Category:

Chromebooks

Google Drive Direct Link Generator Makes Downloads Easy

by Miguel Guhlin January 31, 2023

written by Miguel Guhlin

Wish you had an easy way to get a direct link to a file stored in Google Drive? If the answer is “Yes,” you are not alone. This is a much sought-after functionality. Before you see what it can do, let’s clarify why this is such an important feature.

Why Use Google Drive Direct Link Generator?

Ever put a compressed zip file in your Google Drive and want people to download it? You may have an image or video that you want people to save to their devices. Tony Vincent writes:

I use the direct link generator for making QR codes for images, making them easy easier to copy and paste than trying to do that from a Google Drive interface. ????
Source: Tony Vincent via Mastodon (Shapegrams)

When you click on a Google Drive item and select “Get the Shared Link,” you’ll see a link with a lot of gobbledy-gook. This means that people will see an intermediary or preview page. What you want to happen is for people to click on the link and for an immediate download to occur.

What Does This Tool Do?

This tool allows you to generate a direct download link to files you have stored in Google Drive. A direct link will immediately start downloading the file. This skips the step of opening the file for preview.

You can find the Google Drive Direct Link Generator online. The trick has been around for a while, and the steps, available online, are easy to follow.

Step 1: Get the Shareable Link

Now that you’ve double-checked the checklist for the file, you are ready to share the file link. Since this is for files that are NOT Google Docs/Sheets/Slides/Drawings, you can focus on non-Google content. This can include unconverted Microsoft file formats (e.g., XLSx, PPTx, DOCx) and other file formats (e.g. MP4/M4V/AVI videos, PNG/JPG images, compressed ZIP/7z/RAR files, MP3, and OGG).

For this example, I will be sharing direct links to videos that are large, and I want to make them available for others to save rather than view online:

To get the share-friendly link, right-click (or Command-Click on a Mac) to see the menu that appears:

Selecting “Get link” will bring up a screen that looks like this one; at this point you can change the general access to “Anyone with the link” and click “Copy link.”

Clicking “Copy link” will give you a link like the one shown below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-qM0u99b941LoRppGTSJfLoZdKAtcJRt2/view?usp=share_link

Step 2: Generate a Direct Link

To generate the direct link, go to the Google Drive Direct Link Generator and paste in the Google link.

When you click the “Create Direct Link” button, it will generate the direct link.

Now you are ready to copy and paste the output link and share that with others via a website or email. When they click on this newly generated link, they might see a message like the one shown below:

When you click “Download anyway,” the file will save to your device. As you can see, the Google Drive Direct Link Generator makes it easy to share a link people can use. It works best with non-Google files, such as compressed zip files (perhaps containing a collection of text files or other files) and media. Give it a try!

January 31, 2023 0 comment

10 More Shortcuts You May Not Know

by Sara Qualls December 14, 2022

written by Sara Qualls

Back by popular demand, it’s a whole new batch of shortcuts you may not know. These guys can help save you time and improve your daily life. If you missed the first edition, read it here! But now, let’s jump right into a new batch of tech tips and shortcuts.

1. CTRL + Shift + Z (Undo Your Undo)

Okay, so you thought you needed to get rid of that text or image, but it turns out you didn’t after all. Happens all the time! Just tap CTRL + SHIFT + Z, and voila! Undo what you just did.

2. Missing Keys

I have no idea why (I’m sure some of you do), but the Chromebook does not have a delete key. You can use ALT + BACKSPACE to start deleting text to the right of your cursor.

What about the CAPS LOCK key? Chromebook decided to leave this one off the list, too. Now, you could just use the shift key, but sometimes, you need to say a lot loudly. Use ALT + SEARCH to get your shout on via all caps!

3. CTRL + SHIFT + V

Have you ever copied and pasted something from the internet into a document, and the font, text size, etc., didn’t match up? Use CTRL + SHIFT + V. This little trick will save you time as it will only copy the text and not all the other details and formatting that come along with it.

4. Bookmark a Webpage

Like what you’re reading? Save it with ease by using CTRL + D.

5. Gmail Shortcuts

There are a plethora of shortcuts in Gmail. Here are three:

Use R to reply to an email.
Use CTRL + SHIFT + C to add CC recipients.
G + T opens your Sent folder!

6. Rename Files

Need to rename a file? Just select it, and tap the F2 button. No more right-clicking!

7. Browsing Hacks

So you’re surfing the web, and you reach for your mouse. STOP! Just use the spacebar to read along.

8. USB Cables

Are you always having to try, try again when you plug in those USB cables? Next time, just look for the logo or symbol and make sure it’s facing up.

9. Don’t Give Out Your Wi-Fi

Tired of changing your Wi-Fi password after each guest is gone? Here’s a tip that you will love. Qifi.org has made your life a little simpler by generating a QR code that people can scan to access your Wi-Fi without entering a password.

10. Group Text Messages

If you have an iPhone and are in an ever-evolving group chat, chances are someone has checked out. So, if you need to get their attention, tag them by typing @ symbol followed by their name. Then, you just hit the space bar or add a punctuation mark. It will make their person’s name bold, and they’ll receive a notification.

Did you learn something new? Share with me in the comments. Is there a shortcut I need to know? Let’s hear it!

December 14, 2022 6 comments

Android Chromebooks Google Tips and Tricks iOS Tips and Tricks Technical Support

Google AppSheet Makes Building Mobile Apps Easy

by Miguel Guhlin October 27, 2022

written by Miguel Guhlin

A new no-code platform makes it possible to build a Google-powered app. While many educators may reach for Glide, others are looking at a new tool from Google Cloud. This new tool boasts powerful features, mobile and desktop support, app management, and more. Let’s take a look at Google AppSheet!

Introducing Google AppSheet

Looking for a powerful app development tool with lots of features? Google AppSheet has you covered. This tool offers a bewildering array of tools, ranging from how to represent data in a mobile app to a desktop. There are a lot of possibilities.

AppSheet also comes with a variety of templates you can explore. The education section doesn’t have much to offer just yet, as you can see below, but hopefully, it will be built up as this tool becomes more popular.

Stop! Videos and Tutorials Available.

My walkthrough below is insufficient to cover ALL the features of Google AppSheet. You may want to watch these video tutorials to learn more. What’s more, Google Cloud offers a two-day, free online course. You can use it to learn the fundamentals of no-code app development. Wouldn’t it be neat to turn high school students loose with Google AppSheet?

A Quick Walkthrough

When creating an app, I thought I’d use the same source sheet as my Strategies That Work Glideapp. The first step was creating a new app:

Then, I selected the spreadsheet (Effective Instructional Strategies) I wanted to use:

Google AppSheet created an initial view that needs some work, right?

As you can see, the work area for AppSheet is quite complex. The burgeoning app is to the far right, and you see that AppSheet offers customization for each menu option:

After a little tweaking, my data is starting to look a little nicer:

AppSheet offers various views for the data, including the list displayed above and the gallery below.

Be mindful of controlling your data access because the default view appears to allow app users to edit or delete data. This is a feature you can switch off.

Here’s the app view on a smartphone. You will have to install an app first (get the iOS version | Android version) to view it, or you can run it via your web browser.

Here’s what the app looks like with edit mode turned on:

Final Thoughts

Google AppSheet offers a ton of organization features to those who need to build an app. Although it requires users to install an app on their device, there’s a lot of power there. AppsSheet offers many of these features for a cost yet it gives educators an easy-to-use entry point. Google AppSheet might adopt a similar approach. That is, offering a subset of key features educators need at no cost.

Feature Image Source

Screenshot by author

October 27, 2022 5 comments

Chromebooks Google Tips and Tricks

Google Photos’ New Video Editor

by Miguel Guhlin September 9, 2022

written by Miguel Guhlin

Summer is the time to share new information. In late July, Google announced some major updates to Google Photos. If you use Google Photos for archiving photos on your device, you will want to know about these.

Adding a Movie Editor

One of the most received questions from secondary journalism teachers? “How can I put photo albums online for easy viewing?” My answer was to use Google Photos with your Google Workspace for Education account. This made it easy to capture images, then share photo albums with select pics. I relied on this approach for board meetings, special events, and more. One thing I didn’t do, though, was create movies. Google Photos lacked the functionality.

Coming this fall, Google enables Chromebook users to have a movie editor with video editing features. This has been a long-awaited feature, hasn’t it?

Google Photos’ Movie Editor Features

Assembling a movie from scratch is important. It gives you a lot of control over the content. But you can also create movies from theme, relying on Google’s AI to select clips of video. This is a big help, since you are relying on Google’s Search to assist you.

The new movie editor sports some in-demand features, such as:

Clipping the video using a drag-n-drop
Enhance brightness
Augment contrast
Identify highlights
Deepen or reduce shadows
Add soundtrack

These are standard features with many video editors, but you often have to pay for those. Let’s see what else the Google Photos movie editor can do.

Source for Images in this blog post: Google’s Blog

Combine Different Elements

With this new tool, you will be able to combine a variety of media. This media includes content such as:

Photos
Music
Video clips

What’s more, you will be able to insert title cards and music. There’s even more to explore, though.

LumaFusion MultiTrack Video Editor

Work with audio or video, and you will find yourself longing for a way to have more than one track of content. This allows you to add music that plays while images and video are flowing on the primary track. Google promises to integrate LumaFusion into Google Photos.

The LumaFusion app brings professional video editing and effects to the table. This app will be available on Chromebooks, as well as Android. The original creators of another of my favorite apps, Pinnacle Studio, created LumaFusion. The Pinnacle Studio app still has a home on my iOS device as Pinnacle Pro.

The Future Is Fluid and Exciting

Anyone who has had to create and edit movies on the go knows the tough obstacles. Google Photos’ Movie Editor, with LumaFusion inclusion, in the future is exciting!

Image Sources

All images in this blog post come from Google’s blog.

September 9, 2022 0 comment

Chromebooks CTO/CIO Cybersecurity Digital Citizenship Google Tips and Tricks

Update Your Browser Now: Seven Tips for Securing Google Chrome

by Miguel Guhlin August 22, 2022

written by Miguel Guhlin

“Update now! Multiple vulnerabilities patched in Google Chrome.” It’s a headline that you encounter with surprising regularity. Here are a few more from May to July 2022. Each is sure to chill any IT Director’s heart:

Let’s explore some steps you can take to avoid Google Chrome issues and keep your browser secure.

Did You Know?
In August, 2022, a new Gmail attack was announced that exploits Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers. “SHARPEXT is a malicious browser extension,” reports Volexity.com. The threat? It can bypass two-factor or multi-factor authentication on Gmail. This means that even if you do have two-factor authentication, your Gmail may be accessed by nefarious individuals seeking to steal your data. Follow the suggestions in this blog entry to avoid SHARPEXT.

Use a Secure, Chromium Alternative

Want to keep working in the Chromium ecosystem but are worried about the headlines? Then consider getting one of the following Chromium-based browsers that are hardened for security:

You might also try Microsoft Edge as an alternative browser. It supports the Chrome web store but enjoys Microsoft’s ongoing support. Of course, Google will tell you to use Chrome, and Microsoft will say browse securely with Edge, but it’s up to you to choose.

If you would rather not deal with Chrome/Chromium browsers at all, then consider Firefox. These Firefox-based browsers get the job done and enjoy increased security:

For the best compatibility with websites, Firefox works great while safeguarding your privacy. If you need more intensive protection, get Firefox Focus. Both work on mobile devices, too. Of course, LibreWolf offers even more stringent protection on the desktop.

What’s the main problem with Google Chrome that these alternate browsers address? A wide variety of permissions and settings set to “open” or “allow.” It’s like leaving the doors and windows of your domicile open when there are criminals around.

Let’s see how you can secure Google Chrome, especially if you have to use it for work purposes.

Securing Google Chrome

A Google Chrome browser design flaw could allow malicious websites to record audio or video. This could occcur without alerting the user. The user would not get any visual sign that they are being spied on. (Source: The Hacker News, 2017)

Here is a list of suggestions that Zaafir (@zaafirsalam) provides, and I’ve shared a video or image with each one. Let’s explore each one at a time.

Tip #1: Set Site Permissions

Google Chrome may be set to allow access to your location, camera, and/or microphone. To limit what Chrome makes available to websites you visit, follow these instructions:

Go to Settings in Chrome.
Select Privacy and Security.
Click Site Settings.
Disable access for location, camera, and microphone.

Here’s a no-audio video walkthrough on how to do that:

Tip #2: Secure DNS and Connections

A lot of websites fail to secure their connections with your browser. That is, they allow connections that enable malicious folks to steal your password. Think of it as writing your bank account and password on a postcard. It’s not the best way to send confidential information.

Google’s Chrome browser allows both secure and insecure connections. You can restrict that by follow these steps:

Tip #3: Restrict Pop-Ups and Redirects

Ever visited the wrong website by accident? If the site is malicious, it may attempt to open countless pop-up windows. These will open up faster than you can close them. A malicious site may also redirect you to a series of inappropriate websites. Combined with unstoppable pop-ups, you may find yourself a long ways away from where you began.

Only allow pop-up windows for sites you trust. Here’s how you can restrict pop-ups and redirects in your Site Settings.

Note that you can allow specific, or custom, websites to send you pop-ups that are allowed. This can be handy on government and education websites that require pop-ups.

Tip #4: Disable Third-Party Cookies

As you may know, cookies are bits of code that store information about your internet use in your browser. Worse, these cookies can track you across websites. Websites like Facebook use these cookies to track your interests. Then, based on your interests, deliver tailored advertisements. Do a search on baby formula, you will soon see advertisements for diapers and baby stuff.

Here’s how you can disable third-party cookies via your Privacy and Security Settings:

Tip #5: Enable Enhanced Protection

You can turn on an additional layer of protection. The purpose of enhanced protection is to provide more protection. What’s more, it enables you as the user to flag suspicious content to Google. This helps everyone reduce the risks of malware spreading to others.

Here’s how you can turn it on:

Tip #6: Stop Background Apps

Wondering why your computer is running slow? It may be that Google Chrome is taking up memory. This happens even when you’ve “closed” Chrome. It’s closed for you, but Chrome continues to work in the background of your computer. It uses up valuable resources other programs may need. Turn it off completely.

To do that, go to System in the Settings and turn off “Continue running background apps.”

Tip #7: Conduct a Safety Check

Want to conduct a safety check? Access your Settings, looking for Privacy and Security. Select “Check now” to run a safety check on your browser.

Ensuring Browser Security

If you want to avoid making these changes, consider using one of the alternative browsers. They are already locked down. Keep a browser like Firefox or Chrome around. Use them only for legitimate websites that need a less restrictive experience.

Also, consider using these browser add-ons that allow you to turn security on or off as needed per website:

Finally, consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when using the web at home or on the go (work environments may restrict their use). Let me know how your browsing experience changes for the better.

Feature Image Search

Photo by Amol Tyagi on Unsplash

August 22, 2022 1 comment

Chromebooks

Five Free Tools for Chromebooks

by Miguel Guhlin August 18, 2022

written by Miguel Guhlin

Have a cart full of Chromebooks but aren’t sure what digital tools you can use? Or why? While many use Chromebooks every day, it never hurts to review some amazing digital tools. Of course, you can find a lot of great apps for Chromebooks at the Chromebook App Hub. It offers paid apps for every subject and grade level. But what if you want free, no-cost apps? This is the list for you.

Two New Features for Chromebooks

You may have missed the announcement earlier this summer. Chromebooks are arriving with two special powers. These include built-in screencasting with closed captioning and simple video editing. Check out my infographic for more info.

Now let’s get to a quick roundup of Chromebook-friendly tools and add-ons. Here we go.

Digital Tool #1: Kapwing Video Editor and Creator

Kapwing Pro is now 100% free for students and educators. No longer will you have to pine for some free, high-quality video editor. Kapwing Video Editor, featured in this TCEA blog entry, offers so much. And the Pro version is now available at no charge for educators and students. Isn’t that amazing?

Kapwing Pro for Education features:

Presentation recording
Group projects
Video editing and greenscreens
Template and worksheet design
Video translation
Subtitles
Copyright-free images, music, and templates
Video import from the Internet

Want to know if you qualify for the Kapwing Pro plan? Per their website:

Teachers at accredited K-12 schools and higher education institutions are eligible for the Kapwing for Education Plan.

Students currently enrolled at accredited K-12 schools who are at least 13 years old are eligible for the Kapwing for Education plan. (Students enrolled at higher education institutions are not eligible at this time.)

Digital Tool #2: Canva for Educators

Canva is an incredibly versatile tool that you can use for everything. You only have to read these TCEA blog entries to see how amazing Canva is. It does everything:

Here’s a quick video overview of how to get started:

Want some help with back-to-school resources? Canva has you covered.

Get verified as a teacher or student to use Canva Pro for free.

Digital Tool #3: Book Creator

If you haven’t used Book Creator, it is an excellent ePub creation tool boasting over 15 million ebooks. It works on Chromebooks, iOS, Android and Windows devices.

Book Creator allows you to create a simple ePub without media. Or you can liven things up with an enhanced ePub. The latter includes video, audio, and more embedded. Read their blog for TONS of ideas. You can also share your creations to cloud storage (e.g., Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, or iCloud). It also supports the creation of digital comic books.

Get Book Creator for free.

Note: You can create one library and store up to 40 books for free. It’s enough to get started. Be sure to explore templates! Then get become a Book Creator Certified Educator via TCEA’s $39 online course with one year membership FREE! Start Your Journey of Creativity and Learning NOW.

Digital Tool #4: Image Capture Tools

Need an easy-to-use image capture and annotation tool? You know, a browser-based add-on that captures your screen, then lets you annotate the image? Lightshot is my all-time favorite tool and works great in the Chrome browser.

Sometimes, you need a tool that can capture a scrolling webpage, not only what appears on the screen. Give Fireshot a try. It’s a great tool to have in your toolbox. Of course, if you need a photo editor, give Pixlr E and Photopea a shot. Need another amazing tool that makes assembling content easy? Try out Sketch.io’s Sketchpad, which I’ve written about before. It offers support for multiple languages, so it’s usable in any space you like.

Digital Tool #5: GIF Cap

Need to make a quick walkthrough of steps to share with students or colleagues? You could record a video. Another popular approach relies on creating animated GIFs for a screen recording. gifcap makes that possible.

It’s so easy to use, that you’ll be creating short walkthroughs of steps for students. If you need a digital tool that takes a series of images and turns them into an animated gif, give EZGIF a try. EZGIF “…is a simple online GIF maker and toolset for basic animated GIF editing.” It makes it easy to “create, resize, crop, reverse, optimize, and apply some effects to GIFs.”

Now that you’ve seen some of my favorite, go-to tools for Chromebook, what would you add? Add them in the comments.

Bonus Tools!

What, you thought I was done? Here are a few more that make my life easier. I bet they will make your life easier, too.

Custom Scrollbars. What a lifesaver. The current trend in browser scrollbars is thin and thinner. But when you’re working on a Chromebook or tablet, small scrollbars are problematic. They disappear, and if you scroll through content (imagine a long Google Doc), whew! It can be tough. That’s why Custom Scrollbars add-on is so awesome. And it’s free!
Icon Insertion Tools: Explore these two tools to get icons you can insert into Google Slides.
- Icons for Slides and Docs
- The Noun Project
Background Removers
- Remove.bg
- Icons8’s AI Background Remover
Classroom Screen makes it easy to share information with your students on the big screen.
Tab Resize. Split your screen layout on a Chromebook, if you need to. Many are accustomed to working on dual monitors, but when you are on the go, you may still need a split screen. This Chrome add-on can make that possible.

Have an incredible year. Use technology to lessen your stress, increase connections with others, and make your life easier.

August 18, 2022 0 comment

Chromebooks Google Tips and Tricks Microsoft Microsoft Tips and Tricks

TCEA Responds: Convert Jamboards to Microsoft Whiteboard

by Miguel Guhlin August 2, 2022

written by Miguel Guhlin

Dear TCEA Responds:
Is there a way to convert a Google Jamboard document to a Microsoft Whiteboard? Help!
Thanks in advance, Seliza

Dear Seliza,

Thanks so much for your fascinating question. Many of us find ourselves living in two or three different ecosystems. We do some of our work in Google Workspace for Education and some in Microsoft 365. Others even manage to get work done with Chromebooks in Microsoft 365 or using Google tools with Apple iPads.

In this particular case, it is possible to convert Google Jamboard documents, and when done, you’ll be able to use a Google Jamboard in a Microsoft Whiteboard. I will also explain how to bring Microsoft Whiteboard templates into Google’s Jamboard, in case you were curious.

What Are the Tools?

If you’re wondering, Microsoft Whiteboard is a digital whiteboard. You can use Microsoft Whiteboard in Microsoft Teams, too.

There are many whiteboard solutions available. Google Jamboard has become popular because it allows for collaboration and easy editing. Of course, Google Jamboard does limit you to 25 participants max at a time.

Want to learn more about Google Jamboard? What about get thousands of Jamboard templates? If that’s of interest, be sure to sign up for TCEA’s Google Jamboard online, self-paced course. You won’t regret it!

Microsoft Whiteboard comes with a host of templates you can use. Take a look at those before beginning the journey of converting a Jamboard. Of course, “converting” a Jamboard isn’t really accurate. Technically, you’re making a digital copy of the Jamboard as an image. This means that you can use image editors like Microsoft Paint or browser-based Kleki. These editors make it simple to make changes or adjustments. We’ll also go over some workarounds in Microsoft Whiteboard.

Steps for Converting a Jamboard to a Microsoft Whiteboard

Here’s the Jamboard I’ll be converting:

Copy this Jamboard Frame

Note: Many Jamboards begin as Google Slides or Drawings, so if you’re able to find and copy the original Slide or Drawing, you’ll be able to edit the contents. Once you import them into Jamboard, they serve as image backgrounds. That’s why Jamboard frames are harder to edit unless you are using a dedicated image editor. Some no-cost image editors you can use if you’d like to edit a Jamboard frame are:

Of course, there are many others. So remember, if you can’t get a copy of the Google Slide or Drawing that inspired Jamboard, use an image editor like the ones above.

Step #1: Save a Jamboard Frame as an Image.

Jamboard gives you the option to save a frame as an image. You can easily do that by clicking the three dots in the top right corner and selecting “Save frame as image” from the drop-down menu.

Step #2: Open Microsoft Whiteboard.

You can open Microsoft Whiteboard online. Once you have it open, click the plus sign to create a new whiteboard.

Step #3: Import the Jamboard Image Frame.

Once you have a new Whiteboard document created, click on the images icon which will allow you to import any image you want so long as it is a JPG, PNG, GIF, or a variant of those.

This will allow you to import the image frame you saved. Of course, you won’t be able to make changes to the image (but you couldn’t do that in Jamboard, either).

Step #4: Make Your Final Adjustments.

Once you have the Jamboard image in Microsoft Whiteboard, you’re all set to make any edits and additions.

One of the neat features of Microsoft Whiteboard is the image editing tools.

You can also use the Create toolkit to create boxes that overlap elements of the imported frame and add text above those boxes.

Steps for Importing Whiteboard Templates into Jamboard

So you can see how easy it is to move Jamboards into Microsoft Whiteboard. Of course, you can also do the same with Microsoft. Let’s say you find a wonderful template in Microsoft Whiteboard to use. Why not export it, then bring it into Jamboard for use?

Step #1: Export the image from Microsoft Whiteboard.

Click the Settings wheel and then select Export image.

You will also be prompted to choose image size. Try both Standard or High resolution to see which will work best for your purposes. I preferred high resolution.

Step #2: Import the image into Jamboard.

Select Set Background Image, click the add image icon, and import the image.

Step #3: Make any adjustments!

Once you import the image, you can add sticky notes, text, images, drawings, etc.

From Jamboard to Microsoft and Back Again

I hope you’ve found this article on Jamboard and Microsoft Whiteboard helpful! As a bonus tip, I’ll say that one of the amazing tools you can use to design Jamboard or Whiteboard backgrounds is Sketch.io. I’ve discussed it in other blog entries. You can use it as a browser-based alternative to other popular tools. Those other tools include Google Slides, Google Drawings, or Microsoft Powerpoint. Use the tool that makes the best sense for your students. Be on the lookout for a blog later this week by Peggy Reimers with Jamboard bellringer activities!

August 2, 2022 0 comment

Chromebooks Google Tips and Tricks

Discover and Add Popular Google Fonts to Your Workspace

by Miguel Guhlin July 25, 2022

written by Miguel Guhlin

Looking for teacher fonts for your Google Docs? Ladybug’s Teacher Files blogger, Kristen, put together a great list of fifty-five fonts you can explore. But some have asked, “How do you add these fonts to your Google documents?” Let’s take a look at how this is done.

Favored Fonts for Google Teachers

Kristen, blogger at Ladybug’s Teacher Files, offers a list of her favorite fonts. See her picks above. But how do you enable fonts in Google? It’s a simple process, made easier over time.

At Google Fonts, you can find all the fonts you could ever imagine. Each font comes with a label designation of how many styles it has. Or if it is “variable.” As explained in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), variable fonts are:

Variable fonts are a recent evolution in typography. This format lets you customize a typeface in the ways provided by the typeface designer. All styles are stored in just one or two font files instead of separate files for every style.

Google has illustrated each font with a sentence. The sentence or quote is from John Munro’s “A Trip to Venus” (2019). It reads:

“Almost before we knew it, we had left the ground,” and looks like this:

Of course, Munro’s tale has more quotable lines, like this one:

“Great discoveries and inventions are born of dreams. There are minds which can foresee what lies before us, and the march of science brings it within our reach.”

Of course, you can type in your own sentence to preview fonts if you prefer, as I did:

If you visit Google Fonts, you will find a link to Fonts Knowledge. It provides a lot more information on the subject of typography. Let’s take a look at how to get the fonts you want, though.

Five Steps for Adding the Google Fonts You Want

In the old days, you had to save fonts to your computer and then put them in the right place. Now, you don’t have to do that.

Step 1. Want to add fonts? Just go to Google Docs, then go to the Font menu, as you can see below:

Step 2. Once you click on More Fonts, you will see a list like this one:

Step 3. You can search by fonts, so if you saw one you liked on Kristen’s list or via Google Fonts, type in its name in the search box. For example, I like Rubik Moonrocks font. I can start my search with the word “rubik” and see what results.

Step 4. Then, I can select it by clicking on it to get a blue checkmark.

Step 5. And then I can find it in my list of available fonts, ready to use.

Selecting Favored Fonts in Google Slides

The process works exactly the same in Google Slides. As you can see, if I select a font I want (i.e. Rubik Moonrocks) for use in Google Docs, it transfers over and appears in Slides.

Cool, huh?

A Fly in Your Privacy Soup

There may be a fly in the soup. If you are using Google Fonts on your website, you may allow Google to track website visitors. That’s not a concern in Google Docs or Slides, but it may be for website developers. Using Google Fonts on your website may also slow down your website. Watch this video to learn more about privacy and speed concerns with Google Fonts.

Want to Learn More?

If you want to learn how to get or make fonts, you may find these blog entries of interest:

Have fun with fonts. It never hurts to spend time now finding your favorate fonts, Google teachers!

July 25, 2022 1 comment

Chromebooks Web 2.0 Tool Windows

PhotoAid: Free Easy Photo Enhancing Tools

by Miguel Guhlin July 19, 2022

written by Miguel Guhlin

Fantastic image editing tools abound online. Let me introduce you to a new one, PhotoAid. It offers a stunning amount of solutions on one website through a collection of free, online photo editing tools–14 different tools to be exact. Let’s take a look at my top five PhotoAid tools. And, given the positive response this blog entry has received, you can find contributions from Twitter fans included after Tool #4. Check them out!

The main product of PhotoAiD is the all-in-one passport photo editor, which, thanks to Artificial Intelligence, will transform a simple selfie into a professional passport-style photo. The software we developed is composed of numerous small apps like our remove-shadows-from-photo app. We have figured out the smaller tools may be beneficial to plenty of people on their own, hence in order to give back to the society, we made this tool completely free of charge.

Tool #1: Background Remover

There are a lot of background remover tools, but often the tool host limits them in some way. Not the case with PhotoAid. There are limits, of course, but they are:

Max upload size: 30MB, 10000px x 10000px
Supported formats JPEG, WEBP, PNG

Compared with Remove.bg, which offers 573 x 435 downloads, that’s a high-quality improvement. You can see the difference between the two images below:

A quick comparison between the two with Irfanview:

Pretty nifty, huh? Now Remove.bg does offer an additional feature that still makes it a winner if you need it. That is, after removing the background, you can add a new one. The new background can be one of the ten plus scenes or you upload one of your own. That aside, if you want to remove the background and get an image with more pixels, then PhotoAid’s is the tool to use.

Tool #2: Free Round Cropping Tool

Find yourself dropping images into Powerpoint or Google Slides for cropping? Stop. Instead of using those juggernaut tools for cropping an image to a circle, use this one from PhotoAid. It’s quick and gives you a nice result, as you can see below:

Once you have adjusted the cropping tool (the blue circle), download your image. It will look something like this (although not as dashing as my Bitmoji, of course):

TIP: Remember if you need to crop images into other shapes, you can also use IMGonline.

Tool #3: Free Photo Blurring Tool

Need to blur a portion or all of your photo? There are several tools you can use. For example, one of my favorite photo blurring tools is Irfanview. It’s a no-cost, Windows-only program (look at the shareware Graphic Converter for a Mac alternative) that offers a host of features. One of those features is the ability to blur images. The reason I like it is that I can apply a wide variety of effects via a simple interface to a photo selection. That is, blur the face of one person in a group rather than the whole group.

For a browser-based tool, you can try LunaPic would let you. A tool like LunaPic would let you be more selective about which portion of the image you might want to blur, like Irfanview.

If you need to blur an entire photo, then PhotoAid’s Free Photo Blurring Tool works quite well.

It’s a question of how selective you want to be. A general-purpose blurring tool can be helpful to have.

Tool #4: Shadow Remover

Now this is a tool I haven’t seen much. It allows you to lighten an image by removing shadows. Here’s a picture of me in my new Fiesta hat:

What if I want to remove the shadow cast by the brim of the hat? Here’s the resulting image; you decide as to the quality:

This might work great for removing circles under a person’s eyes, but I’m not sure about shadows cast by a hat brim. Here’s another example. The picture on the left is the original, and the one on the right is enhanced.

Hold On, I Want To Share Some Other Tools, too!

Thanks to feedback from the Twitterverse, I’m adding a few more tools other readers want to see included. Special thanks to TCEA Member John Bimmerle for sharing IMGCandy. If you haven’t seen it yet, it offers a ton of features as well, similar to PhotoAid. Give it a looksee!

Tool #5: Image Enlarger

Have a thumbnail image that you wish were…well…larger? You can do that with the image enlarger tool. The idea is that you can “upscale your pictures without losing quality.”

For this test, I took a small image and ran it through the enlarger.

Here’s the original thumbnail image:

Here’s the enlarged image:

The pixel resolution doubled. What do you think of the quality of the image?

Additional PhotoAid Tools

I’ve shared a few of my most often used tools through PhotoAid’s site. But there are nine more to try. Find them all online here. The ones I didn’t mention but that you may find useful include:

Photo Darkening Tool
Photo Inverter
Photo Cropper
Color Eyedropper Tool
Black and White Photo Editor
Photo Flipper
Photo Brightener
Colorize Photo Tool
Photo Rotator

Additional Articles on Photo Editing

If you’re a first time visitor, you may be wondering what other TCEA blog entries address photo editing and enhancing. Here is a short list you can explore later.

Become a PhotoDroid: Image Editing on Android
iPhoneography: Image Editing on the Go (with any device)
[Converting PDFs/Images to Digital Worksheets](CONVERTING PDFS/IMAGES TO DIGITAL WORKSHEETS)
Vector Images: Make Magic with Two Free Tools
Powerful Photo Editing for All Devices
Fix Your Grumpy sELF: How to Change Your Bitmoji Expressions
How to Edit Emoji and Icon Colors using Google
Shape Word Clouds Made Easy
Five Fantastic Browser-Based Digital Tools

Give them a try. There’s bound to be some awesomeness you can use with your existing images.

Feature Image Source

Screenshot by author.

July 19, 2022 0 comment

Android Chromebooks iOS Tips and Tricks Uncategorized

Mobile File Management Made Easy, Part Two

by Miguel Guhlin July 11, 2022

written by Miguel Guhlin

Wish you had a file viewer for that video or digital document on your smartphone? Or do you have to work on different devices but hate having to remember a dozen passwords? Let’s take a look at some answers to these and more questions.

In part one of this series on Mobile File Management Made Easy, I shared some quick solutions you can use. In part two, you will learn the following:

My Best Picks for File Viewers on iOS and Android
Tracking Your Usernames and Passwords across devices

Collection #1: File Viewers

Let’s take a moment to provide some context for each of these tools. We’ll dive into some short, real-life scenarios with my recommended solutions.

Tool #1: Cross-Platform PDF Viewer and Editor

Standing at the luggage pickup carousel at the airport, I received a critical email. The email itself wasn’t so important, but the attached file was. It was a PDF that required my signature. I needed to send the signed PDF back to the insurance company. I was on vacation here, and I had to sign a document with only my smartphone.

To solve that problem, I reached for the Xodo app. I’ve featured Xodo in other blog entries. Whether you are an iOS or Android user, Xodo works great. Xodo’s website now boasts even more features due to a recent acquisition. On a Chromebook or laptop, try their website. It offers thirty different distinct functions or tools.

Get it: Xodo for Android or iOS

Tool #2: Video/Audio Viewer and Player

Work with video much, and you will find yourself working with the MP4 format. There are many video file formats. Wouldn’t it be neat to have a tool that could view them all when you are on the go? Let’s look at a few tools based on device.

Android

While you can find a host of video players on Android, many have ads and/or in-app purchases. These can be a bit of a let-down because who wants to wade through advertisements or pay for more features? The question is, “What offers the most features at no cost?” There are several great recommendations for your consideration.

The first is mpv-android. This minimalist video player, which has a desktop counterpart, provides comprehensive support. That is, it plays everything, including MKV video formats. Keep it in your device for those weird, unfamiliar or regular formats.

The second is an old-time favorite, VLC for Android (you must be logged out of Google for Education or logged in to your personal gmail account to access this link). You can’t go wrong with Videolabs video and audio player. Although they have a cone for their icon, it should really be a multi-tool. It lets you play videos, audio files, and stream content (such as from radio stations). It also has a desktop option for your Mac or Windows device.

Get it: mpv-android | VLC for Android

iOS – iPhone, iPad, and M1

While iOS users have great support built into their device, consider getting Readdle’s Documents. It offers a wealth of support for various file formats, including videos. What’s more, you can watch videos with subtitles. That can be a game-changer for some folks. Also, Documents works on Macbooks with the M1 chip.

Video formats: .avi, .mkv, .flv, .ogg, .mpg, .mpeg, .ts.
Subtitle formats: .srt, .sub, .ssa, .ass, .pjs, .rt, .smi, .stl subtitle formats.
Audio formats: mp3, .aac, .m4a, .m4b, .m4p, .m4r, .amr, .ac3 formats.

Learn more online here about the support Documents offers and get step-by-step instructions.

Get it: Readdle Documents for iOS/M1

Tool #3: Office Documents

Work in the Google cloud? You may want to rely on Google Drive’s built-in ability to interact and view documents. Or, if you have Microsoft 365, you can use that instead. Each comes with an army of helper apps you have to install. I have problems with both ecosystems, helper apps aside.

They can intrude on your privacy, track your information, and report it to the cloud. Or course, they can also work in the background to slow your device down. This might happen as they phone in to their respective motherships. That said, they can also be quite useful.

Get one of these apps if you are on a personal device and want to open a document and then throw it away. They are low-impact, and you don’t have to worry that you’re committing to joining an ecosystem.

OnlyOffice Documents, like Readdle’s Documents, offers many features. While Readdle’s Documents works on iOS devices, OnlyOffice Documents offers a slimmer alternative. Only Office Documents works on Android and iOS and offers a free “pocket” office suite. You can open all MS Office formats and export them to various formats (e.g., PDF, POTX, OTP).

Here are formats it’s compatible with:

DOCX, XLSX, PPTX
DOC, XLS, PPT
ODT, ODS, ODP, DOTX

You can also view PDF files, TXT, CSV, and HTML and save documents to the cloud. You can open documents there, too. It works well with Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and other cloud storage. This makes this tool a swiss army knife for various ecosystems, but it’s only one app, not an army of helper apps.

Get it: OnlyOffice Documents for Android or iOS

Collection #2: Track Passwords Across Devices

Work on many devices? Have lots of usernames and passwords to remember? A second-grade teacher colleague aspires to keep track of fewer usernames and passwords. It is impossible to keep track of everything with a paper notebook, much less one’s memory.

I asked her to inventory her logins to help her appreciate the need for a password manager. She came up with a formidable list. here it is in no particular order:

Gmail Personal and Work
Microsoft 365 Email
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Words with Friends
Teacher Retirement System
Bank
Cable television
Mobile Service Provider
Uber
Fandango
Amazon
Hulu
Netflix
Paramount Plus
Amazon Prime
HBO Max
Social Security Administration
TxT
CashApp
LabCorp Patient
Car Insurance

And there are still many more. Trying to keep track of this many logins and passwords is frightening. You need a single sign-on (SSO) solution. When I switched my smartphone from Android to iPhone (I switch every few years), I was in for a surprise. The iPhone has a built-in password manager. Google announced their browser would also come with a password manager. Don’t trust these password managers. Replace them with something else. You can do that in your Settings->Passwords->Autofill Passwords.

You need something secure. I recommend Keepass for the most paranoid, or if you prefer, use Bitwarden. It’s a free password manager, and it allows you to add notes to each entry. It tracks websites, usernames, and passwords. Moreover, it works on all devices like Android, iOS, Chromebook, and anything with a web browser.

Bitwarden fully encrypts all of your data before it ever leaves your device, and only you have access to it. Even the Bitwarden team cannot unlock your protected data. Bitwarden seals your sensitive information with end-to-end AES-256 bit encryption. Also, salted hashing, and PBKDF2 SHA-256. (source)

This makes it a powerful memory aid that guards your back. And while it’s free, you can pay a whopping $10 if you want more security. Free, you get unlimited passwords and all its core features on unlimited devices. It works on any device, including computers.

Get it: Bitwarden for your Android or iOS device

Want to try Keepass? T y KyPass ($6.99) on iOS or MacOS. For Android, use theKeePassDroid app.

July 11, 2022 0 comment

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