10 Free Google Chrome Extensions Teachers Should Try

If you use Google Chrome as your go-to web browser, you may have seen a little icon for the ‘Store’ (like what you see on the right) when you attempt to open a new tab. Never clicked that? Only clicked that once or twice but never took the plunge into the wild world of the Chrome Web Store? In an effort to help you truly surface the best Google Chrome extensions for teachers of all stripes, I thought it might be useful to showcase some of my favorites.

I’m a recent Google Chrome convert. I used Mozilla Firefox for several years because it actually worked better with WordPress (which is what Edudemic is built on). You could resize images just by clicking on them. That was the biggest benefit of Firefox. However, it was only when I got a new laptop (a MacBook Air I actually returned because it didn’t stay connected to wi-fi … long story) that I tried to import all my Firefox bookmarks over to the new computer.

What a pain.

I had used the bookmark importer on Firefox many times in the past but it just wouldn’t work this time. It was also a big confusing. Instead, I imported everything over to Chrome and then synced it all to the Google cloud. That amorphous and terrifying thing that runs the web. Everything just worked after that. I haven’t gone back to Firefox since.

In any case, my new foray into Google Chrome has let me explore the Chrome Web Store and truly test out some awesome web tools that aren’t available anywhere else. The following tools are some of my personal favorites.

CLASSDOJO

ClassDojo is an award-winning behavior management tool that helps teachers improve student behavior in class using realtime feedback. ClassDojo makes it easy to build positive learning habits and behaviors, and then easily engage students and parents to improve behavior in class and at home. It takes less than 2 minutes to get going – bring the dojo to your class today!

LEARNBOOST

The LearnBoost gradebook provides a free all-in-one classroom management solution for tracking student grades and progress, creating and sharing standards-aligned lesson plans, generating beautiful analytics and report cards, syncing calendars and schedules, and connecting with parents and students. LearnBoost integrates seamlessly with Google services to make rolling out our suite of tools a snap through the Apps Marketplace or Chrome Web Store.

GOANIMATE

GoAnimate is the world’s #1 “do it yourself” animated video creation tool. We allow everyone to make videos with simple drag & drop tools. Add your own music, sounds, backgrounds, etc. Make unlimited videos as lesson content or for assignments! Everything in this version is school-safe!

VOICE COMMENTS

Simply highlight and speak – the Voice Comments app for Google Drive is the fastest way to give high quality feedback on a document. Voice feedback for writing is nothing new. Stanford experimented with recording verbal feedback for students on cassette tapes back in the ’80s, and there’s been a steady stream of research ever since.

MY STUDY LIFE

A free online planner for students, teachers and lecturers designed to make your study life easier to manage. My Study Life is a planner for students, teachers and lecturers designed to make your study life easier. My Study Life stores your study life in the cloud making it available wherever you are. My Study Life isn’t just your average school planner, diary or tasks list. Classes, tasks and exams are integrated to show you not only the information for the class, task or exam but also related information such as tasks due for a class.

SLIDEGO PRESENTATION

The most complete presentation editor. Supports full animations & interactivity. Accessible, embeddable and downloadable. The first presentation editor that supports full Powerpoint-like drawings and animations (entrance, exit, emphasis and motion). Full support for text animations (by paragraphs, words or letters).

BLENDSPACE

The easiest way to blend your classroom with digital content.

THE QUIZ CENTER

The best way to Test & Improve your knowledge Thequizcenter is an online quiz for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. Thequizcenter offers you a great experience to test & increase your general knowledge with its thousands of original question in different subjects. In each quiz sessions user has to find the right answer in just 20 seconds there are unlimited questions and session will continue until user choice wrong answer or timeout occurred. During each quiz sessions user can use fifty-fifty & by-pass, extra time and public opinion options once.

APPS FOR COMMON CORE

Overwhelmed by all the Common Core Standards? Apps For Common Core makes teacher’s lives easier Overwhelmed by all the Common Core Standards? Apps For Common Core gives you quick access to all Common Core Standards by grade level while saving you time by suggesting apps that solve those standards! Teachers and parents will no longer have to search for apps that help their children learn a particular standard.

LOCOLEARNING

Simple and efficient approach to memorizing texts and examination Locolearning is a free tool for creating educational tests from text materials like textbook chapter or anything else. Check example and tutorial on the main page