Chrome Extensions can be found on the Chrome Web Store. They help to amplify webpages in the Chrome browser and also enable users to access other tools that work in conjunction with Chrome tools and webpages. To see your extensions on your toolbar, select the three dots on the top right corner, select “Bookmarks” and “Show bookmarks bar.”
Here are some of my favorites I use often:
- Bitmoji
- Emoji Keyboard
- Loom
- Confetti! Confetti! all over what else?
- Kami
- Grammarly
- Read & Write for Google Chrome
- Mote: Voice and Notes Feedback
- Print Friendly & PDF
- Dualless
1. Bitmoji
To create a Bitmoji, you can create a Bitmoji account or log in with Snapchat if you have one. I like to do this through my phone with the Bitmoji app. Then, you can go to Chrome on your device and add the Bitmoji Extension. As soon as it’s added, you can click the extension (remember, if you don’t see it, follow the directions in the paragraph above), and start to search for the Bitmoji you want. You can right-click and copy this and paste it on something like Google Slides. Or, you can right-click and “Save Image As” to save it to your files. Now, you can even type specific words into the extension and the Bitmoji will be personalized like below:
2. Emoji Keyboard
I 💗 Emojis! Emojis are a wonderful visual for ALL of our students. They are highly engaging as well. They can truly help our younger students, English Language Learners, and, again, ALL students when it comes to vocabulary and visual representations. Think about these ideas: vocabulary visuals, a story in emojis, numbers 1️⃣ 2️⃣ 3️⃣, group roles, celebrations 👏, SEL check-ins, ice breakers, and games. I have a list of celebrations on Tip #15 Celebrations
3. Loom
Loom is a free screencasting/screen recording tool for students and teachers. The extension makes it even easier to start recording either your screen, your screen and video, or camera only. As soon as you stop recording, the recording will be saved to your Loom account. Be sure you are logged in to the correct Loom account when you add the extension and sign in. Loom for Education has a TON of perks for both students and educators using their school including:
- Unlimited videos
- Up to 45 min video recording length
- 1 Creator
- Unlimited Viewers
- Personal Library
- Shared Library
- Team Library
- Folders
- HD video
- Screen & cam recording
- Drawing tool & mouse emphasis
- Custom recording dimensions
- System audio
- Calls-to-action
- Emoji reactions
- Viewer Insights
- Password protect videos
4. Confetti! Confetti! all over what else?
This is so fun. You press the extension and… 🥳️ BOOM! Your screen fills with confetti raining down and popping up. You can use this for so many things. My favorite thing to use it for is to celebrate birthdays at the start of the class. I like to have a Bitmoji birthday celebration while I “pop” the confetti. See more ideas for celebrations including virtual claps on relational capacity tip Tip #15 Celebrations.
5. Kami
Kami is known as a PDF editor, but it is so much more. With Kami, you can upload any PDF to your actual Kami account or to Google Drive which connects with the Kami Chrome Extension. If you have a document or even a presentation such as Google Slides or PowerPoint presentation, you can always download and save it into a PDF format. I use Kami to have students digitally mark the text, complete worksheets and graphic organizers including their AVID Tutorial Request Form, and, most recently, it’s been amazing at splitting and merging multiple PDF pages from various documents into a new file. The beauty is it is FREE. Yes, it has a paid version that allows students and teachers to insert images, equations, and a signature. However, with that said, the free version does a lot.
6. Grammarly
As I’m typing this blog post, I have been using Grammarly. Grammarly helps to correct grammar and overall writing errors. Think of it as a “writing assistant.” It will offer suggestions, and you can take them or “dismiss” them. Usually, they are correct. Students can also add the Grammarly Chrome Extension if their device allows. Our district does block some extensions, but this is approved. If your district has this blocked, you might consider asking your technology department to add it to the list of approved extensions.
7. Read & Write for Google Chrome
Read & Write helps students with reading, writing, studying, research, and more. It is known for its text-to-speech features that help students hear words and passages written on their screens. It also has a dual-color highlighting feature. It also has a text and picture dictionary which helps students see the visuals associated with the word. The writing feature has word prediction, highlight collection to collect anything highlighted on a page in another document, and it also has a feature to help simplify the screen and limit distractions such as ads. There is a free 30-day trial, and the premium features are FREE for teachers. Install Read & Write and enjoy the free premium features.
8. Mote: Voice and Notes Feedback
Giving meaningful feedback is so important for a variety of ways. Mote enables teachers to give voice and notes feedback for students. Not only can this be quicker than writing or typing feedback, I like it because it enables students to truly hear your tone in your feedback. When students simply read a comment, that comment can be interpreted in a variety of ways.
9. Print Friendly & PDF
Print Friendly & PDF Chrome Extension is wonderful when you want to print something from the web but personalize it such as removing parts or even pages and/or ads. I often like to use this extension and, instead of printing, I download the new PDF and save it to Kami (see above) for students to digitally mark up.
10. Dualless
Split your screen in seconds with a variety of options including two screens in various sizes and more!
What are some of your favorite Chrome Extensions? Share below!
Tech-Empowered Teacher 