New Google Apps Launcher is Customizable

Well, Google has done it again!  They have come through on a feature for which I have been waiting patiently....or not so patiently.  You can now edit the apps launcher, which many people have nicknamed the "waffle" that appears in the upper right hand corner of the screen when you are in a Google app.  This means you can put the ones you use most at the top.

Take me for example.  I use Gmail, Calendar, Blogger, Sites, Drive and Groups the most.  I can now make sure they are at the top of the list.  All you have to do is drag and drop the ones you want at the top.  If there is an app that does not show on the More list, it is still simple to add them.  First, go to the app and then click on the app launcher (waffle grid).  At the bottom will be a shortcut to the app and a question asking if you would like to add it to your grid.  How easy is that?

I can arrange my apps in my personal Google account, but can't do that in my school district Google account.  I searched several times trying to find out if it is going to be released for school district accounts as well.  I will keep you posted on what I find.  Please post to the comments if you know the answer to that question.

For more information and more detailed directions, check out the Google support information page on how to switch between products. Scroll down to the section on how to "customize your menu".

You Don't Have to Be a Pro Photographer!

I am not, by any measure, a great photographer.  I am very much an amateur. That is why it amazes me when easy-to-use tools come along that make my photos look great!  My latest tool is Picasa.  This is another Google tool that is free and very easy to use.  I logged into my Google account, clicked on More...Even More and scrolled down to Picasa.  There is a part that you install on the computer and another part that sits in my Google Account.  I decide if I want to upload a photo or an album to the web to share with others.  It is a great way to organize school photos for a website.

We have a deer cam on one of our wooded areas in northern Wisconsin.  The camera took this great photo of a mother deer and a yearling.  It looked very similar to the right with the camera info at the bottom and the photo looking a bit "blue".

I uploaded the file into Picasa when I was uploading all the photos on the SD card.  Picasa automatically put all the photos into a folder with the date.  I could easily change the name of the album if I like, but I left it with the date because that made sense to me.

Next, I double-clicked on the photo in the album and several editing options came up.  First, I clicked on "Crop" and quickly got rid of the camera information at the bottom of the photo.  Next, I clicked on "I'm Feeling Lucky" and it changed the picture into the great photo I now have.  (Please note this photo is copyrighted as I plan to make prints from it.)  That was so easy!

Because the photos are now uploaded into my Picasa  web album, it is really easy to insert into my blog.  When I am editing my post in Blogger, I click on the insert image icon, click on "From Picasa Web Albums", and I just had to find the photo in my Picasa Dropbox.  How simple is that?

We use Google Apps for Education at school, so I always have to check to see if the same features are available at school.  I was thrilled to find that Picasa Web Albums is there under under More....Photos.  Tomorrow, I will test it out with one of my student's accounts.  That would be really slick for sharing field trip photos and class project photos on our website.

How do you use photos for education?  What other free and easy tools are out there?  Please add a comment to share with others who read this blog.