There's a new Chrome in town.

Image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Chrome

    Move over, Jeeves! There's a better browser in town! 

    Seriously, if you haven't tried Google's Chrome browser, you're missing out. 

    It took me longer to open a new tab and type the search than it took Google Chrome to send me the results of my search. (Someone find Jeeves a chair to sit in, please.)

    But, that's not all. One of my favorite sections of the browser is Google Scholar. This is a specialized section of Google's search engine specifically for locating academic articles for research. If you don't have access to another scholarly database, this one will find your sources. 😉

    Another one of my favorite parts of Chrome is the ability to open as many tabs as I need. As an English teacher instructing three different grade levels, there are times I have 6 or more tabs open per class. Admittedly, the more I open, the slower my laptop operates; however, that's where another great feature steps in -- Google Extensions.

    Extensions allow Chrome users to quickly and easily access programs they decide are fabulous. To get to the Extensions (and Apps if you're on a Chromebook), go to the Chrome Web Store. Extensions can be shortcuts or mini-versions to larger, web-based, programs. Or they can be their own stand-alone program. (Hey, get Jeeves a towel to wipe that nervous sweat off his face.)

    The first extension I use is OneTab. This extension allows me to funnel all of my open tabs into one tab with links to those tabs (hehehe, the program's icon is a funnel). And, viola, running back at full speed since I freed up all that memory. If I need that tab open again, all I do is click on the link and it opens right back up. 

   The next Extension also benefits my teacher super-powers--being able to see the grades I've assigned in Google Classroom while trying to input them in the gradebook. Tab-resize allows me to split my screen into two or more different tabs. So, I can have Classroom open in one tab and the gradebook open in the other and not have to switch back and forth between the two all the while trying to remember the name of the last student I put in. 😵

   
   Look at that! 4 ways to view tabs! (Can someone bring Jeeves a glass of cool, fresh water? He's looking a little peaked.)

    The final Extension I'm going to share with you is the one I've been using to annotate all my screenshots, Nimbus Screenshot. Nimbus's built-in editor has allowed me to add pointed lines, circle numbers, and type words. In addition, you can capture different parts of the webpage, like the whole screen, the scrolled screen, or just a section that you select. Then, it has multiple ways to save and share the screenshot--as an image, in your Google Drive, on your clipboard, or even print it. 

    The final topic for this week is Google+. Like all of Google's tools, it's linked to your FREE Google account (which includes a FREE email account). This is Google's version of a social network and includes Collections, Communities, and Connections. Collections are pieces you or someone else puts together that are full of links and data that you think belongs together. You can follow someone else's Collection, but you cannot add to it and vice versa if someone follows your Collection. Also, you can have more than one Collection. Communities are groups of people that gather online to discuss a certain topic of that group. For instance, teaching, photography, and sewing (my three favorite searches). Each one of these has many Communities you can choose to belong to (or leave when it gets crazy on Saturday Slinky Sewing night). Lastly, the Connections in Google+ are people you are interested in that you choose to follow. Just a word of advice, pick your Connections carefully because if you're unsure of Betty Bloopers on your staff, you're probably not going to like what she shares on Google+. 

Here's a quick Google+ tutorial from YouTuber Yeah Likes.

    In the end, it's up to you to choose the web browser that fits you the best. But, you can't go wrong with Chrome. 💗

    Say, can someone help me get Jeeves out the door? He seems to have slipped off the chair when I mentioned Betty Bloopers.


*****NOTE: I am aware that Jeeves was not a web browser but a search engine; however, his name fit better than Explorer.*****