Tech Tip: Twine

At first using Twine was extremely frustrating, but I guess that's just how getting used to anything is. Now that I've got the hang of it, I don't hate it as much (haha). I do love online interactive things, so getting to make one was a really interesting process. I don't think I'll want to write a Twine story for this class, but I might change my mind over time!

Some uses for Twine could be games we played as kids--you could create virtual versions of games like MASH, a paper fortune teller, etc. I think using Twines for very basic stories and games is a great use of the technology!

Tech Tip: Google Data

I had no idea I could (mostly) take control of my Google data until now. I hadn't even heard of My Activity before. I'm assuming they still keep tabs on us somehow, but knowing I have a little bit of control is reassuring. Our lives basically revolve around search engines nowadays, so it is important that we fully understand what we are signing up for when we use it. I personally just try not to think too hard about how my data is being used, though, so I know very little about it.

I do use a lot of Google services. Google search (of course), Gmail, Scholar, Blogger (another obvious one), and so many more that I'm probably not even aware belongs to Google. When I want to learn about topics like online privacy, I Google the topic (ha ha......the irony). Usually sites like Reddit have good information about the topic, but I've also seen major news companies discussing it.

Tech Tip: My Library

In My Library, I have added ABI/INFORM, EBSCO Collection, and Google Scholar. I use all three of these resources every single time I write a paper, so having them all in one place is so handy. It's so nice to be able to click on the links and immediately be taken to the page so I can start researching. I don't even have to worry about logging in to each individual site since it all goes through OU's login page. Super convenient!

My Library from OU's Libraries website

Tech Tip: Google Define

I love that Google can be used as a dictionary. It makes defining words so easy. I still think learning how to use a dictionary is extremely important (my little brother is constantly fighting the urge to just "ask Alexa" what a word means rather than looking it up himself), but Google makes things so much faster. I definitely find myself constantly going to Google to define terms as I'm reading.

Here's a word I looked up: lackadaisical.

Tech Tip: Talking Owl

For this tech tip, I created an animated owl from fodey.com. I added in an owl joke from this website! I've never made something like this or used a similar website before but it's definitely fun!

Tech Tip: Kindle Highlights

I highlight passages all the time on my Kindle. I've always found it so frustrating to have to go back to the book and sift through all my highlights to find the one I'm looking for. I have an extremely old Kindle that doesn't have a touch screen so this makes it even more difficult. But this tech tip made me realize I don't have to do that! I had no idea there was an entire notebook online I could access with all of my highlights! I cannot believe I've been doing it the hard way all of these years... Here's a recent passage I've highlighted. Of course it's from Harry Potter.

"Yellow highlight | Page: 83
Harry did not really listen. A warmth was spreading through him that had nothing to do with the sunlight; a tight obstruction in his chest seemed to be dissolving. He knew that Ron and Hermione were more shocked than they were letting on, but the mere fact that they were still there on either side of him, speaking bracing words of comfort, not shrinking from him as though he were contaminated or dangerous, was worth more than he could ever tell them."

Tech Tip: Animated Gif

I used gifmaker.me to make this gif of my dog, Yumi. I like the idea of using a gif maker to create a sort-of slideshow, rather than just a moving image!

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Image info: Personal images of Yumi, 2019-2020

Tech Tip: Word Cloud

I used wordart.com, which proved to be really simple and fun. Instead of using an outside source, I just typed in a bunch of words of things that are important to me or make me happy. Here it is!

Tech Tip: Canvas Gradebook

The Canvas system is easily the best system I've ever used for academics. It is so easy to navigate, and I love the features in the grade book where you can see what-if scores. I also really love how you can see the highest and lowest scores in the class so that I know where I need to improve. My first semester at OU, professors were switching over from D2L. I remember only one of my courses used D2L and it was the most difficult course to understand. Canvas just makes everything simple and it's so user-friendly. Especially for this course, where I'm constantly trying to calculate how many points I need for the rest of the semester to finish when I want to, Canvas is so helpful.

Tech Tip: Browser Typing

This tool is definitely something I will be using from now on. I usually use Google Docs for my writing. It can be distracting to have a bunch of ads or tool bars in your way when all you want to do is type. All you need sometimes is a blank canvas, and anything else just distracts. There are certain websites made for this exact problem, and I used to use them all the time. But now I can just use the bookmarked blank page and type on there!

Tech Tip: HTML Link

I never understood how people were putting links in their comments on sites like blogger, but now this tech tip has taught me!

I have edited HTML before on Tumblr, but it wasn't that tech-y. I mostly just did it to make tiny adjustments to a pre-made layout.

Tech Tip: Typing Test

I feel like my typing speed in constantly changing, depending on how much time I've been spending typing. Last time I did a test, my speed was around 90 WPM. This time it was 116.33 WPM:

Results from keyhero.com typing test

This test was so short, though, that I decided to take another one. Here are the results from that:

Results from typingtest.com typing test

So I got 99 WPM with that one. I think I prefer the test from typingtest.com because it allows me to customize the test. I chose to do the one minute test where you type sentences (as opposed to words or just letters). 

Typing is really important, especially for those of us in online courses. I'm lucky enough to have started typing games in second grade, so I learned the skill from an early age. Not being able to type quickly can be frustrating because it takes so much longer to finish assignments. 

Tech Tip: Creative Commons Browser

In my opinion, the most tedious part about making posts last semester was finding images because you have to make sure they're okay to use (i.e. no copyright issues). I saw this tech tip for a creative commons browser extension and was intrigued immediately. It should make searching for and downloading images so much easier!

I just added the extension and searched for the first thing that came to my mind: an image of a dog. Here's what that looked like: 

I downloaded the second image and copied the attribution super easily! I will definitely be using this tech tip this semester. 

"A cute Dog 4" by Chen Vision is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Tech Tip: Favicon

My favorite tech tip last semester was the favicon--I loved seeing the little plant show up in the tab for my blog. This semester I chose a mountain (this one in particular) to reflect my love of nature and hiking. Something about mountains just make me happy so now every time I open my blog I'll feel a little happier. :)

Here's the super blurry version of it from the favicon.cc website!