Tech bytes

This week's tech tip is about a new feature in Meet that allows you to check your audio and video devices for correct functioning prior to joining a Meet.

It began rolling out on 2/2, but if you don't have it yet, you soon will (2/17 at latest).

This week's tech tip is a very short look at a new feature rolling out across Chrome (should be on Chromebooks, coming soon on PC/Mac if it hasn't already) called Tab Search.

This week's tech tip looks at a couple disparate things focused on enhancing usability: resizing elements within a page (good for all Chrome installs) and resizing ChromeOS icons and system elements.

The second part is about fixing one of my pet peeves with regard to Chromebook keyboards: the lack of caps lock.

Welcome to a new year and a new weekly tech tip! This week's tech tip is a bit longer than usual, but I wanted to make up a bit for missing some in December.

This video looks at the following: adding fonts, using the special characters menu, and how to set up and manage automatic text substitutions. The latter one in particular I think is something that can be quite useful.

First, I'd like to have a "meta tech tip": a tech tip about tech tips. If you missed a previous tech tip or need to revisit one, you can find them archived here: Tech Tip Archive

On to this week's tech tip: last week I showed you how to do multiple desktops, along with some suggested uses, in ChromeOS. This week we'll take a look at doing the same in Windows, along with a few quick taskbar customizations.

Windows: Multiple Desktops and Taskbar Options

This week's tech tip takes a look at ChromeOS and managing windows and multiple desktops. The latter function is especially useful if you want to create a customized set of open applications for different purposes and switch between them. And at the end, there's a brief look at how to move your Chrome shelf (taskbar) and how to do a "browser barrel roll."

Multiple ChromeOS desktops/window management

This week's tech tip is about adjusting audio sources and inputs within ChromeOS. This is especially helpful if you are using a Chromebook with an external audio/video device, or sound is otherwise behaving unexpectedly.

ChromeOS Audio Settings

This week's tech tip is about how to create shortcuts for websites in the Chrome browser. This is good if you like the idea of having desktop direct shortcuts (Windows) or a more "app" like feel (ChromeOS).

Chrome Shortcuts

This week's tech tip covers one relatively unknown Chrome feature along with one "experimental" feature. And as I emphasize in the video, don't go through the experimental menu randomly toggling things on!

Chrome Task Manager and Touch UI

Windows Snip & Sketch is a surprisingly handy screenshot tool within Windows. It's replacing the still-existing Snipping Tool over time in Windows. Useful if you do a lot of screenshots with quick markups.

Managing Chrome Extensions

Maybe you went overboard trying out new extensions early in the year, but now find you don't need so many?

De-clutter your Chrome installation, and perhaps speed it up a little, by disabling or deleting Chrome apps/extensions you aren't using any longer.

This week's tech tip is about a couple of new features in Meet: Jamboard integration (interactive whiteboard) and background blur.

New Meet Features

Additional notes:

1. Students on mobile devices (phones/tablets) will be prompted to use the Jamboard app instead of browser to see whiteboard content.

2. I'd recommend not creating the Jamboard until your participants are all present, because late-joiners may have to request permission access to see the Jamboard. Otherwise, clicking the link will let them send an email request for file access. So keep one eye on your email for access requests.

This week's tech tip is about enabling dark mode in supported operating systems. Since many of us are looking at computer screens perhaps a bit more than normal right now, some of you may find dark mode a little easier on the eyes over a long period of time, depending on your ambient light level. Some mobile devices also get a little more battery life out of this mode.

Enabling Windows 10 Dark Mode

For Macs, this may vary a bit depending on what version you're on. This link is a quick how-to for Macs: Dark Mode for Macs

ChromeOS does not yet have this mode, but some Chromebooks may have a "night mode" that decreases the amount of blue light emitted, turning the screen somewhat yellowish.

A follow-up on last week's tech tip:

On a Windows computer, to do the same simulated dual screen, you can use the Windows key+left or right arrow to automatically resize the active window the same way.

Many of you may remember Tech Tip Tuesday from years ago--well, today's not Tuesday, but our weekly tech tips are returning! This week's tip shows how to make a simulated dual screen on a Chromebook using the snap command alt+[ or alt+]. We've had a lot of requests for an extension that does this, but ChromeOS can do this automatically.

Simulated Dual Screen

For a complete list of all the keyboard shortcuts on a Chromebook, just press Ctrl+Alt+ the ?/ key (on a Chromebook) to get a complete list that's organized and searchable.