The 12 Most Popular Posts This School Year

I can't believe it is that time of the year already! Some of you have already ended your school year and others are following a totally different schedule with year-round classes. In case you missed them, here are the top 12 posts from September 2014-June 2015. Have a wonderful summer, whatever you do!






23 Chrome Extensions You Must Have

31 Free iPad Apps for Science Teachers

43 Free iPad Apps for Geography, History, Civics & Social Studies Teachers

All About Google Classroom in 22 Clicks!

Amazing! 74 Infographics for Teacher-Librarians (L.A. Teachers Too!)

Cartoons Only a Teacher Would Love

Free Online PD Infographic - from Joyce Valenza

Google Apps Status Dashboard Lets You Know What's Up

Great Video to Show Your Students What a Terrific Resource You Are

Hats Off to Google's Dan Russell!

Kids Love Scavenger Hunts! Here are 57 Sites to Get You Started!

PowerPoint Presentations Need a Boost? Here's Some Great Advice

This is my dream summer vacation!

23 Chrome Extensions You Must Have

Although I have been active on Twitter, I have neglected my blog since the holidays. Glad to say that I'm back and ready to provide you with awesome resources. In April 2013, I posted a list of 17 Chrome extensions to use with your Google Chrome browser. I have updated this list (added, deleted) to include those extensions you and students shouldn't live without. I have starred * my absolute favorites. If you'd like to browse the Chrome Web Store, click HERE.



*AdBlock Plus- blocks ads, malware and tracking

Autocopy - Automatically copies text or links when they are selected. Imagine how many times a day you click Control or Command + C. Now, you don’t have to!

Chrome Web Store Launcher- quick access to all your Chrome apps

EasyBib Tools- provides students with instant citing of a webpage




Evernote Web Clipper- clip and save things to your Evernote account


goo.gl URL Shortener- shorten the URL of any long address; if you use Twitter, this can be really handy

Google Calendar- easily connect to your events on Google calendar

*Google Dictionary- highlight a word on a web page to get the definition


Google Similar Pages- explore pages similar to the one you are on; extension appears in Omnibox

*History Eraser- "Deletes typed URLs, Cache, Cookies, your Download and Browsing History...instantly, with just 1-click on the Eraser button!"

LastPass- extension manages all passwords with one master password



OneTab- converts all your tabs into one list; saves memory

Polarr Photo Editor RAW- crop and rotate photos, use advanced photo filters

Quickmark QR Code Extension- create and read QR codes on the web

*Readability- eliminates clutter on a web page and makes reading easier


Save as PDF- saves a webpage as a PDF (does not work with all formats, i.e. .ASPX)

Save to Google Drive- save web content and screen captures to your Google Drive

*Screencastify- a simple video screen capture software for Chrome. (You need a camera or a Chrome Book)



Send From Gmail- quickly compose and email with a link to send someone

Simple Highlighter- highlights, annotates and translates

Snagit- Take a screenshot, screen capture, or screen video recording. Collaborate and show what you know.

SpeakIt! - Select text, and it will read it to you. (Great for ESL and Special Ed students!)



TLDR- summarizes a long article for you

How to Use SnagIt's Chrome App and Extension

I've been using the full version of TechSmith's SnagIt for about seven years now and love it. It's not an expensive program (I was lucky and won a copy at EdCamp Philly a few years ago) but can cost a bit when you need hundreds of licenses for your school. SnagIt just partnered with Google to offer an app and extension of their program which can be used with the Chrome browser and is linked to your Gmail account. Screen captures are saved to a folder on your Google Drive named "Techsmith". If you wish to share a capture with your students, you are given a shortened URL where the image resides. Please note that if you are used to the full SnagIt version, this one has its limitations; image size cannot be changed, one arrow, circle or square style is available, (a handful of colors) one font can be used and the image is saved as a .png. For most people, this will be quite enough. Here's a brief tutorial which I made with the full version of SnagIt. You can find both the extension and app at the Chrome Store.

Chrome Extension Aids the Visually Impaired

Today I was asked to work with a student who is visually impaired and introduce him to Google Apps for Education. When he explained to me that it was easier to view a website with white lettering on a black background, I went to the Chrome store to find a possible extension. I checked the "Accessibilty" category on the left side and found High Contrast. We read the description and reviews, downloaded the extension to Chrome, and opened up several websites. The student was very happy that he was now able to read without struggling. I've put together some instructions if you would like to add High Contrast to Chrome:

I set "Inverted Grayscale" as the default scheme so that my student could go from webpage to webpage without changing the settings. You will also note that you can disable and enable the extension as you desire.

17 Awesome Google Chrome Extensions

This was a good year at my school. We finally got Google Chrome added on the machines in the library lab, so students would be able to start using Google Drive with their documents. YES. The best part is that students and faculty/staff can add extensions to the browser without any permission. All they need to do is go to the Chrome Store and click what they would like to add. I've tried out many myself and recommend the following:

AdBlock- blocks all ads, including Facebook etc.

Announcify- reads aloud any webpage for you


Awesome Screenshot- allows you to capture the screen image and annotate


EasyBib Tools- provides students with instant citing of a webpage


Evernote Clearly- makes blog posts and articles clean and easy to read



Evernote Web Clipper- allows you to clip a web page or portions of a webpage to your Evernote account

Note Anywhere- add notes to any webpage; they will be there the next time you go to that URL

Quickrr- all in this one extension:

* Translator
* Dictionary
* Calculator
* Tasks To-Do
* Notepad
* Calendar
* World Clock
* Unit Converter
* Currency Converter
* Stopwatch & Timer
* Search Tools

Read and Write for Google Docs- assists students with disabilities, ESL students; provides talking 
dictionary, picture dictionary, vocabulary tool.



RemindMe- set reminders for yourself

Save to Google Drive- "This extension allow you to save web content directly to Google Drive through a browser action or context menu. You can save links to documents, images, and HTML5 audio and video all by right clicking and selecting 'Save to Google Drive'."

Session Buddy- "View and save the state of all open browser tabs in the current or past browser sessions."


Shorten Me- shortens really long URLs


Simple Highlighter- highlights, annotates and translates

Snippy- take snippets of webpages, then upload to Google Drive

Study Stack- FlashCards, Crosswords, Hangman and other activities to make memorization fun.

Task Timer- keep track and stay on task