Tech4Teachers

Technology Tools and Lesson Ideas for Teachers

More Them, Less Us

March 24, 2012 No comments

Have you ever spent a great deal of time researching and crafting the perfect project – paying attention to every last detail, planing for every possible contingency, only to have it flop when you try it with your class? Well, the opposite of that happened to me this week. I threw together something simple at the last minute and it totally rocked!  Jen Wagner would be proud.  :-)  Here’s what happened…

Our 4th grade teacher approached me that morning to let me know that they were going to be studying the Pony Express. She asked if I had any ideas for an activity to get them ready. I told her I would work on it. Did I? No. So as the class walked in the door, there I was scrambling to come up with something. I decided to have the kids log into Discovery Streaming using their student accounts, search for “Pony Express”, and find out whatever they could about it.

 

While they were working I scrambled on to Wallwisher.com, quickly built a wall, calling it “Facts about the Pony Express”, and dropped a link to it in their class folder. After giving them some time to research I had them open the link and start adding facts to the wall. As they went back and fourth between Discovery and Wallwisher I pointed out interesting facts, facts that were repeated, and encouraged them come up with something that no one else has posted.

“I don’t see anything on the wall explaining why the pony express ended.” I said.

“I’m on it.” Came a response from the student on computer #15.

The kids were engaged, focused on the activity, and excited to see the information on the wall grow as they worked together with their classmates.

After school that day, the teacher came back to me saying that as a result of this activity her students had learned all the material they needed to know about the pony express, and then some. “I don’t know if I need to even bother using the lesson I had planned for class.” she shared.

It’s kind of embarrassing when something this easy goes so well. What was it about this activity that worked? I think maybe it’s because this lesson put the students in charge of their learning. It wasn’t about the amazing lesson or projects I put together. It wasn’t about listening to the teacher share everything students need to know about the pony express. It was about them. They were doing the research. They were working together to share what they know.

Will the success of this last minute lesson encourage me to procrastinate even more? Am I going to give up working, researching, and planning amazing lessons? I hope not. Instead I hope that the lessons and project I do design allow students to have a bigger role and responsibility in their learning, and also allow them to work together and share what they learn with each other. More them, less me.

Projects, Thoughts, Tools , ,

If These Walls Could Talk

March 2, 2012 1 comment

Every once in a while I’ll get a brainstorm. Well this isn’t exactly a brain “storm” but it might qualify as a brain “shower” or maybe a brain “drizzle”.

This particular bit of mental precipitation comes about as a result of combining three different tools. It’s one of those, “If I take something I made with THIS, put it here using THAT, then I can get one of THESE and THAT would be REALLY COOL” moments.  If you’re confused already, please keep reading. All will be explained in due time, but first let me share the story that brought about THIS, THAT, and THE OTHER THING.

It started with our 6th grade Basic Computer Skills class. To teach the kids how to use Audacity (THIS #1 in this formula) they decided to promote Read Across America day by recording themselves reading popular primary grade books from our library. These recordings will be burned to CD to so our 1st and 2nd graders can listen to their 6th grade buddies read the book to them. Many the recordings these students created were quite good. Some used the “change pitch” feature in Audacity to create voices for the characters. (See my post on Interview an Elf) Others added sound effects to add to the drama of the story.

While this was going on I came across a post on twitter from @shaunaaltman wondering if there was a way to create audio files that would play when you scanned a QR Code. Do you think you know where I’m going with this?

If you take an mp3, way, aiff, or other type of audio file created in Audacity or any other audio editing program and post it online where it can be accessed via a URL (hyperlink), you can also take that link and convert it a QR code. When that QR code is scanned by a reader app, most smart phones and mobile devices will just play the sound automatically.

So, I’ve got an mp3 file. How do I post it online? Enter THAT #2. There are several different options for doing THAT.

1) Save the file in your Public Folder on Dropbox.
2) Post the file to Posterous
3) Use a podcasting tool like Chirbit or AudioBoo to post a file online.

Once the file is online, copy the link (URL) to that file and use an online QR Code Generator  (THE OTHER THING). There are many different options out there for doing this as well.

One way to do THIS is to use goo.gl

NOTE: You must be signed in to your Google Account to do THIS.

Don’t have a Google Account? Or don’t want to login? There are countless other free online QR code generators out there. Here’s one that not only lets you generate QR codes, but it also lets you make them “cute”: Beautiful QR Codes

When you have one of THESE QR Codes on your screen, you can right-click, copy image, and paste the image in any word processing document for printing. Once the code is printed you can do all sorts of things with it. Here’s where my brain started storming.

For our book project, we could take the QR Codes linking to the student recordings and tape them to the inside covers of the books. Parents with smart phones could use their smart phones so their children could listen along to their sixth grade buddies read the story to them.

But there are so many other possiblities…

  • Place QR Codes around your school to create an audio tour. That plaque on the gym wall dedicated to that guy could explain who he was and why he has a plaque there. The mural created by the class of 2012 could have the kids from that class telling how and why they made it. The drinking fountain could explain where the water you are drinking is comes from – if you really want to know?
  • Does your school have student leadership elections? Imagine using QR codes to create talking campaign posters.
  • Teachers could add sound to their bulletin boards – a weekly extra credit challenge or hints to last night’s homework.

I could go on, but instead I’d like you to ponder the possibilities instead. Got any other cool ideas? Add a comment and share your thoughts.

Additional Resource:

If you’d like more info on how to use Audacity to create creative recordings here’s a tutorial: How to Make a Podcast

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Do What I Say, Not What I Do

February 11, 2012 No comments

How often do we tell kids to just, “Go look it up on the Internet”? When we do we are making the assumption that they already know how to search and find the information they need.  But what happens if they don’t? Here’s what you get…

Observed from actual students this month:

  • A student searching for images depicting modes of travel used by 49′ers to get to California during the gold rush went to Google and typed: travelling to california.
  • Another student who was working on their state report wanted to find out the average climate for their state and searched: weather for Illinois

Do you think these students received the results they were expecting? Here are some other searches I observed:

  • massachusetts land
  • poler pears
  • soccer the sport
  • all about the gold rush history
  • general description on michigan

What kind of results do you think they got? “Massachusetts land” yielded more real estate results than info about state geography. ”Polar pears” worked okay thanks to the “did you mean” feature that corrects for spelling errors. The last three on the list gave the students fairly acceptable results, but these results could have been achieved with considerably more abbreviated search terms.

Once these kids had gotten over the hurdle of getting the right search terms, the next challenge for them was actually finding the information they wanted. Watching kids search the web looks a lot like channel surfing. They click on the first search result. If “the answer” doesn’t fall out of the sky and into their lap in 5 seconds, they hit the back button and go to another site or type in a new search. Most never scroll down. They rarely click other links. And if the page comes up all text they’re off to the next site faster than you can say “Google”.

Finally, when students actually DO manage to find the information they need, what do they do with it? One unfortunate answer was captured quite nicely in a tweet from this morning:

SO…my final question for you today is this.

What can we do to to help kids find and use information efficiently and appropriately?

In my mind it starts with teachers modeling proper search techniques and demonstrating appropriate use and citations in the classroom. Don’t just tell kids to go look it up in the Internet, show them. Help them take the question they are asking and break it into key words for searching. Then demonstrate how to navigate pages, look at information critically to find the answer to their question. Finally show them how to use that information properly and cite the source. Let them see you do it. I love this quote from Bill Selak, retweeted several times at EdCamp OC/LA last month.

By the way, do you want to really frustrate an elementary student? Tell them to take something (from a book, a web site, whatever) and put it in their own words. Look at it from their point of view. You’re asking them to take something that’s already written and change it when it looks just fine to them. The flaw is not in the student, but in the assignment. Ask a kid to write a report, you might as well be telling them to copy and paste. Rather then just asking them to regurgitate information, require them to take that information and create something new and original. (See my post “Fight Plagiarism with Creativity”)

Do What I Do, Not What I Say

Just like the media makes living out of catching politicians who say one thing and do something else, kids are pretty good at noticing when we tell them to do something, but then don’t do the same thing themselves. Your actions speak louder than your words.

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Straight From the Textbook

January 19, 2012 1 comment

Note to Reader: With all the chatter today surrounding the announcement of iBooks and a new era of digital textbooks, I found myself asking the question, what if textbook companies defined the role of a teacher? Hopefully the following excerpt from an imaginary elementary textbook is more false than true.

Chapter 14 – What is a Teacher?

Build on What You Know
Do you have a school in your community? Maybe you have even attended a school. Did you attend a large school or a small school? What do you call people who work at schools?

 

Teachers

In your classroom, the person who stands in front of you and tells you what to do is called a teacher. A teacher’s job is to give you information you need to get a good grade on the test. If you get good grades on enough tests, then you will graduate to a higher grade where another teacher will give you more information and more tests. 

Did you ever notice that the textbook a teacher uses looks different from your textbook? A teacher’s textbook is special. It is bigger and usually has a big spiral wire that holds it together. The teachers textbook has more information than your textbook. This extra information is called curriculum. The curriculum is all the other stuff your teacher does that is not in your textbook. The worksheets you do are part of the curriculum. Sometimes the curriculum contains extra stories, activities, or even games for you to play. The curriculum tells the teacher what to do and when to do it.Where does a teacher get their information? Their information comes from textbooks.Textbooks have all the information you need to know to get a good grade on the test. The information is organized into units and chapters. Each chapter begins with Key Terms. These are words you need to know. Chapters end with questions that you need to answer and turn into the teacher. The teacher looks at your answers to see if you understand what is written in your textbook before giving you a test. When you take a test, you are not allowed to look at the textbook to answer the questions. So before taking a test it is a good idea to memorize the information.

Digital Textbooks
Digital textbooks are textbooks that are not made out of paper. They are electronic and can be viewed on a computer or iPad. They have all the same information as paper textbooks, but also can have video clips, activities, and sometimes even games that work a lot like computer or video games. Some digital textbooks even let students take tests online.

LESSON REVIEW
Where does a teacher get their information?
Why is it important to memorize information?
What is a teacher’s textbook called?

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION
If everything a teacher needs is included in their curriculum, why do you think some teachers use other resources outside their textbook?

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Interview an Elf

December 6, 2011 2 comments

It’s that most wonderful time of the year. Here at my school it means it’s time to bring out my annual holiday project – Interview an Elf. This is a simple activity that brings lots of laughter and joy to elementary kids.  It’s also easy, and can be completed in less than 30 minutes of computer lab time.  Here’s the recipe for this “holiday classic”.

Ingredients:

It’s the week before Christmas and you will be interviewing an elf at Santa’s workshop. You will be the voice for both parts. Record yourself interviewing yourself. Play it back to hear the interview. As you listen, watch the timeline and make note where the elf is speaking.
Highlight the parts where the elf is speaking. Go to EFFECT and select CHANGE PITCH.
Raise the pitch of the elf part. How much you raise it depends on the natural pitch of your voice. Typically you only need to raise it 20-30%.  Listen to the result. If it works, repeat for the rest of the elf parts.


Additional Sweetness:
If you want, you can add sound effects to “sweeten” your interview. I found workshop sounds, sleigh bells, and Santa’s “Ho, Ho, Ho” at Findsounds.com.


Be prepared for lots of laughter in the lab when you try this activity. Kids have a blast creating their interviews. I always allow them some play time to experiment listening to their voice at different pitches – you’ll want some play time too!


For more help using Audacity, check out my wiki with helpful videos explaining how to edit audio and add effects.
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A Thankless Job

October 6, 2011 1 comment

The second law of thermodynamics states that everything tends toward disorder and chaos.

One of the most thankless jobs at a school is that of maintenance. It is the job of the maintenance department to attempt to hold back the ocean with a broom – to fight entropy. Do your job right and nobody notices, but when something breaks or goes wrong who gets all the complaints?

Another thankless job is that of the IT department. When everything is working, nobody notices. When something goes wrong who gets the angry phone call? So many of us see the IT department as the villain, placing network security over personal teacher and student productivity. We see these people as cranky, impatient, and condescending whenever we stop them in the hall with a “quick question”. I know I’m guilty of more than a few complaints about IT. I’ve vented numerous frustrations about them on Facebook and Twitter, but would I ever want their job? Never.

Imagine what your day would be like if every encounter you had with your co-workers was another complaint and one more thing to add to your never ending “to-do” list.  Have you ever tried to talk to someone over the phone and walk them through the steps to fix something on their computer? Seriously, I’d rather rub a cheese grater on my face than have to spend all day doing telephone technical support. I’ve often stated that if something ever goes horribly wrong and instead of Heaven I go down to the other place, my eternal torment would no doubt be an endless line of people who “can’t print”.

Maybe you don’t like your school IT people. Perhaps you’re positive they hate you and try to avoid you at every opportunity. What are you gonna do?  If I may, let me suggest you follow Otis Redding’s advice and “Try a Little Tenderness”.  Say “Thank You”. Bring them a cookie. Let them know you appreciate what they do. Your’s could be the only kind words they hear all week. Who knows, the next time you submit a trouble ticket your kindness will be remembered and you may get moved to the front of the line.

 

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Back to School – Are You Ready?

August 14, 2011 No comments

IMAGINE…

You walk into class the first day, ready to teach. You look out across the room, examining the the group of learners you see before you. What do you see? Usually it’s a combination of the following…

  • Golden Retrievers – Sitting in the front row. Always wanting to please and requiring constant affirmation. “Is this right? Is this what you wanted me to do?”
  • Storytellers – Constantly have their hand in the air, not because they have a question, but because they need to tell you about something that happened to them once – or maybe it was someone they know – or maybe it was someone on TV.
  • Otters – They don’t care what they’re doing, as long as it’s fun. These are the ones that were talking when you were were giving instructions so they have to ask the person next to them what you said. Then because they are talking to the person next to them, they miss the next thing you said so they need to find out what to do from the person sitting on the other side. Usually when you’re all done, an otter will ask, “Can you explain that first part again?”
  • The Insecure, “Hanging by a Thread” Emotional Mine Field -  Ready to snap at any moment. One wrong comment or look can set them off. Tread carefully.
  • The Eye Rollers – Don’t want to be here. What ever you’re saying must not apply to them so they don’t care. They usually sit in the back of the room with…
  • The Know-It-Alls -  Who are not paying attention to you at all and are working on something else or constantly staring at the clock wondering when you’re going to be done. The two most common replies from both of these types  are “Fine” and “Whatever”.
  • The Space Cadets – Their body may be in the room, but their mind is in a galaxy far far away…
  • The Organizationally Challenged – You don’t see them in the room because they’re running late. When they do arrive, you can’t miss them stumbling in and juggling four times as much stuff as anyone else. After they’re settled and ready to pay attention, that’s when they realize the one thing they need is back home on their desk.
  • The Defense Attorneys -  Known by their familiar battle cry, “That’s not fair!”  These are the ones that will put more time and effort into arguing why they shouldn’t have to do something than it would have taken to actually do it in the first place.
  • The Perfects – Perfect hair, perfect clothes, perfect teeth. These are the ones that really DO know it all. They’re always one step ahead of you and are your built-in spelling and grammar checkers.  You’re just one more rung on the ladder they’re climbing for future success and ultimate world domination.

Are you getting a mental picture yet?

Wait a minute! I forgot one important detail. Imagine that room you are in is not filled with students, but with teachers, and YOU are leading their back-to-school technology training.

Ever notice that a group of teachers is not that different from a group of students? Each one has their own issues and idiosyncrasies. Each one has their own unique set of experiences and learning styles. With a group of students we all know the importance of building relationships, building trust, and getting to know the way each student learns so we can tailor our instruction to help them meet our educational goals.  Yet so often professional development for our teachers is delivered in a pre-packaged, one-size-fits-all technology in-service.

This year our school principal has us reading “Leading and Managing A Differentiated Classroom” (http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108011.aspx) As I’m going through the book I can’t help but think that teachers need differentiated instruction too.  Just like with our students, our goal with professional development is make sure that all our teachers master the skill we are presenting. If we want to do that effectively then we need to design a flexible technology training that takes into account the various strengths, weaknesses, and learning needs of our teachers.

For the Golden Retrievers it could mean providing that extra affirmation and feedback they require, but it also might mean answering their questions with other questions getting them to think through what they are doing and helping them to become independent learners and problem solvers.

For the Otters it might mean stopping every once in a while and asking them to echo back what you just said. or have them explain or “re-teach” the last few steps to the rest of the group one more time for reinforcement.

For the Emotional Mine Fields and the Organizationally Challenged, it may mean taking time to meet with them individually to find out what is going on outside of work. We know from Maslow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow’s_hierarchy_of_needs) that higher level learning cannot occur if a student is lacking one or more basic needs (physiological, safety, love/belonging). Often times we don’t know all the crap that our fellow teachers are dealing with, so learning to empathize with their situation can help you understand better how you can help them learn.

The Eye-Rollers and the Know-It-Alls need you to show them how they can use what you are teaching them next week. Help them understand the relevance of what you are presenting and that this is not just one more thing that’s going to go into a desk drawer never to see the light of day again.

How do you deal with the other types of learners? I haven’t finished the book yet.  What strategies might YOU use to help them?

Not everyone in the room is starting with the same technology skill set, and not everyone is going to take what you’ve taught them and use it in exactly the same way. How boring would it be if they did? I suppose the important point to remember when leading your teacher trainings is not to focus on the technology, but rather all the wonderful faces in the room. Let them know it’s not about the tool, its about them.  Let them know you’re not just teaching a skill, you’re helping them to grow as professionals.

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What is Your Kryptonite?

July 24, 2011 9 comments

I’ve never seen “Waiting for Superman” and I don’t intend to. I’m tired of hearing about what’s wrong with education. I prefer to focus on what’s right. I’m not waiting for Superman, in fact earlier this month I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a week getting energized by the light of over 100 Star Educators at the Discovery Educator Network Summer Institute (DENSI). Every teacher in attendance was a bona fide superhero. As we shared, worked, learned and played together I could see that each one of us was gifted with their own unique super power. Combine those powers and you have an unstoppable force strong enough to solve just about any problem in education today – or at least that’s how it seemed.

"Up, up, and away!"

We made videos and built presentations. We got to meet and be inspired by big name experts like Danny Forster, Steve Hargadon (who we renamed “HargaDEN”), and Hall Davidson.  We conferenced and we un-conferenced. When the scheduled events ended, the learning continued though impromptu “sessions” in the dorm rooms before breakfast and late into the evenings. Sleep was not a priority. Why sleep when you can spend that valuable time learning?

The only problem with this amazing week is that it had to end. In a perfect world, all of us superheroes would just stay there in San Diego, living, learning, and playing, but a perfect world has no need for superheroes. A superhero’s work is to fight for truth and justice, to right wrongs, solve problems, and protect the innocent. In the end each us had to leave and go home to our own schools and districts to face our own challenges and deal with the inevitable post-DENSI depression.

Every superhero has a weakness. For Superman, it’s Kryptonite – that substance that drains his energy and makes him feel powerless. As a teacher and tech leader, what is your Kryptonite? Perhaps it’s one of these…

  1. Internet Filters – It’s happened to all of us. You’ve got a great idea for a lesson or activity that will really motivate your students and get them excited about learning only to find that the site you need to use is blocked.
    When a superhero faces a force shield, he does not give up and go home. He finds a way to go through it, go around it, or turn it off. Work with your school and district IT to get the site unblocked. As a teacher and an adult you have the right to override a school Internet filter or have have sites unblocked for you and you don’t even have to provide a reason. (See “Dispelling Myths about Blocked Sites” and “Knowledge is Freedom“)
  2. Consistency and Fairness – Ever been told that your class can’t do something unless all the other classes decide to do it too? How often do we sacrifice creativity and innovation for the sake of consistency?
    Superheros are sometimes required to go solo, moving forward where others fear to tread. Lead by example. Blaze a new trail for others to follow.
  3. The “Almighty” Inflexible Schedule – Does your education dictate your schedule, or does your schedule dictate the education? This is especially true if you are departmentalized. I know I’ve missed the opportunity to participate in numerous live events and webinars because it didn’t fit into the schedule or happened during break or ”switch” times.
    A superhero sees what needs to be done and fights for it. Often times this involves making personal sacrifices to bend the un-bendable. You may need to give up part of your lunch or prep time, or offer to cover for another teacher, or promise give up time out of your own class later on. If the opportunity is truly worth it, a superhero will find a way.
  4. Lack of Administrative Support – Do you live in constant fear of trying something new or innovative with your students because you know that if it doesn’t work or if someone complains that you’ll be left “hanging out to dry” by your principal or administrator?
    Superheros must sometimes work outside the law to do what is right. Don’t let fear of getting in trouble rob your students of a valuable learning opportunity. True innovators and those who make a difference are risk takers. Think of the inspirational stories of Jamie Escalante and Erin Gruwell.
  5. Fear of Failure – What if it doesn’t work right the first time you try it?
    Don’t give up. A superhero demonstrates mental discipline and chooses to focus on the learning goal rather than what could happen if he fails. When he does fail (notice I said “when” and not “if”), he doesn’t give up, but learns what didn’t work, makes changes and adjustments, and tries again.  We learn more from failures than successes. Besides what better way to model to your students that failures are just part of the learning process?

If I learned one thing at DENSI, it would be that even though I sometimes feel that I’m fighting the good fight all by myself, I am not alone. When the Kryptonite of the real world robs me of my power and energy, I can reach out to my fellow superheroes. Help is only a text, a tweet, a skype, a direct message, an e-mail, or a just phone call away.

Thank you Discovery for a wonderful week in San Diego and for helping me build a powerful circle of Superfriends.

Professional Development, Thoughts ,

3 Cool iPad Apps Shared at ISTE

July 2, 2011 No comments

My ISTE Experiment

For the last few years I’ve lugged a big backpack around the ISTE Conference. The backpack contained all the tech I “thought” I needed for the conference: Laptop, speakers, chargers, power cords, camera, cables, adaptors, batteries. All in all it came to about 15 -20 pounds. By the end of the day it seemed more like 50.  This year I wanted to see if I could get by with just my phone and my iPad – no backpack. Turns out it worked. I was able to check e-mail, Tweet out during sessions, check Facebook, and take notes. With my phone I was able to snap pictures and grab QR Codes. I even carried a mini charger in my pocket just in case, but I never needed it.

I also picked up some great apps that were shared by others at the conference. Here are the three coolest ones.

Type Drawing

To put it simply, Type Drawing is drawing with words.  You type in a word, then draw with it. The faster you draw the bigger the letters. Draw slowly and the letters get really tiny. By changing words and colors you can get some really interesting creations. Imagine telling kids to make a picture with their spelling words. Thanks to Bridget Belardi for sharing this.

 

Band

Kevin Honeycutt shared this at one of his sessions. Sure it’s got a digital piano and drums, but what grabbed my attention was it’s feature that lets you create and play your own 12 Bar Blues. Watching Kevin create a simple blues song in just minutes was enough to tell me I HAD to have this. By the way, if you ever get a chance to hear Kevin speak, DO IT. You won’t be disappointed. I was happy that his was my final session at ISTE. I left energized and inspired.

Noteshelf

Thanks again to Bridget for showing me this gem.  Noteshelf is the best app I’ve seen for note taking on the iPad. It lets you write notes, quickly and easily. It has a zoom feature that helps you write small to fit more info on one page. If you want to make your notes look “cute” there’s a pull down box with hundreds of little smileys and icons for jazzing up your note pages. Noteshelf also lets you bring in pictures from your iPad photo library. Using multi-touch, those images can be moved, resized, and rotated.

For handwriting notes on an iPad you really need a stylus.  I picked up a little Pogo Sketch stylus at Amazon.com for under $10. Noteshelf has a “wrist protection” feature that lets you rest your wrist on the iPad while taking handwritten notes. I tried it. It works.

The best part about Noteshelf is that it connects to the cloud. Notes you take can be uploaded to Dropbox or Evernote. I tested it by creating the note below, sending that note to Evernote. Once it’s in Evernote your handwriting is searchable. I was able to search for keywords and it recognized my writing.

I really want to use Evernote more, but for me note taking means writing and Evernote doesn’t let me do that. Now that I can write my notes with Noteshelf, send them to Evernote, and search what I’ve written I’ll be using this powerful cloud tool much more.

 

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End of an Era

June 18, 2011 4 comments

We all have those pivotal moments in our life. Those times when you realize you need to say goodbye to the old and embrace the new. This week it was time to end a long standing relationship and make a big decision to move on to something better.  This week I changed my default browser from Firefox to Chrome.

Now you may be thinking, “This is no big deal”, but understand that my relationship with Firefox/Mozilla goes back more than a decade – back to when it was just Netscape Navigator. Sure we had some good times over the years, but the new opportunities offered by Chrome finally persuaded me to close one chapter of my life and begin a new one.  What was it that convinced me? Here are some reasons…

Browser Sync – When logged in with your Google account, you can set up Chome to sync so that all your bookmarks, themes, apps, saved passwords, and various settings are shared automatically between computers. Just start syncing in your Chrome preferences on all your computers and link it to your Google account. I’ve become accustomed to my browser remembering username or e-mail when I start to type it on a form. With Sync, a username I type in on one computer, is remembered on my other one. I like that.

Apps – The latest version of Chrome allows you to add “apps” to your browser. Your apps appear when you open a new window or tab. Some apps are free, others you pay for. If you’ve used the Mac App Store or purchased apps from iTunes, the experience is similar. Some apps will even run offline. I’ve got to think that this is something that Chrome needs in order to make the Google Chromebook a viable netbook alternative.

Free Angry Birds – Okay, I’ve got to admit that even with these cool features there had to be something significant to woo me away from Firefox and get me to try and explore Chrome.  A free Angry Birds app that would only run in the Chrome browser was the perfect bait to lure me in.

 

While those were the big three factors that convinced me to change my default, there are a few other things I’ve discovered I like about Chrome since I’ve made the switch…

  • Speed – Chrome just seems to run faster and load pages quicker than Firefox. ( I hear it’s significantly faster than Internet Explorer too.)
  • Compact Toolbar – The toolbars and tabs have been compacted to maximize screen real estate for viewing web pages.
  • Improved Browser Extensions – One thing I love about Firefox is all my browser extensions. Diigo, AdBlock Plus, and several more of my favorite extensions now work in Chrome.

NOTE: Now I haven’t stopped using Firefox completely. I have not deleted it from my computer. In fact I still need it to work with my Moodle 2 pages. It’s just no longer my #1 browser choice.

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