Thing 25: Power up your browser!

I had commented a little on this topic in my Thing 21 post:

"So I had to remind myself about the difference between browser add-ons, extensions and bookmarklets.  Having explored that, I hope that bookmarklets might be the key to getting some more features out of our computers at school.  Add-ons and extensions don't really work because they slow down the already slow computers so much AND because you usually have to involve the tech guy in their installation."

The update to that post is that add-ons and extensions are even more of a problem than in the past because we have two part-time guys.  There are months of back-logged problems in the district.  

So, to explore my browser, I decided to explore Google Chrome.  It is the browser that is available on every computer in the district.  I prefer Firefox, but Firefox is problematic if I am logged into more that one computer at a time (which I usually am).  Internet Explorer, of course, does not work with so many sites now that it is problematic.  Plus our district's version of Windows is so old that Microsoft has given up supporting the corresponding IE in many cases.

Chrome settings: I hate that Chrome requires you to Sign in to get your bookmarks.  This doesn't seem to be an issue at home, but at school I hate it!!  I decided to check the "Do not track request" box even though Google admits that they ignore it and most other sites will likely ignore it as well.  Any decrease in tracking and spam is good IMHO.  I learned how to find the extension list.  Mine was mainly due to my Kaspersky security package.  There wasn't really that much new to me.  I wish that I had more flexibility in settings at school, but we are largely tied down.

I started with What are Apps, Extensions and Plugins.  Unfortunately, it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.  

Then I explored OneTab and installed the extension.  I don't know if I will have any luck installing it at school, but it could be very useful to open tabs for a lot of resources for a project and then create a resource list without all of the cutting and pasting!  It was really easy to use.  It can create a webpage that can be shared with others.  You get a unique URL list complete with a QR code!  You can even copy and paste the list into a word processor and the links remain active!  Awesome if I can get it at school.

I went to the presentation called 20 Chrome Apps & Extensions for Teachers.  I quite a few extensions to explore for school:

• Announcify –good for SpEd students and possibly blind students
• Google Art Project –good for Art Teacher!  Might be neat addition to student computers.
• Print Friendly & PDF –sounds similar to PrintWhatYouLike.com (which you can get as a bookmarklet)
• Read&Write for Google Docs –sounds good for SpEd students!
• EasyBib Tools –seems like it would be useful for students
• Webpage & WebCam Screenshot –sound like they could be useful for the Chromebooks which don’t have a ScreenPrint button
• 3D Solar System Web –useful for 3^rd grade which covers this topic
• TypingClub –I wonder how it compares to other free typing programs.

I decided to try the EasyBib Tools  and TypingClub to complete my writeup for this topic even though I don't think I will use them at home.The Typing Club extension seems pretty typical for typing programs.  The big advantage is that it is free.  

EasyBib Tools creates great MLA citations.  Here is my citation list for potatoes:

"How the Potato Changed the World." Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2015.

<http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-potato-changed-the-world-108470605/?no-ist>.

"Potato - Kitchen Dictionary - Food.com." Potato - Kitchen Dictionary - Food.com. N.p., n.d. 

              Web. 23  May 2015. <http://www.food.com/about/potato-106>.

"Potato." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 23 May 2015.

               <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato>.

It can create APA or Chicago citations as well.  It takes about 3 clicks to create the citation and save it to a list.  The list will only be saved for three days without an account, so it is important to copy and paste the citations before you leave the work.  There certainly would be questions if the citation list would even be saved at school where DeepFreeze wipes the computer between users.  Still it seems like a painless way for the kids to get their citations for websites.  Certainly much easier than searching the site for all of the relevant information.  I will try to get this for school.

I went to More Google Drive Apps for Chrome to look for more apps.  The most obviously useful was a Scientific Calculator.  I think that the Tech guys should install it on the HS Chromebooks.

I checked out Extensions, Add-Ons and Apps, Oh My! How to Utilize Google in Your Classroom.  It brought my atttention to:CleanPrint which sounds similar to Print Friendly and Google Chrome YouTube downloader which could be useful IF it eliminates the ads!  It mentions NewsELA which I've only known about for about 2 weeks, but I think it is very useful.  

Chrome makes it so easy to uninstall the extensions through settings.  It is not an issue at all!  If I can install any of them I can definitely say that some of these extensions will make my life and those of my colleagues easier.

Thing 24: Infographics

Honestly, I had looked at this topic some months ago and I wasn't enthusiastic, but a fresh look today and I can see where it could be very useful.  I reread 10 Traits of Amazingly Awesome Infographics and tried to take some of the tips to heart.

I decided to use Easelly because it was One of AASL's Best Websites for Teaching and Learning in 2013 and because I saw the example of the Memorial Library Monthly Report.  I thought that I could make something like that to summarize my library's collection and usage.  I have written formal Library Reports to the Board of Education and the Superintendent in the past with no feedback.  A quick snapshot of the library might be a better venue to promote the program.

Using that theme as a backdrop, I started a report of my own.  You can see it here: http://easel.ly/infographic/4xh19d

I spent a lot of time trying to locate the statistics in my catalog with partial success.  Since I am not at school, I don't have access to many of the numbers needed to complete this project.  I will have to work on it further at school when I have the time.  In  particular, I want to add statistics on how many new materials were added this year as well as how circulation has changed.

The program was not particularly intuitive.  Not difficult, but not as easy as I might have expected.  I'm not sure how much better it is than creating an infographic in a more traditional software package, such as PowerPoint or GoogleSlides.  I guess that the advantage is in the inspiration that seeing their examples provides and in the fact that it is automatically assigned a URL.

If I can get the circulation program to give me the statistics in a more usable format (Note to self: email Gina!), then I think that I could develop some other infographics to encourage and inspire the students.  I also think that they really probably need more education in reading infographics so that they are no swayed by a slick layout with questionable statistics.

Thing 22: Create a Resource Guide

Okay, so obviously I am a serious procrastinator this year.  I'm trying to catch up though.  I just spent some time looking through this lesson and especially the Resources.  Here are my thoughts.  I had never really explored LibGuides.  I've used the CapRegion BOCES LibGuide to locate information, but I never explored it from a creator side before.  I had no idea it would be expensive.  They won't even tell you the price without emailing them from what I can tell.  I'm not going to invest time and energy in a free trial on a site that I can't afford to continue.  Call me cheap, but I'm not getting tied to a large expense when I'm not sure it will work for me.  I have some websites that I pay out of pocket, but they are ones that I am sure are sufficiently valuable to be worth the expense.  I can't tell with this, so I am just not going there.  I think that it might be a useful service, but there has to be something free I can use.  My website is free.  GoogleDocs is free.  My school isn't paying for one of these services and if they had money for me to spend I'd rather get more databases than just WorldBookonline!

Next, I looked into Listly.  I looked at some of the examples and everything seemed to claim to be Best of... I'm not sure that anything I create would be the best of anything.  I'm just interested in grouping some resources together that are useful for a particular project or topic in education.  When I create lists on my website or send info out via email, I am not claiming to have found the best, just some useful sites.  I think that I could locate some useful sites by exploring Listly, but it seems way more social media oriented than I am in regard to this assignment.


Scoop.it! doesn't seem to want to show you what it is without signing you up for a free trial.  I couldn't locate a place to see examples.  I get too much email as it is on too many accounts.  I'm not signing up for another account even it it is free if I can't even see an example.  They seem to have the opposite problem from LibGuides.  Scoop.it! is more than willing to tell you how much it costs.  They just won't let you see what it is!  It also seems to be very business-related, not as education-oriented.

Diigo Groups looks like it has useful content, but my users by and large are not so connected.  So many of our kids do not have that much access.  I'm in an elementary school.  I think that I could pick up some useful resources from visiting this site again, but I don't think that I will be creating a Diigo Group any time soon.  Maybe if I was in the high school...

I've seen Smore before, but as with LibGuides,  I'm not going to invest time and energy in a free trial on a site that I can't afford to continue.  I know again with the money.  At least they tell you up front how much it costs.  I know it isn't that much, but I can print from software that I already own!

Tackk seems the best option of those that are here.  I've looked at some of the examples and they look interesting.  There seem to be quite a few that are education-oriented, but not just looking for the most social media hits.  I've looked at a few from @emilybredberg that seem interesting.  She has an interesting, simple bibliography Tackk, as well as one on Using Online Images.  I could create these and link to them from my webpage.Here is my trial Tackk: https://tackk.com/7upth5

I think that it is an interesting site.  Still, I'm not sure what the advantage is over my GoogleSites page.It doesn't seem that much easier for my purposes.  For instance, I'd love to shrink the size of the opening graphic, but I'm not sure how.  When I tried, I just deleted it entirely and had to add it back in!.  I also can't find a real UNDO command.  I made the mistake of hitting back and almost lost all of my work!!  Scary.

Since the project is basically over for this year, I don't have any reaction from my target audience at this point.  I will try to have one of my regulars check out Tackk to see what her 6th grade reaction is to the site.  Maybe she will be more enamored than I am.  At this point, even for students, I think that I would encourage them to use the Google products before Tackk because it will give them experience for furture assignments and possibly their careers.