Tech can be frustrating, annoying and a hassle if you don’t know how to use it. Luckily, I’ve found some handy tools and shortcuts that will make your life just a little bit easier. Check them out! Let me know what you think! Have a great weekend! Until next week!
1. Screenshot a Webpage
Screenshots are a simple way to capture a static image of a computer, mobile, or tablet screen. They can be useful for demonstrating how to do something, showing an error message or software issue, and sharing with friends on social media.
You can screenshot a web page by clicking on a screen-capture icon. Then, a thumbnail temporarily appears in the lower-left corner of your screen. Tap it to open the image or swipe left to dismiss it.
If you’re on Mac, you can also use a browser extension like Movavi to take a screenshot. This extension will automatically scroll through a webpage to ensure that everything loads before taking the screenshot.
The best part about this method is that it’s free, works on all platforms, and doesn’t require a download or installation. Plus, it’s a lot quicker than capturing the entire screen with your keyboard.
Another way to screenshot a whole page is to use the Chrome Developer Tools. This tool is available in a beta version right now, but it’s easy to install and use.
Once you’ve enabled the developer tools, click on the search field and type “screenshot.” You’ll see four screenshot options – Capture area screenshot, Capture full size screenshot, Capture node screenshot, and Capture screenshot.
Nimbus is a web-based service that lets you create PDFs of webpages instantly, and it comes with a variety of editing features. For example, you can crop or shorten the PDF, mark up text, and more.
You can also try a number of standalone screen capture tools that let you take screenshots of full pages. Some of them offer additional features, such as the ability to edit the screenshot after it’s taken.
2. Open a Link in a New Tab
If you have a lot of external links on your website, it can be helpful to open them in new tabs. This will help users come back to your site later without losing their current browsing context.
This can help improve engagement metrics such as bounce rate and time on site. It also makes it easier for users to find your site’s external links and navigate them quickly.
In HTML, it’s easy to make all of your external links open in a new tab. All you have to do is add the target=”_blank” attribute to the a href tag.
If your website is large and has a lot of content, it may be useful to have all of your links open in a new window or tab so that they don’t take up too much space in the page. This can save your visitors a lot of time and bandwidth and will help them stay on your site for longer.
For many websites, the best way to do this is through a plugin. There are a few available, so check out the browser extension store to see what fits your needs.
Another option is to use a middle mouse button on your keyboard. This will automatically switch to a new browser tab when you click on a link, which can be very helpful for people who are working on multiple projects at once.
You can also use a trackpad on your computer to do this, though it may require some configuration. Alternatively, you can use a third-party tool to do this for you. Just remember to save your settings when you’re done! This will save you a lot of time and frustration.
3. Save a Webpage as a PDF
If you’re on a laptop and want to take a web page with you, you can save it as a PDF file. This is a good way to preserve the look and layout of a page, and it’s also easy to print.
A PDF is a portable document format created by Adobe in the 1990s. The format is an open standard that allows for the distribution of read-only documents, and it preserves the entire layout and text of the document. This means you can distribute the file to anyone without worrying about them being able to edit the file or change its information.
You can convert a webpage into a PDF file with the help of Google Chrome. The process is simple and works across both Mac and Windows. To start, navigate to the page you want to convert and click on the symbol with three horizontal lines in the top right corner of the screen.
After that, press Control + P (in Windows) or Command + P (on macOS) to launch the browser’s print tool. The print tool will then automatically optimize the webpage for different paper sizes and assign a page number for easy identification.
Once you’re done with the PDF, you can rename it and choose where to save it. You can also share it with others by tapping on the PDF icon in the bottom-right corner of the page.
This is another great way to preserve a webpage for offline reading, and it’s also easy to do with the help of Apple’s Safari browser. To use this trick, all you need is a computer with the latest version of Safari installed and a decent internet connection.
4. Google Earth Voyager
Google Earth is an online tool that allows you to see a digital globe of the world with satellite imagery. It also lets you look at satellite photos of specific areas, like a safari or a city.
It’s easy to use and great for remote learning. It’s also an excellent resource for teaching about geology, climate change and human migration, as well as science topics such as volcanoes, sea floor depth and watersheds.
You’ll find a lot of useful features in the new Voyager version, including curated tours from top partners, such as NASA and Jane Goodall Institute. These “Voyager tours” are a great way to show your students how to map out their own virtual journeys around the world.
Another cool feature is time lapses, which let you see how the planet has changed over a period of years. To create these videos, Google Earth worked with Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab to develop the technology.
These time lapses come in five themes, and are designed to help viewers understand how different parts of the planet have changed over the last 37 years. For example, you’ll see changes in forest growth and urbanization.
There’s also a new option called “knowledge cards” that pop up with information about what you’re viewing, such as the name of an animal or landmark. These pop-ups can be very helpful in a classroom, as they can be shared with students right from Google Earth or sent to a class using Google Classroom.
The new Google Earth is available in a browser-based version (Google Earth for Web), an app for mobile devices and a desktop version that works with kml files. The desktop version has more functionality and a number of features that are useful for educational purposes.
5. Google Drive Quick Access
Google Drive Quick Access allows you to quickly locate files in your Drive account. The feature uses machine learning to predict files that you might need based on your activity and workday patterns.
But if you don’t need it, you can easily disable it from your Android and iOS devices. This is a handy option because it frees up some screen space, while also helping you find your most recently used files more quickly.
If you’re a Windows user, you can use a tool called Google Drive for Desktop (formerly Drive File Stream) to make it easier to access your files in File Explorer. The app creates a link between your Google Drive account and folders on your computer so that every time you make changes to files, the changes are synced to the cloud as well.
You can then see all of your Google Drive files in a single window inside File Explorer, making it easy to find the file you need. It even comes with some useful features, like a search function that will help you find files and folders based on their name, share status, or last modified date.
Another great feature of the tool is its ability to export direct download links for your Google Drive files, including photos, documents, and videos. You can choose from a variety of formats, including PDF, ePub, CSV, and ZIP.
In addition to these useful features, the app also lets you organize your files based on size, name, and date modified. It also makes it easy to share your files with other people. If you’re looking for a new way to organize your files, the app is definitely worth checking out.
