Thing 5- Not Google Gold, Google Chrome

It's been awhile since I was able to get back in the swing of things for class, so I've got some catching up to do.  I'll be able to get some things explored as the baby sleeps!  Today's thing is all about Google Chrome.  I've used Google Chrome as my main browser for a few years now, but, by that I mean I've clicked the icon.  I really haven't used Chrome until now.  I never used the apps/extensions before, and I never "signed in" to Chrome.  I am pretty impressed by the vast amount of apps and extensions available.  This will definitely be something I look into using on my personal computer, in addition to my school laptop.

First App/Extension: Save to Google Drive

As simple as it sounds, this is a pretty amazing extension, if only for one reason- I can finally stop looking up how to do a screen shot!  I really like being able to share something like this as quickly as this enables.  As soon as you click the extension, you are able to go into your drive and share it with people.  However, after awhile of playing around with it, it seems I was only able to save pictures (screenshots).  I wondered if it would be possible to save pages as text, so it would be easier to make changes or modifications.  A right-click on the extension gave me some options, one of which included saving it as a google doc.  However, when I tried to use the extension, it still only produced an image.  This will have to be something I continue to tinker with.

Second App/Extension: goo.gl URL Shortener

I swear I am not being lazy and just picking the first two suggested extensions to review!  I actually really like this extension.  I send a lot of emails out to parents regarding where to find information about Washburne Athletics.  The link for that site is pretty long, and makes my emails to parents look longer than they should be.  Using this extension, I'll be able to keep the links short, and the emails "appear" interesting to parents.  Also, hidden in this extension, is a way to create a QR code for a link.  Although I have not used QR codes before, this is good to know how to easily create one in case I decide to use them.  One thing to note about the URL shortener- if you are typing the URL in directly, the caps matter!

https://goo.gl/FPIbma 

Third App/Extension: Human 3.0

For the third item I chose to review, I tried to think of some kind of app/extension that I could use with my students.  In 7th grade we teach the basic muscles of the human body.  We've always used this same crude drawing of a person with the muscles outlined.  It's tough to really tell where the muscles are, how big they are, and interact with the sheet of paper in anyway.  This app allows you to look at a human body, and not only see every muscle, but also all of the bones, nerves, ligaments, organs- you name it!  It is beautifully colored in, and has amazing details.  You can click on the individual muscle, and learn more about it.  This is definitely something I'll keep in mind and try to use this upcoming winter.  In addition, it has a section about conditions that people can suffer from.  I thought this could be another option for kids who are unable to physically participate to work on.  They could use this app to look up their condition and find more information about it.  This could be something else to use to keep the kinds involved.