Weekly Tech Tip #5 - Running Updates

At NCS we use an "empowered user" model for all teacher and staff Macbooks. This means you have admin rights and one of the easiest ways to keep your computer running like a champ is to make sure you are always running your updates. Periodically you may see an email from the IT department that asks you to avoid a particular update, but for the most part regularly running updates is an excellent practice. The ones that we do ask you to avoid are large operating system changes, such as an update from 10.11 (El Capitan) to 10.12 (Sierra).

Updates fall into three main categories

Mac Updates
All updates for the Apple operating system or any Apple programs can be found in the Mac App Store. When you launch this application you should be asked whether or not you want to run the updates right now. Occasionally you might be asked for the store@natomascharter.org password. If this happens you can find that password on this Google Doc (NCS Staff only).

Microsoft Office Updates
Word or Excel acting wonky? Try running Microsoft Office updates. When you launch Word or Excel the autoupdate feature should launch for you. If it does not you can always trigger it by clicking Help in any MS Office application.

Google Chrome Update
Have you ever noticed that your Google Chrome has three red or orange lines at the right side of the toolbar? That means it needs an update. You can complete this task by going to the Chrome Help Menu (chrome://help/). Sometimes, if you have waited too long Chrome may not update for you. If this happens, navigate to the Chrome website, download an updated version, and install the program.

Tuesday Tech Tip #8 - Screenshots

Last week I wrote a post about screencasts, great tools for sharing information through video. What if you just need a picture and not a full video? In that case screenshots are the solution. Screenshots are simply photographs of either a portion or all of your computer screen. Once snapped they can be easily shared via email, inserted in presentations, or posted on website. Depending on your computer platform or tool you have a few different ways to take a screenshot

Apple OSX
The ability to take a screenshot it built right into the Apple operating system. You have three choices for creating your image - snap an image of the entire screen, just one window, or a customized area.

• Entire Screen - Simply hold press Command+Shift+3 (all three buttons at the same time) and an image of your screen will be deposited on your desktop. If you have your speakers turned on you will even hear a camera-shutter sound.
• Just One Window - Press Command+Shift+4, move your mouse over the window you would like to capture, press the Spacebar, and click the mouse. On your desktop you will now have an image of that window. If your speakers are turned on you will hear the same camera shutter sound.
• Custom Section of the Screen - Press Command+Shift+4. Move your mouse to the upper left section you would like to capture, hold down the mouse, and drag to the lower right section would like to capture. When you let go of the mouse your screenshot will be deposited on the desktop.

For more detailed instructions check out this Apple Support webpage.

Windows 7

Devices running Windows 7 also have the ability to snap screenshots. This is done using the Print Screen button (PrtScn). Simply press PrtScn, launch Paint and paste the image into the program. Once pasted you can save the file and a picture to be used in another program. If you would like to only capture one program window click the window you would like to capture and press Alt+PrtScn and follow the same steps using Paint. More detailed directions can be found in this Windows tutorial.

Using Snagit for Chrome
If you're using a Chromebook OR you want the ability to easily annotate at screenshot of a website with text, arrows, or shapes then check out Snagit for Chrome. This free Chrome extension and app will allow you to quickly capture online resources, annotate key details, and share images via weblinks. The tool is free to download and will work with any NCS Google account. This video demonstrates how to install and use Snagit for Chrome.

The Snagit Extension activated in Chrome

Adding annotations in Snagit

iOS - iPad/iPod/iPhone
Last, but certainly not least is an iPad/iPhone. You can snap a screenshot by holding down the power and home button together for a brief moment. The screen will flash and an image will automatically be added to the Camera Roll. If you would like to annotate the photo from that point, check out Skitch for iPad/iPhone.

Screenshots are quick and easy ways to share information whether the content is a teaching tool or a student sharing their project. If you have any questions please let me know.

Joe

Photo: Kodak Brownie Starlet by Silvio Tanaka on Flickr

Chrome is the New Black

Okay, so I completely stole that title from Mark Hammons' session at the CUE conference. However, it is a great lead into all of the amazing things Chrome can do for you. It is important to realize too that Chrome is more than just the browser on your computer, it is also the basis for the Chromebook's operating system. Pretty much anything you can do in Chrome, you can also do on a Chromebook.

Previously, I have written about some great educational uses for Chrome including Desmos Graphing Calculator, Geogebra, and BioDigital and we even have an entire page on the NCS PD Portal dedicated to using Google Chrome. However, below are three things I find myself using all the time and are great places to being customizing Google Chrome for yourself. I would also highly, highly, highly recommend checking out my friend JR Ginex-Orinion's page of Chromando resources.

Boomerang for Gmail
This might be my most favorite Chrome tool. Boomerang allows you to schedule emails or set up an email so that it resends every few days until you get a response. I use this tool to send all of my regularly scheduled emails, such as the weekly PD schedule. This way I can create the email when I have time (usually Friday or Sunday afternoon) and make sure it sends at the correct time (Monday mornings).

Customizing Search Engines
In Chrome Settings I always saw the button for Manage Search Engines, but I thought it was just for setting your default - Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. I does SO MUCH MORE! What it actually does is allow you to customize the Omnibar, Google's fancy word for the small box where you type in web addresses or search terms. For example, I have my omnibar set up so that when I type GDrive followed by the Tab button it automatically searches Google Drive for any of the terms I type in the box next. This tutorial will show you how. One thing I did have to figure out with a bit of trial-and-error is that the trigger word (in my example GDrive) goes in the middle box.

YouTube
There are quite a few Chrome tools you can use to make your YouTube experience better. For example, AdBlock prevents advertisements from showing before the video starts, QuietTube creates a new link to the video without any of the surrounding material, and Turn Off the Lights makes the video pop out from a page. However, my favorite tool is Ultimate YouTube Downloader that allows to you download and save a video in multiple formats.

...One Last One - Restore a Closed Tab!
Have you ever accidentally closed a tab and the realized you needed it? Chrome can save you. On a Mac just type Cmd+Shift+T and the tab will reopen to the site it previously held.

Give these a try. They will make your browsing experience better. Also, take a look at the Chrome page on the NCS PD Portal.

Joe