#EduGIF Guy. Speaker. Tech Integration Specialist. Google Apps for Edu Trainer. Nerd. #EduDuctTape Podcast Host.
Wait, what page are you on?
I’m confused. What slide are you referring to?
Ugh, what cell are you in!?
GSuite’s tools make collaboration–both between adults and between students–a piece of cake, but it can still be tough to keep up with one another, especially in lengthy Docs, Sheets or Slide decks. Did you know that if you click on their icon it will jump you right to their location? You’re welcome.
Check out the two GIFs below . . .
Ever wish you could put the same file in each students’ folder without making copies? Have a project that belongs in your Science folder and your English Language Arts folder? Any time that you need a Google Drive file to be in multiple locations, use Shift+Z to open up the “Add To” option. The same file will be in each location – edit it in one location, it updates in the other. Awesome sauce.
The Duplicate Tabs button is probably an under-used option for most people. However, it can really come in handy. Every now and then, I need to keep a specific email open, but get back to my inbox. Duplicate Tab. Sometimes, I need to have a course in Schoology open, but open another. Duplicate Tab. One of my favorite uses, though, is when I have more than one Google Form submission that I have to fill out and they all have some similar entries (i.e., multiple session proposals for a conference, discipline referrals for the same incident with different students). Dup-li-cate Tab! Check out how that looks in the GIF below:
It’s nice to have easy access to lots of sites, but that bookmarks bar can get crowded. Use Bookmark folders on your bar to categorize them while still having convenient access.
Shorter bookmark titles take up less bookmark bar space. Take the title out to just use the sites logo. If the site doesn’t have a logo, or it doesn’t make the destination clear (like a docs logo), use short words or even emojis to save space!
Did you know that docs.google.com/create opens up a fresh new Doc? Or that slides.google.com/create does the same with Google Slides? Create bookmarks for those links and have quick access to that capability.
Do you go to your Starred files often? Need quick access to Shared with Me when someone sends you a file in a meeting? Do you have a folder for all of your students’ assignments that you go to daily? Make a special bookmark for different locations!
Different tabs in Sheets, Headings in Docs and slides in Slides have different URL’s. That means you can make your bookmark (or a link you send in an email or message to someone) direct you (or the recipient) to a specific spot. It’s nice when you want to send someone to today’s meeting agenda in the massive Doc with all meeting agendas in it. It’s also super convenient if you regularly access a certain spreadsheet tab.
Have a certain GMail label you access regularly? Want quick access to your starred or important files? Want to be able to get to emails from your admin or boss quickly? Create a bookmark for that exact part of your Gmail.
Want to be able to access Day, Week, Month, Agenda or a Custom View quickly? Make it a bookmark.
Being able to have side-by-side windows open is a key functionality tool when using computers. Doing it quickly and easily makes it even better. Chrome OS has two little-known shortcuts and one little-known tool that support this. Check them out in the video below!
Video included at bottom of the post.
Keyboard shortcuts are a great way to be a little more efficient. Two of my most used in Google Chrome are:
#2 is probably my fave. Not only does it open your most recently closed tab, even if you closed it hours ago or even before shutting down Chrome, but it can open an entire window full of tabs, if you closed them. But my favorite-est part of it? Well, it has an educational aspect of course:
Ever walked by a student and seen them quickly close a tab before you got there? Ctrl+Shift+T to the rescue! Just imagine that student’s face when they find out that their teacher is a Chrome Keyboard Shortcut Ninja!!
The OneTab Chrome Extension (one-tab.com) is typically recommended as a way to free up processing speed and reduce clutter when attempting to have a tab-tervention with a tab-crazy browser user. And, well, that’s a true, but it doesn’t tell the full story of OneTab . . .
OneTab is actually a fantastic option for organizing, categorizing and sharing the sites that we mean to look at, read or follow up on, but just don’t have time – as well as ones that we intend to come back to repeatedly. Think of it as your website to-do list manager. Check it out in the video below.
Pro Tip: At the school that I work at, our students are doing Passion Projects. Each week, they have to reflect on their progress and growth in a Google Doc. For 12 of the kids, I’m tasked with looking at that reflection weekly and providing feedback. So, I keep the links to their reflections in a locked OneTab Group.