrome is a Google product and as such is very customizable using Apps and Extensions that are found in the Google Web Store. The functionality of Chrome can extend far beyond simply browsing the web to include cloud based services such as photo editing, video creation, organizational tools, and so much more! 
2. Google Drive / Apps - Google Drive is your cloud based storage giving you 30 GB of space to store nearly any filetype you choose. The Google suite of Apps (Slides, Docs, Sheets, & Drawings) tie directly into Google Drive and facilitate collaboration and sharing in an extremely intuitive manner. While both Drive and the suite of Apps are accessible in other browsers the best and most stable experience is when used with the Chrome browser. Each member of the GCS community has a Google Drive / Apps account so if you are not using it contact a member of the Technology Team to find out how! 
3. Synchronization - Chrome is capable of keeping your browsing experience fully synchronized across multiple computers. As long as you sign into Chrome and link your data when prompted your browser pulls your settings from the cloud delivering your Chrome experience. What do I mean when I say settings? 

As you can see from the image you also have the ability to prevent the synchronization of specific aspects. 

As you might be able to guess by now, I am a Chrome person. I like the way it operates and generally it makes the things I do on the World Wide Web easier and more efficient but that doesn't mean it will for you and that's OK!

Regardless of your favorite browser it is a very good idea to have both installed and be comfortable working in each. By doing so you are modeling an important, yet often overlooked aspect of educational technology which is confident flexibility. Confidence in yourself that you know what both are and flexibility by understanding that sometimes a website or service might exhibit odd behaviors in Internet Explorer but work perfectly in Chrome (or vice versa), so trying both is critical.

In the middle of a lesson and things aren't going as you expect with a particular webpage? Don't let frustration derail the momentum, relax, breathe, and know that your first action should be to try the same webpage in a different browser. It might just solve the problem and your students can observe you dealing with a tech obstacle in a positive manner.

To clarify my use of a service

I like to go back and review my post after a little time has passed just to be sure I am happy with the content, tone, look and feel. After completing that process a few minutes ago it occurred to me that my use of a particular service could be misconstrued. If you followed any of my example links you may have noticed that I used a website titled "Let Me Google That For You" or lmgtfy.com.
The site was created as a sarcastic response to users that might ask a question of another user whom they perceive as more savvy. Often times the more savvy user would run a Google search and provide the results to the original inquisitor, thus lmgtfy.com was born.
Hear me loud and clear when I say:

This is not the reason I use lmgtfy! I will never use it in a sarcastic manner, either on this blog or any other format. I will however "use the force for good" and take advantage of a great tool for sharing random search techniques within Google.

Stay positive!

Jason

Advanced Google Searching for the Classroom

I am confident that you the reader, are comfortable using Google to complete a general search on a given topic or idea. What I want to share with this post are some ways to refine your searches and tune Google to bring you exactly what you are looking for on the first try.

Search operators consist of words or symbols that are used to restrict your results to a given parameter. For instance, you could use the 'filetype:' operator to specify that only a certain type of file be returned.

Here are some common search operators and how that might fit into classroom use:

• filetype: - when used with a search it will limit the results to those that also match the specified format. Here is an example of its' use. Common file types are:
• Audio - mp3, vorbis, aac, wma, flac, aup (audacity project file), band (Garageband music)
• Video - avi, mpeg, mp4, mov, flv (flash video), f4v (flash video)
• Video Editing Projects - wlmp (Windows Live Movie Maker), imovieproj, fcp (Final Cut Pro)
• Documents - doc, docx, rtf, pdf, odt, wpd, 
• Images - png, jpg, bmp, gif, tiff,
• Presentations - ppt, pptx, gslides, odp, otp (template), key,
• Spreadsheets - xls, xlsx, ods, ots (template), csv, gsheet, numbers, 
• Archive / Compression - zip, rar, 7z, dmg, iso, 

This is by no means a comprehensive list! For more complete, and overwhelming list check the wikipedia entry here. 

• site: - when used in combination with a specific URL the results are restricted to only that site. Here is an example of its' use. This could be used to help direct students to specific sites on a broader level or contain the search to known resources. Either way some preparation on the part of the instructor might be needed to curate what site is used. Current event searches directly into a specific new site (cnn.com or msnbc.com) could be an example activity. 

• .. - this one is subtle but used to establish a range. For example "celtics 1983..1984" or "fender $350..$1000". 

• related: - when used in combination with a specific URL the results are other URLs that contain similar content. Here is an example of its use. This operator is useful for both students and teachers alike who may know of one specific site but need similar to reference for a lesson or project.

• * - the asterisk can be used in place of the unknown. It is used to represent a wildcard in this instance and many others related to computing. It can be especially useful when searching for partial phrases and should be used in conjunction with quotations. For example, "it was * times *worst"

In summary, there are many different ways to refine your search and make Google work more efficiently hopefully I have shed some light on some that were previously unknown. If I failed to mention your favorite search operator please feel free to add to the conversation with a comment. 

Stay positive. 

Jason

Unknown Potential

The first step is always the hardest. A cliche statement but not one that lacks in truth. For me opening this blog has been, and is, a scary step but one that is essential to achieving the goals I have for digital learning in my district.

My hope for this blog is for it to become a place of reflection and sharing of all things related to technology in education. From tips and tricks, integration ideas, fixes, and all things in between and across a variety of platforms I hope you find something useful while you are here. I don't proclaim to be a writer of any sort so I apologize in advance for poor transitions and the occasional run on sentence. I will do my best to share what I know in an entertaining and understandable fashion. Comments are always welcome so feel free to join the conversation!

Without further hesitation, let's push away from dock and set a course into the unknown.

“Oh, yesterdays are over my shoulder,
So I can't look back for too long.
There's just too much to see waiting in front of me,
and I know that I just can't go wrong.”  

-- Jimmy Buffett, "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes"

Cheers,

Jason