Finding new technology so you don't have to
[Update 3/17/2013: My recommended RSS feed readers are in this post.] Google Reader has been my go-to RSS feed reader since it launched in 2005. I’m pained to see it go. If you’re a Google Reader user, the first thing… Read moreGoogle Reader Is Retiring July 1, 2013: What to Do Next
Join.me is my go-to screen-sharing application with Google Hangouts running a close second. However, both only allow one person to “be” on the screen at any given time. ScreenHero (Windows and Mac) allows two people on the screen simultaneously. Getting… Read moreScreenhero: Screen Sharing with Dual Control
A student emails me asking for a letter of recommendation. Before I respond, I want to refresh my memory of the student, beginning with the work the student produced in my course. I go to “Everything” and type in the… Read moreEverything: Windows Search
Did you know that you can create a keyboard shortcut to open any Windows program? Find the program you want to open (Start menu for pre-Windows 8 users; here are instructions for Windows 8 users). Right-click on the program and… Read moreCreate Hot Keys to Open Windows Programs
You know how to search Google. Did you know that you can have Google automatically search, and then let you know what it found out? Go to Google Alerts. Enter your search query. Let’s say that you’re interested in hearing… Read moreGoogle Alerts: Keeping Tabs on What’s New
Look in your Microsoft Office folder, you know, where you go to open Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. There’s a program in there called OneNote. It’s an organization machine. Overview In OneNote, the notebook is the top level of organization, much… Read moreOneNote: The Note-Taking Program You Didn’t Know You Had
Did you know that if you type mailto: in your browser’s address bar and press enter, your default email program will give you a compose screen? [Thanks to a LifeHacker reader for this tip!] Want to do it even faster?… Read moreSuper-Fast Way to Compose a New Email
Google Hangout is a quick and intuitive way to work with up to 9 others in a virtual environment. If you have a Google account, you can create a Hangout. Talk in real time over your computer’s microphone, see each… Read moreGoogle Hangout: Meet with Students or Collaborators
Did you know that you can ‘import’ a gmail message into a new Google calendar event? Did you know that what most of us call appointments, Google calls events? “I have an event scheduled with my dentist.” That makes it… Read moreSaving a Gmail Message as a Google Calendar Event
I’ve seen a lot of faculty desktops – both computer desktops and actual desk tops. It seems that for many of you, your approach to organization is to just toss it all on your desktop (or desk top) and hope… Read moreDropIt: Quick File Organization