New Google Bar Coming Soon

Get ready for a new Google bar.  Google just announced this update on their blog yesterday and I'm sure it will take some time to roll out, but here's a sneak peek:

http://youtu.be/vSIMpFfNLEA

New Chromebook Clips

I really got a laugh from these new Chromebook clips. These really are amazing computers that just might be the ideal device to be used in schools.  They are ridiculously easy to set up, require very little maintenance, are secure, are interchangeable,  and are designed to integrate with and enhance the experience of using Google Apps.  With more and more computer usage being Web based and the browser easily becoming the most important application on any computer, it makes sense to me that a browser-based computer is really all you need today.

Google Apps to Support Bloom's Revised Taxonomy by Kathy Schrock

In case you haven't seen this yet, Kathy Schrock has put together this chart to show which Google Apps can be used at each level of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy.  If you click the image you'll go to a web page that has an interactive version of the chart with links to all the apps, a form to share your ideas about how to use the apps, and a link to the spreadsheet that contains all the form submissions.

Gmail's New Look

Gmail is getting a face lift. Check out the new look and some of the new features in the following video. You don't have to wait to convert to this new design. Just find and click on the link in the upper right corner of your email window.

http://youtu.be/vfW5e6jVsMs

Make your email signature more functional with WiseStamp

If you use Gmail and Chrome, check out the WiseStamp extension. It allows you to create custom signatures that include social icons and email apps. Here's my example below which includes icons for my Google+ account, Twitter account, blog, and YouTube channel:

New Look For Google Docs

Over the past few weeks the Google Apps have been getting a face lift. Right now many of the changes are still optional and you can switch back and forth between the new look and the classic look, but I'm sure that it's only a matter of time before the new look becomes permanent. Check out this video to learn about some of the changes in Google Docs.

http://youtu.be/aluEPPNYAlE

Organize Web Resources Into A Digital Magazine With Themeefy

Thanks to the Digital Inspiration blog I learned about a great way to have students collect resources from the web and then organize them into a digital magazine. It's called Themeefy. It's currently in beta so who knows how much longer it will be free, but it might just be worth checking into. I really enjoyed how easy it was to put together with both the search tools built into the application and the available bookmarklet that can be installed so that you can add any content to your magazines while you're searching the Web. I also appreciated the ability to easily acquire the embed code so that the finished product could be embedded directly into a web page (like on your Google Site). You can view an example below.

Check out Themeefy today!