How to use Thinglink!

by | Sep 16, 2016 | How To, Student Blog, Teacher Blog

Thinglink is an astounding creative presentation tool. One thing that separates Thinglink from other sites is Thinglink has image interaction. You are able to add points with files attached and it allows you to turn photos and other images into weblinks.

 

Getting Started:

To get started, first you need to download the app at the chrome web store or visit the website athttps://www.thinglink.com/. First, you need to create a profile, which can be done in two ways: either sign up with google plus or create an entirely new account.

 

Basic Navigation:

When you first log in to the site you will see a toolbar at the top which has several main tabs – these tabs help you navigate through the site. There is a search bar, and four tabs: Explore, Create, Upgrade, and Me. At the top right corner, there is a symbol with three horizontal lines that lets you access a separate menu for more options.

 

  • Search Bar – the search bar allows you to look for content made by other students. Use specific keywords to find the best results.
  • Explore – This tab allows you to see images that are touched or created by users that you follow. You can also see the images that the Thinglink team has provided, and see what images are top performers that day and that week.
  • Create – this tab is where you can create your very own image. Start by clicking the plus sign, and let the magic happen.
  • Upgrade – Here you can upgrade to Thinglink Pro, which has lots of useful features that are not included in the regular version.
  • Me – this is the place where all of your work is held. You can also view the amount of followers you have and how many people you are following. If someone wants to see your work, you can share the link to your page.
  • Main Menu (three lines) – the main menu is where you can adjust settings, change your password, find your groups, and logout.

 

Creating an Image and Inserting points (Tags):

The first thing to do is go to the create tab and create an image. Once in the create tab, you can choose to upload a picture from your computer or web as well as import images from other sites such as facebook and Flickr. Once you have decided on an image you can insert a tag (or point). Click anywhere on the screen to create a tag.

 

Uploading files (videos/pictures):

There are four different ways to upload images and videos.

 

  1. Upload images and videos straight from a hard drive.
  2. Use a URL to load images or videos
  3. Sync up with your Facebook and upload images from your account
  4. Search Flickr users to upload any of their last 20 photos.

 

Publishing:

Once your work is ready to go, publishing is easy. Open up the image or video and select the “Share” button. Either click on an icon for one of the linked platforms or copy and paste the URL or embed code.

PullQuote Chrome Extension

by | Sep 16, 2016 | How To, Student Blog, Teacher Blog

Have you ever been looking through the web, stumbled upon something you want to share and realize you’re not sure how to do so? If you download the PullQuote extension through the google chrome web store, you have an easy way to do just that; share. All you have to do is highlight with your mouse cursor, the text you want to share, and an option box will appear asking if you want to tweet, file, copy, or link the highlighted text.

If you choose the tweet option, the extension will pull up another window directly to twitter and give you a couple of option. First, you can tweet the direct link to the page, or you can “style” it. The style option enables you to create a display of the highlighted text, with a colored background and multiple font options.

If you choose the file option, the same window will open up, presenting the same earlier option, but will automatically scroll down to the filing option. This will file the web page link under your quotes on the pull quote app page. It will also give you the chance to add tags to the link.

If you choose the copy option, the link and quote will be copied to your clipboard, enabling you to paste the quote into another document, presentation, etc.

If you choose the link option, the link to the specific webpage will be copied to your clipboard, enabling you to paste solely the link into whatever you choose.

Google Search Tools

Google Search Tools

by | Sep 16, 2016 | How To, Student Blog, Teacher Blog

These tips will only work for Google… Also, this is going to be pretty cheesy, (You know that time you visited a cheese factory… this is cheesier… stay with me)

Google search tools are useful for finding what you want fast. They are helpful for research projects… and not research projects. So here are a few of the most useful tools for Googling.

 

-Quotation search

The quotation search allows for you to search for specific words and/or phrases. The simple trick is to put quotations around the exact phrase that you want. For example, if you are researching Salem witch trials, then you don’t want other witch trials so you put quotations around “Salem witch trials,” Then google will find that phrase in websites Screenshot 2015-10-13 at 10.46.23 AM

–Plus searches

Let’s say you want extra information about the subject, let’s say you want to understand how the conception of Satan affected the which trials, you can type Witch Trials +Satan and it finds which trials were affected.

–Beam Me Up, Scotty

  1. Go to YouTube
  2. Search “Beam Me Up, Scotty”
  3. Mind Blown

–Google A Day

Put your search skills to the ultimate test. Go to agoogleaday.com and press ‘Start Playing.’ You will be presented with a question and you must find the answer with a simple google search or two. Find it as quick as possible because you lose points every second you don’t have a correct answer

–Take out your filler words

This is just a tip. It works, though. If you really want to find the Salem Witch Trials and how perceptions of ‘Satan’ affected them, then just search “Witch Trials Satan” Every result you need should come up because Google is that good.

–Use Voice search

This method can help if you want to get straight to the point on random google searches. All your Chromebooks have voice enabled software with a camera.

–Timers

For a quick google timer. (useful for timing)

  1. Go to Google search bar
  2. Type “set timer for…” (whatever time you want, 20 min, 30 seconds)
  3. Comes up with quick google timer

–Define

For quick definitions

  1. Go to Google Search Bar
  2. Type “Define…” (‘witch’, ‘Definition’, ‘Connotation’
  3. Come up with definition at the top of the page

(Be weary of these definitions because they may be bad for research and other things, but are common for everyday searches)

–Calculator

Are you bad at math? Do you want a quick easy answer? Well, Google has your back!

  1. Type the equation into the search bar (2+4=… or x^2+2x-4=… )
  2. Top of the Page is the answer
  3. Comes up with graphs and answers to it

-Site search

Do you only want to read the New York Times? Washington Post? or just one site? Well google has your back

  1. Go to google search bar
  2. type “site:…” (whatever site you would like)
  3. then type the subject that you want to look up within the site
  4. There are your results

Nytimes

Setting Up Chrome User Profiles

by | Sep 16, 2016 | How To, Student Blog, Teacher Blog

Do you have multiple Google accounts? Are you tirelessly switching back and forth between them, logging in and out? Google Chrome has a solution for you!
  1. First, make sure you are signed into the Chrome browser, itself. This can be done by clicking the menu box at the top right corner of the screen (beneath the exit button). Once clicked, open the Settings tab.
  2. The first option you will see on the screen is Sign In. Make sure your account is signed in. It is necessary to have a primary account in order to switch user profiles within Chrome.
  3. Now that you are signed into Chrome, click the box in the top right corner of your browser, containing the name of your Chrome user. (This can be found next to the minimize button)
  4. Click the Switch user button
  5. Sign in with the login credentials you want to be linked with your new user profile
  6. A pop-up will ask you to Link your Chrome data to this account?
  7. Click Link data

 

Here is a great video tutorial for visual learners. The Chrome user profile creation begins at 4:00 in the video.

You’re Doing it Wrong! How to Manage Multiple Google Accounts

Need to Edit a Document? DocHub

by | Sep 16, 2016 | How To, Student Blog, Teacher Blog

We all have those files that teachers send us that we can’t edit on their own, like PDFs.  A good way to edit those files is with an app called DocHub.  After downloading the app from the Chrome Store, you can upload the file you wish to edit to the new app, either from the file itself, or from the app.  From there, you need to select that you want to start editing it.  You will also need to make sure to select the capital “A” to be able to type your text.  In order from the text tool, you can also draw, highlight, comment, whiteout, stamp, add a picture, and sign.  To save it to your Drive, you will need to go to the upper right hand corner where the file button it and save it to your Drive.  Next time you go into DocHub, the file you edited will be saved under a tab on the left called Documents.  This is the best way to edit those files that teachers send you that can’t be easily edited, and it can broaden the teacher’s’ ability to give documents to students via Classroom.

Why to Use Google Calender

by | Sep 16, 2016 | Student Blog, Teacher Blog

Google Calendar is a way to organize and keep track of any schedule.  Like any Google App, it can be accessed by multiple devices given you are logged on to your account.  This calendar can also be shared in a variety of ways and can access other Google Apps you may have and can be customized to fit your life.  There is also the ability to create multiple calendars to keep track of different types of events, which can also sync with each other.  This App will notify you when your event is coming up.  Calendars have the ability to create a Hangout for video calls, allows you to attach a file, and accepts invitations in one click.  Google Calendars are a great way to stay organized, whether you are a student, teacher, or administrator.