Marie Kondo Your Google Chrome Tabs!

Do your tabs spark joy? Each time I present, I feel the anxiety of being judged for having roughly 515 tabs open in my Google Chrome browsing window. If you're like me, you're probably ready to hear some Marie-Kondo-inspired advice for getting organized.

1. Acknowledge the Chaos and Gather All Tabs

Before organizing, take stock of your open tabs. Click the disclosure triangle (downward-pointing carrot) in the top-right corner of Chrome to see all open tabs at once. This is a great way to quickly navigate to a tab when I can't see any part of the tab (because I have too many tabs open).

2. Keep Only the Tabs that Spark Joy

Ask yourself: Does this tab serve a purpose right now? If not, follow Elsa's advice and Let It Go!

3. Give Everything a Home with Tab Groups

How to Create a Tab Group

1. Right-click a tab
2. Select "Add Tab to New Group"
3. Type a name and a select a color
4. Drag other related tabs to the new Tab Group

Pro Tip: You can click on the Tab Groups to expand or collapse the entire Tab Group.

4. Pin the Essentials (Your Digital Keepsakes)

For tabs you use daily, pin them to keep them tidy and accessible.

1. Right-click the tab
2. Select "Pin"
3. The tab will condense and move to the left

5. Let Go with Gratitude

Sometimes, I hold on to tabs out of fear that I will need them later. Guess what? You can reopen closed tabs that are saved in your tab History!

1. Click the three-dot menu
2. Select "History"
3. Select the missing tab from "Recent Tabs"

"A cluttered Chrome window leads to a cluttered mind" (Robinson, bsd220tech Blog, 2025). 

Feel more focused, productive, and at peace with your digital workspace.

Summer School Course Previews Available Soon

Summer School course offerings will be available to preview during the second week of February 2025. Registration for courses will open the first week in March 2025.

macOS Update/Upgrade Reminder and a Thank You

Real estate experts often remind us that three most important aspects of a property are "Location, Location, Location." When it comes to technology, the three most important things are "Security, Security, Security."

Over the past several months, the Department of Technology and Innovation has strongly encouraged (dare I say "nagged") you to upgrade and update your computers to the latest versions of macOS. Thanks to you, our district has been very successful. When you first received new MacBook Air laptops in 2020, they were pre-loaded with macOS 11 ("Big Sur"). Now, in 2025, all of us are on at least macOS 14 ("Sonoma"), and the vast majority of us are on macOS 15 ("Sequoia"). We should definitely give ourselves a round of applause for our efforts.

Of course, our efforts don't end today. Going forward, we will continue to keep our devices updated and develop the digital habit of updating and upgrading as often and as quickly as we can. The more often we update, the less time those updates take. More frequent updates both maximize our time and lessen Barrington 220's security vulnerabilities.

So, from the bottom of our Apple silicon hearts, thank you for helping us help you keep our Apple fleet secure and up-to-date!

Make Your Mac Laptop Fill the Entire TV Screen on macOS 15

If you are using a district-issued MacBook Air running the latest macOS 15 (Sequoia) AND an Apple TV, you may have noticed that your Mac screen no longer fills the entire TV screen when screen mirroring—leaving annoying black bars on both sides of the TV. This behavior is known as "letterboxing." 

An easy fix is available.

After you have shared your Mac screen to your TV using an Apple TV, re-select Screen Mirroring.

Click Change.

Select Entire Screen, then click Start Mirroring.

In my tests, performing these steps causes the Mac to fill the entire TV screen on subsequent Apple TV connections. (However, you may need to re-do the steps if you connect to a different screen.)

AI Feedback on Handwriting & Audio Explanations with Snorkl

Most AI tools being used in Barrington 220 offer timely, meaningful feedback or content creation for teachers and students in text, slides, or images. 

Snorkl offers something more. 

Snorkl analyzes student handwriting and drawing alongside their recorded voice as they explain their problem-solving process. Students using Snorkl to solve math problems, balance chemical formulas, draw graphic organizers—anything that involves drawing or writing can now receive AI-created feedback as prompted by their teacher.

Snorkl's features:

• Multimodal Analysis: By offering both handwriting and spoken explanations, Snorkl offers insights into student metacognition.
• Timely, Meaningful Feedback: AI uses embedded standards and teacher-guided prompting to assess student work and provide immediate feedback so students can learn more quickly.
• Four-Point Scale: Snorkl's clear, concise rating system gives both teachers and students a quick, targeted snapshot of the work.

Here's a video of Snorkl demonstrated:

Snorkl is a natural extension of Barrington 220's AI Task Force work as the team explores student-facing AI tools. If you're interested in joining the AI Task Force in exploring Snorkl with a teacher account, please reach out to Shawndra Shelton. Once you try it out, please share your feedback or invite us to see your students using Snorkl.