Extensions Come to Google Chrome

Google Chrome Extensions via kwout

I started using Google Chrome as one of my browsers in August as a way of accessing and using my Google toolbelt my efficiently, but I have come to love it as much as Firefox this autumn.  However, until now, Chrome did not offer the myriad of extensions.    While I am sure there will be tweaks to these extensions as they receive feedback from users, I am excited by the possibilities because Chrome is such a fast, stable, and clean browser.  I am especially excited to see the Diigo bookmark extension (not as good as the one designed by Diigo for Firefox but better than nothing) and theShareaholic extensions; I’m also intrigued by the Google Quick Scroll extension and how students might possibly use this tool for information skimming and scanning.  Other fun extensions include NPR News, Music, and Books as well as the Picnik photo editing extension. If you are playing with Google Wave like I am, you will also want to test drive the Google Wave extension to monitor your waves.

After showing the browser to my Media 21 students earlier this semester, many installed it home and report that they love its sleek look and lightning fast performance.   I will be sharing the apps information with them in class this week as I feel confident some will want to experiment and play with these new extensions, too.

If you have not tried Google Chrome, I encourage you to check it out.  If you are heavy user of Google Apps, I especially recommend it as the Google Apps, as you might expect, live more happily in this browser space.

Filed under: Google Goodness, Web 2.0 , browsers, Fun, Google Chrome, Google Extensions, Media 21

Google Sites Now Offers Site Templates!

Google Sites Offers Templates; Claims It’s Easier Than Sharepoint – ReadWriteEnterprise via kwout

I am jumping for joy at the latest cool addition to my new favorite tool of the 2009-10 school year:  GoogleSites!  They are now offering pre-designed template to help you get started with your web design!  As someone who has used both SharePoint and GoogleSites, I can assure you it IS much easier to work with GoogleSites in terms of editing and filing documents—fewer clicks and a much cleaner interface.  Students and teachers who have used it at my school love it, and so do I!  Google Sites has been a staple in my Media 21 toolbox for my students this semester.

Here is a sneak peek of the templates—they are up and running this morning!  I encourage you to give Google Sites a try!

Filed under: Google Goodness, Media 21, Web 2.0, Web 2.0 Tools, Wikis , cool, Fun, Google, Google Sites, GoogleSites, SharePoint, templates

Google Reader Bundles

Thanks to friends and fellow librarians Marianne Lenox and Andy Woodworth, I have discovered the beauty of Google Reader Bundles.  Essentially, a “bundle” is a package of RSS feeds–this could be from a folder of your favorite RSS feeds on a topic, such as librarianship, or tags you have in your Google Reader.  You can use the bundle feature to share your favorite “package” of feeds in your shared items; you can even add a clip of your bundle to your website, blog, or wiki!  You can also email your bundle or add a regular link to the bundle to your favorite web space.

Bundles are a terrific way to share and discover what your peers and colleagues are reading!  For easy instructions on how to get started with bundles in Google Reader, check out these two terrific and easy to follow “how to” blog posts/articles.

Happy Bundling!

Filed under: Google Goodness, Web 2.0, Web 2.0 Resources and Articles, Web 2.0 Tools , bundle, bundless, google reader, RSS

Even More Sharing in Google Reader: Share Feeds for Specific Folders

I have been a huge fan of the “shared items” in Google Reader for several months now.  Until about five minutes ago, though, I didn’t think there was a way to publicly share my favorite feeds for specific folders/labels within Google Reader.  I just stumbled upon the fact that you CAN share individual folders, and you can even create a blogroll for those folders to put on your website or webpage!

I may be the last person to discover these cool features of Google Reader, but just in case I am not, here are two cool tricks I’ve learned through sheer luck this morning!

Share Individual Folders/Labels in Google Reader

• Go to your settings in Googler Reader.
• Click on “Folders and Tags.”
• You can click on the little RSS symbol (it looks like waves) to toggle that folder from private to public.

• Once you have toggled the folder to be shared publicly, you can then view your page, email that link to someone, add a clip to your site, or even create a blogroll!  YES! Just click on the option you would like, and you can grab the code to embed that sharing feature in your blog, web page, or wiki.

These are great ways to share specific feeds in your Google Reader account with your friends and colleagues!

Filed under: Google Goodness, Library 2.0, Media 21, Web 2.0 Tools , discovery, google reader, learning, sharing