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So, if you took the advice of last week's 90 Second Chromebook Tip & Trick and abandoned your "Search" key in favor of Caps Lock on your Chromebook keyboard, this is still a quick way that you can search Google using this week's Shortcut of the Week. When you want to quick search Google, simply press "Ctrl + e" to focus on the URL bar at the top of the page and begin your Google Search query. It is extremely easy and fast to do!
For me, I find it extremely frustrating when I click a link and I lose the page that I was on reading, especially if I am not done reading my current page. On a Chromebook, there is a simple way around this issue. To open a link in a new tab, you have always been able to do a "two-finger" click on the link and chose from the menu, but an even fast way is to use this week's Chromebook Shortcut of the Week. Simply hold "Control" and click your link. You will see the creation of a new tab taking you to the link when you are ready!
This week, I am highlighting an accessibility feature of your Chromebook. Knowing that screens can be difficult to stare at, this week, we will show you how to see the negative or reverse image of the screen, essential flipping colors. This is helpful for students and teachers that may have an eye issue and can be used to assist them in working on their computers. It is helpful to know. It could also help students who have eyes that are strained easily. The quick shortcut allows switch between the two pages and can be helpful in many different ways. To change the contrast of your screen, push "Ctrl + Search + h" at the same time. If you do it correctly, your screen should change contrasts very quickly.
This week's shortcut is one that may be more useful for students than teachers. If you need to close a tab, you can do so with this week's shortcut. By pressing "Ctrl + W" together, your current tab on the Chromebook will close. Partnered with some of the earlier shortcuts, we can start to see that we are able to do a lot more with our keyboards if we learn the shortcuts. If you have any more questions about Chromebook shortcuts, please let me know!
Sometimes, websites or apps will not work properly for a variety of reasons. I usually just reset my Chromebook because it only a few seconds to reboot and get back to what I was doing. Don't have time for that, this week's shortcut will help! When these sites do not work, sometimes it's what is known as the Cache that is slowing it down. To clear the Cache, which is made up of saved files and images from the websites that you visit with the goal of loading faster, you can use this simple shortcut: "Ctrl + Shift + Backspace." Doing so will take you right to page where you can clear your history. You will have a few options on what to clear, such as saved passwords, your history, and the Cache. Select the boxes you wish to clear and then start fresh. Select the time period. I prefer to do from the beginning of time, as that completely resets my browser. Again, this is helpful when you have a website that is not acting correctly or displaying properly. I...
This week's shortcut is one that I learned! I frequently need to look for my file manager on my Chromebook, and always find myself going to the "Launcher" to locate my file manager, which always buried on the second or third page of apps. I would become slightly impatient when looking for the file manager to properly eject my flash drive or locate the photo that I need. Sometimes, I am just looking for the file I just downloaded. Using the shortcut, "Shift + Alt + m" will allow quickly and efficiently open your File Manager on your Chromebook. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!
Torubleshooting a Chromebook is fairly easy. The first thing that I try is a reset. If a reset doesn't work, I can try to a harder reset, using this week's shortcut. When you press and hold the "Refresh" key and the Power button, you Chromebook will reset harder than simply powering down. It will not lose the settings that are on it. This shortcut is a crucial second line in ensuring that our students' Chromebooks are always functioning properly.
Did you know that you can easily access your task manager on the Chromebook? If you Chromebook is running slow, underperforming, or something similar, you can investigate the reason why this is the case using the Chromebook Task Manager. To get there via shortcut, you have to press "Shift + Esc" at the same time on your Chromebook keyboard. This will show you what is running and how many resources that it is using on your Chromebook. It is an easy way to make sure that you are maximizing your Chromebook's battery and use.