Classtools.net

Looking for a fun way to engage students?  Classtools.net has a array of easy to use tools to create class starters, lesson helpers and more.

It includes customizable games and jpegs, timers, etc.

It's worth a look.  I created the pic below with classtools.net.

GET CAPS LOCK BACK!

Would you like the Caps Lock feature on your Chromebook?

All Chromebooks come with a a key in the place of the old CAPS LOCK key.  It has a magnifying glass symbol on it and takes you to a Google search when pushed.

However, you can change it back to Caps Lock.  Follow these steps if you would like your CAPS LOCK BACK!

1. Settings (Lower Right of Home Screen)

2.  Device (3rd category down from top)

3. Keyboard Settings

4.  Change Search button pull down menu to Caps Lock and click OK.

Gmail Calendar Gadget

Do you use Gmail and Google Calendar?  Do you find that sometimes you don't check your calendar at the right time and miss something?
Well I have your answer.  Enable Google Calendar Gadget in Gmail and it will create a small scrolling list of events on your calendar right in Gmail.  Now, when you check your mail, you will easily be able to see if you have any upcoming events.
There goes your excuse for missing that meeting you may or may not have wanted to go to.

Follow the directions in the video to enable.  It's easy and you can turn it off easily if you don't like it.

Instruction Video

Update Your Chromebook

Your Chromebook automatically updates when you restart, and will ask you to update with a little arrow in the lower left hand corner of your screen.
However, sometimes we don't restart for awhile or other circumstance preclude us from getting updates.  This can cause odd things to happen with your device.
To ensure your Chromebook is running the newest version of Chrome (it's operating system), just follow these easy directions:

1.  Click on the system tray in the lower right hand corner.

2.  Click on settings.

4.  Click on Check for and apply updates.

5.  Let the update checker do it's thing.  IF an update is necessary, it will download it and apply it and ask you to restart Chromebook when finished.  That's all.

Install/Update Powerschool Gradebook

How to install\update Powerschool Gradebook.

1.  Log into Powerschool Teacher.
2.  Click on "Installer".  It will download in about 2 minutes.

3.  Click on the download folder of your browser and double click ptg_Client_Install-win.exe.  Install the software.

4.  After the software has been installed, click on "Launch" in Powerschool Teacher.  Again, you may have to go to download folder of your browser to click on LaunchGradebook.ptg.

5.  Gradebook should open now.


This is a one time deal and you should not have to reinstall until your version is out of date.

Snap Windows Left and Right On A Chromebook

Just like the Windows Snap feature that came out in Windows 7, you can dock two separate windows on the left and right sides of the screen for multitasking. It’s great if you’re editing spreadsheets, for instance, as you can update the spreadsheet on one side of the screen and view source data on the other side. You can also assign different browser tabs to each half of the screen.

Just like in Windows, you can dock two windows side by side.

To snap a window to the left or right side of your Chromebook's display, click and hold the title bar or tab, then simply drag it to the left or right edge of the screen.

Arrange Your Shelf

The shelf has many of the features you may know from the Windows taskbar. You can even relocate it to the left or right side of the screen, though not the top. Just right-click it and choose your desired location.

Move the shelf to the left or right side of the screen.

The Chrome OS shelf also gives you some flexibility in how you launch apps. You can right-click an app and select to open it by default as a window, pinned tab, or full screen. For example, I tell Gmail to launch in a separate window so it acts like a standalone application.

Chromebook Fullscreen Mode

Immersive fullscreen mode allows you to utilize the full screen of your Chromebook to do your work.  For instance, if you are working on a Doc and you would just like to see the doc itself and no other tabs.  Just get into fullscreen mode and there you go.

It is simple, click on this button

to shift back and forth between regular mode and fullscreen.


In Immersive mode, additional tabs are represented by horizontal bars along the top of the screen. Your shelf is represented by similar bars, so you can still switch between apps in Immersive mode if you don't feel like using one of the many Chrome keyboard shortcuts.

 

"Right Click" On A Chromebook

You can choose from multiple options, such as the ones you see when you "right click" on a PC, on a Chromebook.

There are two ways to accomplish this.

First, you can click your trackpad with two fingers instead of one.

Second, you can press alt and click at the same time.

Alt+Click will give you the "right click" menu which allows many quick and easy options.  You can click on links, tabs, docs, anything and you will see more options.

Of course, if you have a mouse attached to your Chromebook, you can simply right click.

Press Alt when clicking to see menu.

Todays Tech Tip - 3/19/15

Chromebook Launcher Tips

You can do alot of things by clicking on the "waffle" in the lower left hand side of your Chromebook screen.  The "waffle", also known as the launcher, is a search engine in itself.

You can:

1.  Use it as a calculator.  Just type in your problem and you will get an answer.

2.  Use it to convert units.

3.  Do a voice search.  Click on the microphone and say what you are searching for.

The launcher can do many things.  Besides finding your apps, you can find a whole lot more there.

Todays Tech Tip - 3/5/15

There are many keyboard shortcuts on a Chromebook.  We all know Control+C is copy and Control+V is paste, but there are many more.
To remember them all is impossible, but here is a little trick to help out.
If you press Control+Alt+? you will see a keyboard shortcut overlay.  It shows all the shortcuts and which keys need to be pressed for each.
Don't try to remember them all, pick one you like or use often and remember that one.  You can add them periodically.
Or just remember Control+Alt+? and you can look them up each time.

Keyboard Shortcut Overlay

List of all shortcuts

How to Take a Screenshot on a Chromebook

Let’s say you need to take a snap of your entire screen. To do this you press the ‘Ctrl’ and ‘Window Switcher’ keys at the same time:

If you just want to capture a specific area of the screen just add shift to the key combo, like so:


After hitting the shortcut the screen will briefly flash white and a notification to confirm its success (or failure) will follow.



Clicking on the notification will open the Chrome OS file manager. All screenshots are saved as high-quality .PNG files, and stored in the Downloads folder for easy retrieval.

How to Change ESU 10 Email Password

ESU 10 email has a policy that prompts users to change passwords once every year.  When you get an email from them prompting you to change passwords, follow this procedure.

1.  Determine which account they are referring to.  If the email from TUMS is addressed to yourname@ordps.org, ignore it.  If it is addressed to yourname@esu10.org, you must change your password.

2.  Go to www.esu10.org.

3.  Scroll to bottom of front page, click on Webmail Login.

4.  Click on Change Password link at bottom of that page.

5.  You will be asked to enter your current email address and password.  Once you have successfully logged in, the directions for continuing will be displayed.  Follow those directions and viola!  you have changed your password.  Easy, right?

Try Microsoft Office 365

You can get a free Microsoft Office 365 account if you are a student or teacher at Ord Public Schools.  Simply follow the link below to get started.


http://products.office.com/en-US/student/office-in-education?

Click on find out if you are eligible and you will be on your way to using Office 365 Online.

Office 365 is an online version of Microsoft productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Onenote.

Change Firefox Search Engines

Firefox recently updated it's browser and one of the key changes affected the search box in the upper right hand corner.
The default search engine for Firefox is now Yahoo!  This creates a problem in our school as the secure version of the Yahoo! search engine is blocked (it will just not load the page).  It also creates a problem for those who prefer Google or Bing etc.

To change this setting in Firefox, follow these directions:

1.  Open Firefox.
2.  Click on the magnifying glass in the search box.
3.  Click on Change Search Settings.
4.  Use pull-down menu at top to change default search engine to Google.
5.  Close settings window.

Bad news is this setting will change back when you restart Firefox.