web tools Archives - Jonathan Wylie

Craft: A Next-Generation Note-Taking App

I think the value of a good note-taking app has been underestimated, despite the fact that there is no shortage of options. OneNote, Evernote, Apple Notes, Simplenote, Google Keep, and countless others are well-known for their note-taking abilities, but for the most part, they kind of all do the same thing. That makes it hard to choose one over another.

In 2021, I became a big fan of Workflowy. It had a simplicity that the others lacked, and an organizational scheme that complimented the way my brain thinks. So, I moved all my notes from OneNote to Workflowy and I haven’t looked back since. I’m still really happy with it, but every so often I see an app that makes me do a double-take. Craft is one such app.

What’s New: Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education

Screenshots of the Adobe Creative Cloud Express platform on an iPad and mobile phone.

Adobe has launched a new suite of creative tools for schools called the Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education. You can access it online at adobe.com/express. It was designed to replace Adobe Spark, at least on the web, and is completely free for teachers and students. You will be able to use it on all your devices and take advantage of premium features at no cost to you or your school. Here’s a look at some of the new features you can take advantage of.

5 Link Sharing Sites for Personal Branding

An open laptop with stickers on the lid sitting on a table. There are unused stickers on the table. — Photo by Slidebean on Unsplash

In a world where our online identities are scattered between social media and other online platforms, it’s hard to let people know about all the places they can connect with you. Such is the life of a digital nomad. That’s why you need a link-sharing site. It houses all of your online personas in one place. Best of all, it can be accessed with just one link. You can use that link in online bios and in your email signature. Here are five of the best for you to consider.

Introducing: The Tech Nuggets Newsletter

The top left corner of a laptop screen showing a Gmail inbox

Email is often decried as a waning, outdated form of communication. However, it shows no signs of leaving us anytime soon. Why? Email remains an important part of most people’s workflows. It’s predictable, manageable, and if you subscribe to the right sources, it can also be a valuable place for new learning. To that end, I decided to create my own email newsletter. Here’s the scoop.

The Ultimate Guide to Chrome Tab Management

Person sitting at a table with a laptop that shows a Chrome browser on the google.com homepage.

Most people spend the majority of their time working in a browser. However, if you want to be productive, you need to be able to master your tabs. In this post, I will show you some Chrome tab management tips and tricks that you can use to become faster and more efficient when working online.

The Workflowy App is Wonderful!

A chalkboard on a bed next to a laptop, headphones and a notepad. Chalkboard says, Things to Do - 1, Own today. — Photo by Emma Matthews Digital Content Production on Unsplash

Workflowy is one of those apps that I tried years ago, but I never quite connected with it. At the time, I just couldn’t get my brain around how I might use it. In some ways, I still feel the same way, but I am a lot more comfortable with it than I used to be and it has become one of my favorite new tools for planning and note-taking. In this post, I am going to give you a rundown of what the Workflowy app is and how I’m using it to stay productive.

3 Private Search Engines for More Privacy Online

Online privacy is increasingly a rare thing. However, that’s not to say there are not some steps you can take back some control over how much of your personal data is being collected by the online services we like to use. Search engines are a prime example. Google is the number one search engine in the world, but most people know that their business model is focused on collecting your search data so that it can better serve ads to you. Private search engines don’t work that way. In fact, they go out of their way to make sure that your internet searches are not recorded or seen by others. Here are three of the best.

3 Alternatives to Google Chrome

Google Chrome may well be the browser of choice for the majority of internet users, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t without its problems. Privacy concerns and performance issues are most often at the top of that list. Google will happily collect your personal information to sell you personalized ads, and it does it with a browser that is known for being a resource hog. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can get the same Chrome experience from Chromium-based browsers like Brave, Edge, or Vivaldi. They give you better battery life and more control over your privacy without sacrificing the Chrome features you love.

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Introducing CommonLit 360: Free Curriculum for English Language Arts

Someone writing with a pen on paper. There is a notebook and a coffee cup on the table they are writing on.

CommonLit and ReadWorks are two of my go-to resources for teachers who are looking for digital reading materials for their classrooms. Both are completely free to use and both are designed to help elevate reading skills in students of all ages. Recently, CommonLit got even more compelling when it launched CommonLit 360, a comprehensive and free curriculum for secondary English Language Arts teachers. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s what you are missing out on.

7 Canva Templates You Might Not Know About

colorful pop art style graphics painted on a wall — Photo by Gensa Hub on Unsplash

One of the biggest things that keep people coming back to Canva is the templates. They have templates for every occasion. However, as more and more templates are added to the collection, it can be hard to uncover the gems that are really going to make your day. In this post, I am going to round up some of the best Canva templates that you might not have heard of before. As a Canva for Education customer, they are free and easy to personalize so that you can make them your own.