If you use Google Chrome or Google Workspace some things are obvious, such as how to center text. However, there are some lesser known features and outright fun things you can do with Google that you might want to try out. There is no reason to do a Google search for the word askew, but it is still fun to do it. Equally nonsensical but a must do is to search for “Do a barrel roll.” If you want something helpful try Google searching for “Roll a die.” Here are some less obvious things you can do with Google that are hopefully helpful.
1. To Review In Google Classroom
When you are on the Stream of your Google Classroom class look for the “Upcoming” bubble on the left hand side. Clicking on “View all” shows you the to review list for that class.
When students click on this it takes them to their progress report for that class.
2. Find Action Items
In Google Docs you can at mention someone to draw their attention to the comment. In the comment you will have a checkbox option to assign them to the task.
The hidden easter egg part of this is that these are discoverable in Google Drive. In the search filter select the option for “Follow-ups” to see which comments were assigned to you across Google Docs.
3. Use Gemini Sidebar to Do Your Work For You
If your school has Gemini for Google Workspace you can ask in the sidebar of Google Sheets to create additional columns of data. I had a list of Google tools and prompted the sidebar for
“Using the list of google tools in column A, consider how the IT department at a school might use these tools. I need to add columns for a speciifc use case, a expanded description of the use case, and a step by step tutorial.”
Like magic I had 3 more columns with the information I needed.
4. Link to Headings
We all know how to share a link to a Google Doc to have someone review the document. However, what if you want to link them to a specific section of the document? Change the text from “Normal text” in the toolbar to “Heading 1.”
Right click on the heading and choose “Copy heading link.” Sharing this link jumps the person to that exact spot in the document.
5. Jump to Collaborator
If you are in a Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides with another user you can jump to the spot they are at. Click on their collaborator icon at the top of the document and instantly be transported to the location of their active cursor. Particularly useful in a long document, or a document with tabs, or a spreadsheet with many tabs, or a Google Slides with a lot of slides.
5 Hidden Google Easter Eggs
Maybe my list is not so much hidden easter eggs as much as they are lesser known tips. If you’re mad about that here are 5 actual easter eggs… they just might not be very useful for teaching.
- In Google Sheets type P in A1, R in B1, I in C1, D in D1, and E in E1. See what happens.
- Use Google Chrome for a calculator. Control T to open a new tab and start typing 300*46 and press enter.
- Search for “Number Generator” to get a random number.
- Search for “5 Minute Timer” to get a timer going in Google Chrome. I actually use this a lot in the classroom.
- If you need a “Metronome” for some reason, search for the word.
