FIRST THING: Super Easy Split Screen with Tab Scissors & Tab Glue
I mentioned this tool in our PD this past Friday. Tab Scissors splits your chrome tabs into two equally sized windows on your screen for easy side by side comparison. The split occurs at the active tab. Tab Glue simply undoes the process by placing all tabs back in the same window. This is super handy for comparing two documents or lists OR checking your gradebooks in Canvas and PowerTeacher Pro. Isn’t that convenient?
One note: if you have a lot of extensions, you may not always see the Tab Glue extension while in split screen mode. To see any missing extension icons, click on the 3 dots menu in the upper right.
SECOND THING: Update Google Chrome regularly
Many of us use the Chrome web browser primarily or exclusively when accessing the Internet. And since we’re a Google based organization, that’s a good thing. But all computer programs require periodic updates to work properly and to keep us safe from malware and other bad actors out there. Please remember to update Chrome regularly. Chrome lets you know when it is time to do so by placing an Up Arrow in the upper right corner. It will show one of three colors depending on how far behind your version is. If you see a red arrow, drop everything and update your Chrome version right away. Red means your version needs critical security patches.
Along the same lines, you should fully restart your Macbooks AT LEAST once a month for the same reasons. Thanks for your help in keeping our network safe.
And as a final reminder, student devices will update automatically, but they also require periodic reboots. I remind the students that I see, but I don’t see them all. Periodic reminders in class would help me out a lot as well.
THIRD THING: Profiles in Chrome to keep your Google accounts separate
Most of us have multiple Google accounts. And while Chrome allows you to simultaneously log in to multiple Google accounts, THERE IS A BETTER WAY – use the Manage People feature to create Chrome Profiles. This allows you to run multiple Chrome windows/sessions with separate bookmarks, extensions, browsing histories, saved passwords, etc. This way you can keep your personal info safely tucked away in your personal Chrome session and your work stuff in your work session. You can combine this feature with Macbook Mission Control (using its multiple desktops/spaces feature) to really keep your workspaces separated and organized. For a deeper dive into all the features of Mission Control, check out this article.
