Have you ever used a search engine like Google to look up something specific on the web, and then when you get to your desired page you had to read and read to find what you were looking for?  There is a tool that can help you search a webpage very quickly and that is called Find.  It looks a little different in each browser (Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Internet Explorer, etc), but it will function the same.  Once you have a page from the internet on your screen you can use Find to highlight all the words that match what you are researching just by typing a word or phrase into the Find box.  I don’t necessarily use this function all of the time, however if you find yourself reading, skimming, reading & skimming this tool will make your life easier!  It is also been a helpful tool to share with my students. 

Mac users:  When using the internet Press command/F and your Find box will appear. 

PC users:  When using the internet press Ctrl/F and your Find box will appear. 

Start typing a word in the box and you will see the highlighting begin on the page in front of you if there is a match.

Keep your eyes peeled, depending on the browser the Find box might be in the bottom left hand corner or at the top left/right underneath the tool bar.  It will look something like the image below….and don’t worry if you forget the keyboard command you can always go the menu bar at the top of your browser and select Edit and usually you can locate the Find function there as well.

Teacher Tuesday:

Gapminder has put together an online resource that is very useful for teachers and students.  It is called Dollar Street and they sent photographers to over 200 homes in over 50 countries to collect over 30,000 photos.  Their mission is to make “everyday life of different incomes understandable” and help people virtually visit many cultures and homes across the world.  Their website is filled with images and lets you filter for certain topics such as toys, how they get water, pets, front doors, etc.  It is such a neat resource that helps young and old learn more about other cultures around the world.  To check it out go to https://www.gapminder.org/dollar-street/.   

You can turn any website into a PDF with a few clicks.  First, with the website open select Print.  Next, when the print menu opens select Save as PDF from the print menu.  Lastly, as you press Save you will see where your PDF can be located (such as in your Document folder).  This is a handy tool if you need online information available offline–it is also a quick way for a teacher to turn their classroom website into a newsletter.  

Here is an easy way to get rid of the advertisements and the sometimes off-topic suggested videos that show up when you play a YouTube or Vimeo video.  It is called Safeshare.tv and it gets rid of all the extras that could be distracting to your students.  It is simple to use, just copy and paste your YouTube or Vimeo URL on the http://safeshare.tv/ webpage and no more worries.  Another great feature is that it can be used to generate a safe, clean link to the video that can be shared with others.