Classroom Ideas
Have you been using Google products while teaching from home? Are you looking for ways to engage students at the start of a new school year? Do you want to make your own life much easier? Even if you only answered YES to one of these questions, Google Chrome Extensions will change your life as well as your students’. Chrome extensions are individualized software programs that customize your Google experience to match your needs. For example, if you’re tired of typing out feedback to students on Google Docs or in Google Classroom, use the Mote chrome extension to enable the ability to record audio feedback! This personalized touch is perfect for teachers and exciting for students to listen to. Essentially, Chrome extensions are like little digital hacks that make a teacher’s life more tolerable, especially during distancing learning.
How to download and use chrome extensions:
- Visit the chrome web store while using your chrome browser
- Search the chrome extension you’re interested in using, then click “add to chrome” (the download will only take a minute or two)
- You’ll notice a new icon in the top of your screen in the toolbar once the download is complete
- Click the icon that correlates to the extension you want to use in order to activate it. Follow the directions on-screen after clicking the icon in the toolbar.
- Need more help? Visit the Chrome Web Store Help Desk.
Remember, you need to be using a chrome browser to utilize all that chrome extensions has to offer! Here are 20 free extensions that teachers can use while teaching from home or in-school! Links for each chrome extension are provided and will bring you directly to the download page for each.
1. Bitmoji
Download for free HERE.
Insert your beloved bitmoji easily into Gmail, Google Slides, virtual assignments, and anything else your heart desires. With this extension, you can simply search the bitmoji you want, then copy and paste it anywhere! Check out these tips to create your own Bitmoji Classroom!
2. Google Keep
Download for free HERE.
This extension is a super modern and convenient note-taking service. You can save images, quotes, and webpages then take notes on each through audio or text. Keep can also be used to make extensive, personalized checklists. Color-code your notes as well using Keep! You can access these notes on any device that you’re signed into through Google.
3. Emoji Keyboard
Download for free HERE.
Just like the emoji keyboard on your phone, this extension makes it easy to insert emojis into announcements, slides, or Google Classroom. It will definitely grab the attention of your students!
4. Kami
Download for freeHERE.
Upload PDFs from your desktop or Google Drive and easily annotate it with a virtual pen, marker, or highlighter. You can also use a blank PDF and use Kami as a virtual whiteboard. You can present this screen while on Zoom or Google Meet in order to annotate PDFs for your class to see.
5. Dualless
Download for free HERE.
This extension easily splits your screen into two so that you can present one window to your class in virtual meets while still being able to view your students on the other half of your screen. Additionally, you can manage the size of your split screen so that one window is smaller than the other if needed.
6. Custom Cursor
Download for free HERE.
Engage students of all ages by using custom cursors while presenting to students virtually. Change it up for each Zoom meet and surprise students with a different and fun cursor!
7. Giphy
Download for free HERE.
Search for GIFs that you’d like to drag & drop into Google Slides, announcements, and other assignments. You can resize the GIF to your liking to easily grab the attention of your students!
8. Small PDF
Download for free HERE.
Edit, convert, merge, split and compress PDF files using this extension. The ability to convert PDFs to a word document or PowerPoint makes assignment-making that much easier as you can then edit the original PDF to fit your needs.
9. Screencastify
Download for free HERE.
Record your screen for up to 5 minutes using this extension! The recording will automatically go to your Google Drive. Recording your screen is helpful when you need to show students and/or parents/guardians how to navigate something on a computer. Simply send the link from your Google Drive out to your students and families to view. Students and their guardians can then view the recording as often as needed.
10. Nightshift
Download for free HERE.
Protect your eyes during virtual teaching by shifting the colors of your browser to the warmer side. You can set a timer so that Nightshift only activates at certain times and you can also customize just how “warm” you want your screen to appear.
11. Google Calendar
Download for free HERE.
This extension provides quick access to the day’s events. A button on your browser toolbar will allow you to click to see the events without ever leaving your page.
12. Turn Off the Lights
Download for free HERE.
While presenting a video from YouTube or elsewhere for your students on Zoom or Google Meet, enable this extension to dim everything else around the video so that students can focus just on the video playing. The sidebars on a webpage can be distracting, but this dim feature will help students focus.
13. Mote
Download for free HERE.
Add voice comments and feedback to students’ assignments. You can use this audio feedback on Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Classroom. You can also transcribe your audio into 15 other languages.
14. Nod
Download for free HERE.
This extension is for teachers who run their at-home instruction through Google Meet. Muted students can react in real-time through a few emoji choices, like thumbs-up.
15. Share to Classroom
Download for free HERE.
With the click of a button, this extension allows you to push out whatever web page you’re on to your students’ own screens through Google Classroom. This will ensure that all students are looking at the correct page.
16. Web Paint
Download for free HERE.
Using a pencil, eyedropper, text, and line tools, you can draw shapes, lines, and add text to live web pages and take screenshots to save for later.
17. Random Student Generator for Google Classroom
Download for free HERE.
Use your Google Classroom roster to randomly select a student by using this extension. Whether it be for answering questions during a meet or a tool to ensure that all learners are engaged, this simple generator will keep students actively involved.
18. Super Simple Highlighter
Download for free HERE.
While presenting your screen during meets, you can visit webpages and highlight as your class reads through the page. An added feature provides a summary of the highlighted sections.
19. CraftyLevel
Download for free HERE.
This extension displays the Flesch-Kincaid grade level of any web page. Simply highlight a section of the web page then click this extension in your toolbar to discover the reading level of the web page.
20. Extensity
Download for free HERE.
Overwhelmed by all of the new extensions you’ll be downloading and utilizing? This extension will organize all of your other extensions into a neat, accessible list!
Surprise your students at the start of a new school year with all of the new technology tricks you’ve learned over the summer! They will be so impressed with all that can be accomplished using chrome extensions.
