How to Get in the Flow
In a world in which there is no shortage of digital distractions it can be hard to get into the flow of working a project, studying, or simply sitting and thinking for a while. That’s why I like what Engageable is trying to do, why I appreciate the work of Cal Newport, and why I […]
How to Add Voice Notes to Pictures in Google Keep
Google Keep is the app that I probably use more than any other on my Pixel 5. It’s an app that does everything I need to save notes, clip bookmarks, and set reminders for myself. It also has a lot of little “hidden” features that I use from time-to-time. For example, you can use to add […]
Focusable – Fitness Tracking for Your Mind
Focusable is a free app and website that I started using at the start of this school year. It’s a tool that anyone can use to teach themselves to focus on completing difficult tasks, to ignore cheap social media distractions, and to recharge after completing a stressful task. Since September I’ve used Focusable as a […]
Five Time-saving Ways for Teachers to Use Technology
Making time for yourself is one of the things that I talk about in my new keynote presentation titled Using Tech to Bring Joy Into Your Teaching. There are many ways that technology can help you get more time for taking care of yourself and doing the things you enjoy outside of professional responsibilities. To […]
Three More Ways Focusable Can Help You Focus
Disclosure: Focusable is an advertiser on my websites. Last week I wrote about how Focusable is helping me get things done more efficiently. That blog post featured how Focusable works once you start working. What that blog post left out was how Focusable can help you get started when you have a task to do […]
Three Ways Focusable is Helping Me Be More Productive
Disclosure: Focusable is currently an advertiser on my websites. In the past I’ve used browser extensions to block websites that distract me from getting work done during my day, but eventually I would still find a way to distract myself. Recently, I started using a different approach thanks to the help of Focusable. Focusable is […]
Two More Tools That Can Help Students Stay Focused on Online Tasks
On Friday morning I shared a browser extension called BeTimeful that limits your access to social media sites during your working hours. As I wrote in that blog post, there are similar tools worth noting. Here’s a short overview of some tools that can help students remove distractions and stay focused while working online. StayFocusd […]
BeTimeful Hides Social Media Distractions
BeTimeful is a browser extension that is designed to hide social media distractions during your working hours. There are similar browser extensions that block your access to social media sites during working hours. What makes BeTimeful different is that instead of entirely blocking your access to social media sites, BeTimeful hides all distracting content like […]
How to Record Screencasts in Gmail
Nimbus Screenshot is a Chrome extension that I’ve featured in the past as a good tool for creating annotated, scrolling screenshots and for creating screencast videos on Chromebooks. The latest update to Nimbus Screenshot added the ability to record screencast videos directly from your Gmail inbox. With Nimbus Screenshot installed in Chrome you will see […]
Forest – A Tool to Help You Focus on Important Tasks
When I need to focus and get a lot of writing done, I set a timer and tell myself that I can’t stop writing until the timer goes off. Forest is a Chrome extension that basically does the same thing plus it blocks me from websites that could distract me from getting things done. Forest […]
My Top Five Productivity Tips
This is an excerpt from my weekly Practical Ed Tech Tip of the Week Newsletter. The newsletter is sent out every Sunday evening (Eastern Time). In my newsletter you’ll find my favorite tip of the week as well as a list of my most popular posts of the week. You can register for the newsletter […]
Three Chrome Extensions That Help Students Stay on Task
If you or your students need a little help staying on task when working online, try one of these Chrome extensions to help limit distractions whenever a new tab is opened. A video overview of these three extensions is included below. StayFocusd is a Chrome extension that lets you specify the sites that you want […]
How to Create Personalized Certificates in Bulk Through Google Sheets
Creating a certificate for one or a few students is a fairly straight forward process. You can use Google Slides, Canva, or any number of Word templates for that. However, that can get time-consuming when you need to create certificates for a long list of students like the school secretary that I helped earlier this […]
Try Quick Key’s Gridded Response Format for Your Next Math Assessment
Quick Key is a free app that I have liked and written about since my friend Mike Morrell showed it to me almost five years ago. Every year since then Quick Key has improved by adding new features that teachers want. The latest feature added to Quick Key is a gridded response format. Quick Key’s […]
Tabs Scissors & Tab Glue
Tab Scissors and Tab Glue are two Chrome extensions that will make your life a lot easier when you find are toggling between two different tabs. Tab Scissors works by splitting your Chrome browser into two perfectly sized windows at the selected tab. Tab glue will join the tabs together again. You can do the same […]
This Handy Extension Helps You Get Back on Task
It can be easy to say to yourself, “I’ll just take a quick look at Facebook” and then look up at the clock to realize you’ve wasted twenty minutes sharing memes for or against a political stance. Dayboard is a Chrome extension that can help you avoid falling into the trap of opening a new […]
5 Handy Chrome Extensions for Teachers
After seeing my browser in one of my tutorial videos or one of my presentations, people often ask me about the extensions that I have installed. Here are five Chrome extensions that teachers should try. 1. Nimbus screenshot – Rather than answering the same question dozens of times, create a screencast video to explain how […]
How to Add Sticky Notes To Webpages
Note Anywhere is a Chrome extension that lets you add a sticky note to just about any webpage that you have open in your browser. With the extension installed you can simply click its icon in your browser and start writing notes on the page. As I demonstrate in the video embedded below, Note Anywhere […]
QuickKey + Inexpensive Phone = Time Saved On Grading
QuickKey is a popular iOS and Android app that can help you save a ton of time when grading multiple choice or true/false quizzes. I first learned about it a few years ago when a colleague of mine was raving about it on Facebook. Here’s the basics of how it works; create your quiz on […]