Best Chrome Extensions for Teachers: A Curated List
It has become both challenging and exciting for teachers to navigate their way through so many tools in 2024. Teachers have to constantly find the best tools to engage students, manage lessons, and streamline daily tasks. This is where Google Chrome has stepped in to help by offering a wide range of extensions, making teachers’ lives easier.
If you are a teacher overwhelmed by the endless demands of lesson planning, grading, and keeping students engaged, this is the right blog for you. We will cover the top 15 must-have Chrome extensions that will transform your daily workflow. All of this will be possible through just a few clicks. Before we discuss these extensions in detail, here is a list of these extensions for you:
- Google Calendar
- Grammarly
- Loom
- Kami
- Custom Cursor
- Small PDF
- EdPuzzle
- Mote
- Textblaze
- Read Aloud
- Screencastify
- Right Inbox
- WebPaint
- Extensity
What Are Chrome Extensions?
Chrome extensions are small software programs designed to enhance the functionality of your browser. You can think of these extensions as:
- Mini tools that work within your browser.
- Apps to make your tasks easier and more efficient.
How Are Chrome Extensions Used?
Using Chrome extensions is a simple and straightforward process, and we have covered a quick guide to help you get started.
Find Extensions
The first step is to head over to the Chrome Web Store and browse through the extensions. You will find the best extensions that also fit the educational context that you want to simplify.
Add the Extension
When you find the right extension, click the “Add to Chrome” button to install. Once you successfully install the extension, an icon will appear next to your Chrome address bar.
Accessing Extensions
The added extension will stay in the toolbar beside the address bar. You can click on the extension’s icon to view all your installed extensions.
Customizing Extensions
A lot of extensions allow you to customize them based on your specific needs. You can right-click on the extension icon and select “Options” from the menu.
Using Extension
Teachers can simply click on the extension to use it for grading, lesson planning, and record feedback.
Why Chrome Extensions Are Essential for Teachers?
Chrome extensions are constantly becoming a vital tool for teachers, offering a wide range of features designed to make teaching smoother. Here is a closer look at why Chrome extensions are a must-have for educators.
Time-Saving Solution
One of the biggest advantages of Chrome extensions is the ability to streamline tasks without consuming a lot of time. Extensions can simplify tasks for teachers, making planning much faster and more organized.
Customization for Specific Needs
Chrome extensions allow teachers to customize their browsers to match the unique needs of two different classrooms. You can choose the requirements that suit your teaching style and simplify your teaching style.
Boosting Productivity
Chrome extensions offer various productivity tools to help teachers stay organized and reduce distractions. By automating repetitive tasks or simplifying navigation, these extensions can boost productivity.
Enhancing Engagement
One of the most exciting things about Chrome extensions is their ability to increase student engagement. Many extensions provide tools that make learning more dynamic and even enjoyable for students.
Top 15 Chrome Extensions to Make Learning Fun
Right chrome extensions can make a huge difference, and these 15 chrome extensions are designed to enhance the productivity of teachers and also make the learning process better for students.
Google Calendar
Google Calendar is a must-have extension for teachers who need to stay organized and on top of their busy schedules. This extension helps them access daily events directly from your browser. It will be easier for you to check important deadlines without the need to switch tabs.
Teachers can view their day’s agenda with just a click on the calendar icon in the toolbar. It will also enable them to manage lessons, meetings, and deadlines with color coding. This extension will simplify the process of staying organized while also allowing calendar sharing to keep everyone on the same page.
Pricing: Google Calendar is free to use, making it accessible to all teachers looking for easy scheduling options.
Grammarly
Grammarly is a great extension to have to fix and catch grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes in real time. Beyond correcting basic errors, this extension also offers suggestions for improving vocabulary, refining sentence structure, and ensuring the tone is clear and consistent.
Grammarly saves many teachers’ time by automating the proofreading process, allowing teachers to focus on the content of student work. The great thing about the Grammarly extension is that it works on any platform, be it Google Docs, Emails, or any other online forum.
Pricing: The basic version of Grammarly is free and covers essential grammar, spelling, and punctuation checks. However, the premium plan is paid and offers detailed feedback on content.
Loom
Loom is a dynamic tool that allows teachers to create engaging and interactive video content. This extension is perfect for virtual classes, tutorials, and presentations. Loom is the go-to Chrome extension for teachers who are seeking to enhance their teaching style.
Loom’s integration and user-friendly interface make it a solution for capturing both screen and webcam at the same time. Loom also makes it super easy to share the recorded content by generating a shareable link and embedding it into emails or learning management systems.
Pricing: The starter plan is free, and the business plan is $12.50 per creator per month (billed annually)
Kami
Kami is a versatile tool that allows teachers to annotate PDFs, making it perfect for online classes, homework reviews, or interactive activities. Teachers can present their Kami screens during Zoom or Google Meet sessions to walk students through the lessons.
The extension comes with a virtual pen, marker, and a highlighter that makes it easy to add notes or highlight important sections. The smooth integrations make file sharing and collaboration effortless for teachers.
Pricing: Kami offers basic annotation free of cost, while a teacher plan with advanced features costs $99 per year.
Custom Cursor
Custom cursor is a fun and creative extension that adds playfulness to the virtual classroom. The tool allows teachers to replace the standard mouse pointer with themed and colorful cursors, making lectures more interesting and interactive for students.
Custom cursor offers endless customization options to keep students entertained. These cursors can be switched between Zoom and Google Meet sessions, giving students something fun to look forward to in online classes. This extension will help teachers catch student’s attention for a longer time through visual aid.
Pricing: The free plan offers a large library of custom cursors, and the premium plan provides themed cursors with exclusive designs.
Small PDF
Smallpdf is an all-in-one tool for managing PDF files. The extension is super useful for teachers who have to work with documents, assignments, and student handouts frequently. The extension will help teachers edit, convert, merge, split, or even compress the PDF files.
The tool will enable all of this directly from your browser. One of the standout features is the ability of this tool to convert PDF files into Word or PowerPoint documents, making lesson planning more flexible.
Pricing: It has a free plan for using the basic editing tools on PDF files. However, the pro plan is billed annually at $9 monthly, offering unlimited access to all tools and offline editing.
Pocket is a must-have Chrome extension for teachers who regularly come across resources they want to engage students with but have no time to dive into. No matter if you are collecting resources, researching teaching methods, or preparing lesson plans, pocket makes it easy to collect and organize it all.
You can store articles, videos, and webpages with a single click and access them whenever you are ready to use them. Pocket also offers a clean reading view and removes distractions, as you can categorize saved content with tags.
Pricing: Pocket’s free plan includes saving and organizing content, while the premium plan is $44.9 per year and has advanced features.
EdPuzzle
With Edpuzzle, you can take videos from platforms like YouTube, Khan Academy, or your uploads to tailor them to your lesson plans. The extension also lets you trim videos to the most relevant part. This powerful Chrome extension is designed to transform passive video consumption into an interactive educational experience.
Pricing: The free plan gives access to basic features for up to 20 videos, while the pro teacher plan is $13.50 per month with unlimited video storage.
Mote
Mote is a game-changing Chrome extension that simplifies the feedback process, allowing you to leave voice comments on students’ assignments. Mote allows teachers to add detailed personalized feedback, adding a human touch to their assessments.
Pricing: Apart from the free plan, Mote’s unlimited plan is $9.99 monthly with transcription services in 15 languages.
Textblaze
Textblaze is a Chrome extension designed to streamline repetitive tasks, making it a must-have tool for teachers. You can create custom keyboard shortcuts for frequently used text snippets. It also simplifies the process of writing emails, grading assignments, and preparing lesson plans. By automating repetitive typing tasks, teachers can use this versatile tool to improve the workflow.
Pricing: It has a basic free plan, a pro plan at $2.99 monthly, and a business plan at $6.99 monthly.
Read Aloud
Read Aloud is an innovative Chrome extension that transforms texts from web pages into spoken words, making it invaluable for both teachers and students. With a simple click, the extension reads out the content, allowing users to listen to information rather than read it.
Pricing: All features of Read Aloud are available for free.
Screencastify
Screencastify is a Chrome extension that simplifies screen recording for teachers. With this tool, educators can capture screen activities and create instructional videos and tutorials with just a few clicks. Once the recording is completed, it is automatically saved to Drive, making it easy to access and share.
Pricing: it comes with a free plan that records videos up to 5 minutes, while an unlimited plan costs $49 per year.
Right Inbox
Right Inbox is designed to enhance the Gmail experience for educators; It equips teachers with tools to help them manage email communications efficiently. It allows them to spend less time in their inbox and more time on teaching.
Pricing: The basic features are free, but the professional plan is A$14.95 per month, which provides more email management tools.
WebPaint
WebPaint transforms how teachers interact with web pages, allowing them to draw, annotate, and take screenshots within the browser. The tool is appropriate for teachers looking to enhance the online teaching experience through visual aids.
Pricing: The extension is free, making it accessible for all teachers.
Extensity
Extensity is a game-changing Chrome extension designed to help teachers manage the ever-growing collection of browser extensions. It allows you to organize, enable, or disable the extensions quickly, ensuring a streamlined browsing experience.
Pricing: Extensity is free, making it an ideal tool for teachers seeking to improve the online workflow.
Along with these extensions, the world is transitioning to AI tools, and teachers should utilize them for enhanced productivity. Teacherbot.io is designed to keep educators in mind and helps teachers create resources that take a lot of time otherwise.
Final Thoughts
The right Chrome extensions can transform the learning experience for teachers and students. By incorporating these powerful extensions, teachers can save time, boost productivity, and create dynamic lessons that resonate with students.
