Chromebook Shortcuts

Hopefully you have had a chance to experience the magic of creating your own pop-up computer lab in your classroom by requesting one of our new ChromeCarts. In my classroom, the computers have been well-received by students and students are quickly becoming accustomed to the routine of checking them out, logging in/out, and returning them to the cart. Once we overcame the initial hurdles of forgotten passwords and resetting accounts, navigating the operating system, and discovering the ChromeBooks' capabilities (as well as figuring out how to overcome some of their quirks), the 'Books have become a natural part of our classroom. The students actually automatically take out their IDs when they see the cart in the room.
 
One of the biggest challenges we've overcome in my class has to do with the  smaller, more limited keyboard, so I want to share a few helpful shortcuts when using the ChromeBooks in your room:
 
The Basics!

• Cut= ctrl + x           Copy = ctrl  + c           Paste = ctrl + v

• Show the keyboard shortcut overlay: Control + Alt + ? is the ultimate cheat sheet. It pulls up a large keyboard that shows where all of the shortcuts are. 
• Toggle on/off the Caps Lock: Alt + search button (where the caps lock is located on Windows PCs and Macs) capitalizes every letter, for when you need to type out a long acronym or yell at somebody on the Internet.
• Lock the screen: Control + Shift + L keeps everybody out when you’re taking a break from the computer.
• Launch apps from the shelf: Alt + 1 - 8 will launch apps from the shelf, which is the Chrome equivalent of the Windows taskbar. The numbers correspond to the position of the apps, in ascending order from left to right.
• Activate a specific tab: Control + 1 - 8 works similarly to the dock, shifting over to a specific tab.
• Open the task manager: Shift + Esc opens the task manager, a good way to track down a process you need to shut down for faster performance.
• Open the file manager: Alt + Shift + M access your offline files.
• Dock a window: Alt + [ – or Alt + ] to dock a window to the left or right side of the screen - functioning just like Windows Snap.
• Take a screenshot: Control + Switcher key.
• Open the Chrome browser menu: Alt + E.
• Log out of your Chromebook: Control + Shift + Q.
• Mirror the monitor: Control + Monitor button projects your screen contents over to a connected monitor.
• Page up: Alt + Up to get back to the top of an app or page faster.
• Page down: Alt + Down to zip faster through a webpage.
• Close your current tab: Ctrl + W closes the current tab you’re working on, just as with Windows.  
  
  
• *These shortcuts were blatantly stolen from PC World.

 
How has your experience been with using the ChromeCarts? Please share your thoughts and any other helpful hints in the comments.