17 Chrome Extensions for You

17 Chrome Extensions

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17 Chrome Extensions for You

Imagine having a magic wand that adds superpowers to your web browser, making your teaching life easier and more productive. That’s essentially what Chrome extensions are! These small programs, readily available in the Chrome Web Store, can transform your browser into a personalized teaching powerhouse. They can streamline your workflow, enhance your lessons, and boost student engagement. Let’s dive into the world of Chrome extensions and discover how they can revolutionize your classroom experience.

I CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT THIS! OneTab allows me to store my tabs away rather than “divorcing” them. One quick click on the extension reduces my active tabs to a list that I can revisit. This frees up RAM to make my computer faster. 

2) Slides Timer by ClayCodes

Auto-advance your Google Slides. Simply add a text box to your Google Slides in the format of <<3:00>> (or other formats for more options) and let the Chrome Extension by ClayCodes do the rest! 

This handy extension acts as a bridge between Microsoft Office and Google Docs. It allows you to open and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files directly within Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. This means you can work on those files without needing to switch between different programs or worry about compatibility issues.

It’s a real time-saver and can be particularly useful for teachers who need to collaborate with colleagues or students who use different office suites.

This extension provides a simple and efficient way to save various types of content directly to your Google Drive. With a single click, you can save web pages, images, documents, and even audio files to your Drive, making it easier to organize and access your resources.

Think of it as a digital filing cabinet for your online findings. You can quickly save articles for research, images for presentations, or even audio recordings for student projects, all within your Google Drive.

Bitmoji is your personal emoji generator. This playful extension lets you create a cartoon avatar that looks just like you and then insert it into various online platforms. You can use your Bitmoji in Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and even in some third-party apps.

It’s a fun way to add personality to your online communications and engage students. Imagine sending a Bitmoji of yourself cheering students on in a Google Classroom announcement or using it to react to student work in Google Docs. It’s a small touch that can make a big difference in building relationships and creating a positive learning environment.

ReadWrite for Google Chrome is a must-have tool for creating an inclusive classroom. This powerful extension provides a suite of tools that make online content more accessible for students with dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Imagine a student struggling to decode text on a website. Read&Write can read the text aloud, highlighting each word as it goes, significantly improving comprehension. With additional features like text-to-speech, word prediction, and picture dictionaries, Read&Write empowers students to become more independent learners and build confidence in their reading and writing abilities.

Easy Auto Scroll eliminates the need to constantly click or drag to move down a page. This extension automatically scrolls through lengthy web pages or documents at a customizable speed, freeing your hands and reducing fatigue. It’s a great tool for students with fine motor difficulties or anyone who wants a more comfortable online reading experience. Don’t forget to pin the extension. Click on it once to start a slow scroll. Keep clicking on the extension to increase the scroll speed. 

I feel like I am constantly grabbing the edge of my Chrome screen to resize it. Windows resizer gives me multiple options for quickly resizing to the perfect size. A game changer as I try to record my screen. 

I personally subscribe to the paid version of Glasp (there is a free version that I was using for a long time.) When I am watching a YouTube video it will create a transcript or summary for me. So helpful as I create classroom materials. 

Glasp is a also a versatile tool for highlighting and annotating web pages and PDFs. It allows you to highlight key information, add notes, and categorize your annotations with different colors. But Glasp is more than just a digital highlighter; it also connects you with a community of learners. You can discover and learn from the annotations of others, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Your school colors, you need to use them a lot to customize content. Color Buddy saves your hex codes (and includes an eye dropper) for you! 

This extension simplifies the often tedious task of reviewing Terms of Service and Privacy Policies. Let’s be honest, those lengthy legal documents can be overwhelming and difficult to understand. TOS;DR (Terms of Service; Didn’t Read) summarizes those complex documents into concise and easy-to-digest summaries, highlighting key points and potential concerns.

Imagine you’re considering a new educational app for your classroom. Before you commit, you want to understand the app’s data privacy practices and terms of use. TOS;DR can provide a quick overview, helping you make informed decisions about the technology you use in your classroom.

It’s a valuable tool for promoting digital literacy and responsible technology use, empowering both teachers and students to navigate the online world with confidence and awareness.

Smallpdf is your Swiss Army knife for managing PDFs. This versatile extension puts a suite of PDF tools right at your fingertips, making it a breeze to edit, convert, merge, split, and compress PDFs without leaving your browser.

Imagine you receive a permission slip from a parent in PDF format, but you need to make a quick edit. With Smallpdf, you can open the PDF directly in your browser, make the necessary changes, and save it back to your computer or Google Drive. No need to download separate software or juggle multiple applications.

But that’s not all! Smallpdf also allows you to convert PDFs to other formats, such as Word or PowerPoint, making it easier to repurpose content and create accessible materials for your students. Need to combine multiple worksheets into a single PDF or extract specific pages from a lengthy document? Smallpdf has you covered.

With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, Smallpdf streamlines your workflow and empowers you to work with PDFs efficiently and effectively.

ColorZilla is a more robust color picker with options for gradients and more! 

 

Highlight text and a pop up window will automatically flag how many words you have highlighted. 

Makes Gmail your default email application and provides a button to compose a Gmail message to quickly share a link via email

Hover over to zoom in and view high-definition images. Instantly enlarge visuals, crafted for all your favorite websites and you.

PhotoShow is a tool for browsing and downloading high-definition images by hovering mouse on image thumbnails, working on most websites and carefully crafted for over 300 popular ones of your daily use, including Amazon, Facebook, Google, Instagram, YouTube, etc.

Read aloud the current web-page article with one click, using text to speech (TTS). Supports 40+ languages.

Read Aloud uses text-to-speech (TTS) technology to convert webpage text to audio. It works on a variety of websites, including news sites, blogs, fan fiction, publications, textbooks, school and class websites, and online university course materials.

What is a Chrome Extension?

A Chrome extension is a small software program that adds new features to the Google Chrome browser. Think of them as apps for your browser. They can modify existing web pages or add entirely new functionalities. From simple tasks like taking screenshots to more complex actions like managing citations or creating interactive quizzes, there’s an extension for almost every need.

Why Should Teachers Use Chrome Extensions?

In today’s digital age, teachers are constantly juggling multiple tasks and seeking innovative ways to engage students. Chrome extensions offer a helping hand by:

  • Saving Time: Automate repetitive tasks, such as grading, creating assignments, or managing online resources.
  • Enhancing Productivity: Streamline your workflow and improve efficiency in tasks like lesson planning, communication, and research.
  • Boosting Student Engagement: Make learning more interactive and fun with extensions that create games, quizzes, and multimedia presentations.
  • Supporting Diverse Learners: Find extensions that cater to different learning styles and provide accessibility features for students with special needs.
  • Promoting Collaboration: Facilitate collaborative activities and communication among students.

Installing Chrome Extensions

Adding these powerful tools to your browser is a breeze:

  1. Open the Chrome Web Store: Go to the Chrome Web Store by typing chrome.google.com/webstore in your address bar or searching for “Chrome Web Store” on Google.
  2. Search for an Extension: Use the search bar to find an extension that meets your needs. You can search by keyword, category, or features.
  3. Read Reviews and Ratings: Before installing an extension, check its reviews and ratings to ensure it’s reliable and well-regarded.
  4. Click “Add to Chrome”: Once you’ve found an extension you like, click the “Add to Chrome” button.
  5. Confirm Installation: A pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm the installation. Click “Add extension” to proceed.

That’s it! The extension will be added to your browser’s toolbar, usually in the top right corner. You can now access its features and customize its settings.

WordsCharactersReading time
WordsCharactersReading time

 

17 Chrome Extensions

 

17 Chrome Extensions

Try out these 17 Chrome extensions to add functionality to your Chrome browser.

  1. OneTab 
  2. Slides Timer by ClayCodes
  3. Office Editing for Docs, Sheets and Slides
  4. Snagit (Update: No longer available)
  5. OneTab
  6. Save to Google
  7. Bitmoji (Leave students fun feedback. DRAG into a Google Doc!)
  8. Grammarly
  9. MediaCore Capture (record from webcam)
  10. MakeGIF
  11. Drive20
  12. Open Side by Side
  13. Read&Write 
  14. BackStop
  15. Send From Gmail
  16. Keep Awake
  17. Too Many Tabs for Chrome
  18. Word Count

Try Chrome Extensions

Chrome extensions add functionality to the Chrome browser. Many of them can be very handy for teachers and students. I use them everyday. My favorites being the Snagit Chrome extension to screen cast and create animated GIF’s. I also use the goo.gl URL shortener almost daily as well.

WordsCharactersReading time
WordsCharactersReading time

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