Is anyone else inching into 2022 with a bit of cautious optimism? You can’t see it, but I’ve got two hands up. I’m ready to make up for the past two years! I really am hopeful for the future, and I challenge everyone to approach 2022 with a glimmer of hope and a renewed focus on things that will bring you joy in life. After all, it’s all about perspective.
Without further ado, let’s jump into some new favorite finds for the month.
Chrome Extensions to Try
Tab for a Cause. With every new tab, choose a charity, and give back all year long. If you are anything like me, you may be reading this article with 27 tabs open. That kind of tab action can really add up! To date, they have raised over $1.3 million for charity. Fair warning, though, they have ads on the new tab page. It’s how they collect revenue to donate to the cause you are supporting.
Rubiks Cube for Google Chrome. Want to impress your friends and family? Learn to solve the Rubiks Cube. Practice makes perfect in this classic favorite. The Rubik’s Cube was invented by an architecture professor in 1974 but did not arrive in America until the early 1980s. Mathematicians joined forces to determine that there are 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 ways to arrange the squares, but the solution is only one of those combinations.
Newsela. Many of you are aware of this site, but did you know there is an extension for it? The great thing about Newsela is that they align their content to state standards. The extension allows teachers and students to search and preview Newsela content within Google classroom. You can also add content links to assignments, quizzes, and discussions.
Water Walk. If you are a walker like me, or if you are trying to get a little healthier in the new year, this extension is for you. It will remind you to get up from your computer and move around. You can set the timer to remind you every 15, 30, or 60 minutes. Not So Fun Fact: For each hour that you sit, it increases the chances of heart disease by 14%. Get walking, my friends!
Dark Reader. Dark Reader does what its name implies. It can put every website into dark mode. If you are spending more and more time on your computer, you should start protecting your peepers and enable a dark theme for your daily browsing.
Roster Extras. I came across this one while reading Alice Keeler’s blog. She’s teamed up with Schoolytics to help you do even more with your roster. This extension can assign a student a slide, randomize, send it to Docs so you can create customized student reports, and more.
Must-Visit Websites
Windows93. If you’ve been reading this series for a while, you know I love throw-backs. There is just something about reminiscing my AOL days and recalling having to wait to connect to the internet for a good five minutes while hearing screeching noises in the background. This site is a parody of Windows 93. It will load in the same manner and ultimately bring you to the memorable desktop with way too many icons and folders. Click on a folder or icon, and a random screenshot or sound from the Windows 93 days will appear. My favorite icons were Cat Explorer, which had me nostalgic for my old friend Tom, and Solitude, where I did play a round of a classic game. If you are now a Mac user, don’t forget to double-click!
Coding Game. This free website will help you improve your programming skills while having fun. You can learn new concepts by solving fun challenges in more than 25 languages. You can challenge your friends, climb a leaderboard, and find plenty of tutorials and help from their large community of users. If you or a student want to improve basic coding skills, give it a whirl.
If you find any of these useful, drop me a line in the comments. Wishing you all the best in the new year!
More From This Series
- Eight Chrome Extensions and Sites You May Not Know (December 2021)
- Eight Chrome Extensions and Sites You May Not Know (November 2021)
- Eight Chrome Extensions and Sites You May Not Know (October 2021)
- Eight Chrome Extensions and Sites You May Not Know (September 2021)
- Eight Chrome Extensions and Sites You May Not Know (August 2021)
- Eight Chrome Extensions and Sites You May Not Know (July 2021)
- Eight Chrome Extensions and Sites You May Not Know (June 2021)
- Eight Chrome Extensions and Sites You May Not Know (May 2021)
- Eight Chrome Extensions and Sites You May Not Know (April 2021)
- Eight Chrome Extensions and Sites You May Not Know (March 2021)
