15 best Chrome extensions for teachers

Are you one of those teachers searching for more ways to improve student engagement in your online teaching? Or maybe you simply would like to become more efficient at teaching by using technology?

Well, look no further because this guide has got you covered.

The extensions provided in this article are sort of like bonus features that extend Chrome’s functionality, making things a little more convenient for the user.

What’s more, these small little tech tools will certainly make your life much easier. Without further ado, let’s get started!

Key takeaways

• Mailbutler
• Grammarly
• Dualless
• Clockwise
• Kami
• Read Aloud
• Snov.io
• Clearly Reader
• ProWritingAid
• Google Dictionary
• MyBib
• Loom for Chrome
• Small PDF
• Evernote Web Clipper
• GoConqr

What are Chrome extensions?

Google Chrome extensions are software that can be installed into Google Chrome to change the browser’s functionality.

That involves adding more features to Chrome or changing the program’s current behavior to make it more accessible for the user.

Some of the great examples of the type of functionality Google Chrome can provide are the following:

• Protecting the user’s privacy and making web browsing much more secure
• Making it simpler to copy text from a website
• Password management
• Adding to-do lists or notes to Chrome
• Optimizing memory so Chrome runs more efficiently
• Blocking ads from being displayed 

As you can see, Google Chrome extensions can provide a wide array of added functionality so you can do tasks most simply and get more out of the websites you visit. 

Extensions function as a small software program that can personalize your overall browsing experience. A Google Chrome extension also allows you to modify and add more functionality to your web browser.

How Chrome extensions are handy for teachers

Google Chrome extensions make your life easier, the internet is more accessible, helpful tools more visible, and save you time and effort.

It increases your efficiency, offers a benefit to your content or curriculum, and enables you to connect with other teachers, parents, and students. It also improves your workflow as an educator. 

What are the best Google Chrome extensions for teachers?

Mailbutler

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While not strictly a Google Chrome extension, Mailbutler for Gmail is first on our list. It's actually an extension for Gmail. It helps you arrange your work in a smart, efficient way, meaning you can enhance your productivity and efficiency.

This Google Chrome extension keeps all your email tasks and notes in a single place and makes it simple to find all the info you need - and all of that can be shared with all your students, so everybody is kept in the loop. 

The newest feature from Mailbutler is the email assistant with AI capabilities. The Smart Assistant can assist teachers in composing and responding to emails. It can provide suggestions for responses, helping teachers craft professional and effective emails quickly. This can be particularly useful when dealing with repetitive queries from students or parents.

Grammarly

Grammarly is a writing assistant that provides students and teachers alike with suggestions to improve their writing. However, you shouldn't let the “grammar” in the name of this extension fool you - it goes far beyond that!

This Chrome extension for teachers guarantees your writing is correct, clear, and concise in intention. Also, the free version will help you avoid grammatical mistakes in most of your writing.

The best part about this extension is it works on nearly all websites, including Google Docs, Gmail, and more.

Compared to other grammar tools online, Grammarly offers you the option to choose which English you write—American, British, Canadian, or Australian.

Dualless

Dualles helps you work on your lessons with two open windows side by side. Working on only one monitor can be exhausting due to all the switching-between-two-windows that engenders.

If you don't have two monitors right now, you can alternatively use Dualles to organize two windows side by side with a simple click of a button.

Also, the Google Chrome extension provides numerous various layout variations to pick from. All you have to do is pick two tabs you like to divide and click the icon to choose the window split layout.

Clockwise

Clockwise is a smart calendar assistant that lets you focus more and spend less time futzing around with your entire calendar.

This Chrome extension designs your day around how you work best, and it coordinates across different schedules.

Take note that Clockwise will show as a sidebar next to your Google Calendar. 

Kami

Kami is a free Google Chrome extension that enables you to annotate and edit PDF documents right in your Google Chrome browser. It lets you add text to documents or draw on them.

In addition, you can edit documents from Google Classroom or Google Drive. Remember that Kami is used collaboratively between teachers and students, making it also one of the best Chrome extensions for students.

It helps you collaborate with your students easily and efficiently.

And brilliantly, it works offline and comes with loads of different features for free!

Read Aloud

This extension works on any web page article with a single click, using text-to-speech technology. It supports a wide array of languages and converts any page text to audio.

Take note that it also works with numerous websites like publications, fan fiction, news sites, school websites, and many more.

The extension enables you to choose from different text-to-speech voices, including those natively provided by the browser. 

Snov.io 

Snov.io is one of the best Google extensions that specializes in email verifiers. Often, teachers encounter problems of email duplication that can be easily dealt with using the right email verifier tool. 

This extension is a great way to streamline your email workflow while teaching. Check out the list from Snov.io. 

Clearly Reader 

Every day, you spend most of your time reading the work of your students. This is where Clearly Reader comes to the rescue.

When you click on the extension, it clearly cleans up any web pages you’re reading by getting rid of ads, backgrounds, and other confusing images and elements, leaving only the core content of the page in a simple-to-read format.

This Google Chrome extension is helpful for teachers to help you focus on what you're reading. Remove the many distractions of the internet!

ProWritingAid

This is a free tool that allows you to check your writing for grammar mistakes and provides recommendations to enhance your writing style. It can also help you avoid mistakes and make your writing stronger. 

It also comes with a plagiarism checker. It works on nearly all websites across the internet, including Twitter, email inboxes, and other websites.

This extension comes with a built-in thesaurus that provides suggestions to improve your writing. Further, all the suggestions can be applied with a simple click within the text.

This is one of the best Chrome extensions for teachers that will highlight any text that needs improvement or correction. 

Google Dictionary

Google Dictionary is an official Chrome extension, which enables you to see definitions straight from Google’s dictionary. That means you don’t need to search words on Google to check their spelling or meaning.

This Google Chrome extension has got you covered for spelling and definitions. You can either click the extension icon and type or paste the word you'd like Google to define.

Alternatively, you can also double-click a word anywhere on the webpage, and this Chrome extension will provide you with the definition in a small in-line popup box. 

MyBib

MyBib is a free citation generator extension that's ideal for teachers and students alike. This Chrome extension tells you whether or not the source you're reading is credible.

It also helps you create citations based on more than 9,000 supported, predefined citation styles, such as Harvard, AMA, APA, MLA, and Chicago. 

You can copy the bibliography to the clipboard, or you can download it as an MS Word document. We prefer this extension over Cite This For Me and EasyBib. 

Loom for Chrome

Loom is a simple-to-use video messaging extension. It's not like FaceTime, Google Meet, or Zoom, as it’s only one-way.

That means you can only record yourself and your Google Chrome screen, then send the final video to your students or teachers through a shareable link.

Aside from its extension, Loom also has a website, desktop apps for Windows and Mac, and mobile apps for Android and iOS.

The features provided by every app differ, though. The Chrome extension can’t record with any application except Google Chrome, for example. 

Small PDF

Whether you are preparing a new presentation, sending emails, trying to edit your file in its original format, or signing a document, this Chrome extension can help a lot.

With Small PDF, you can have tonnes of time every week that you would otherwise have spent working on documents.

All you have to do is click on the extension icon, and all the tools will be displayed.

The app detects the last tool you’ve used and puts it at the top of the list. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can also use the search bar to find the tool you need.

Evernote Web Clipper

Who isn't familiar with Evernote? Evernote is the most highly-used note-taking app utilized by millions of people worldwide. It can make you more productive and help you remember everything you learn.

One of the best parts about using this Google Chrome extension for teachers is that you can capture notes from online content like emails, web pages, blogs, and other content with a simple click. 

On top of that, the note-taking process of Evernote can speed up your entire workflow and provide a simple way to store everything you learn. Evernote Web Clipper lets you capture nearly everything on the Internet. 

From research materials to memes, you can save anything to your Evernote account with a simple click.

The extension also enables you to take numerous screenshots of any document, saving you even more time. 

GoConqr

Finally, we have GoConqr. This is an easy Google Chrome extension that enables you to make fun, engaging, and beautiful exercises.

It’s a personal learning environment that enables teachers and students to make, share, and discover learning resources.

GoConqr also offers study tools to make quizzes, notes, flashcards, and mind maps.

With this tool, you can plan all your lessons, monitor your progress in real-time and connect with students and share knowledge with them. All of this helps make teaching more productive and simply easier.

What to Consider When Choosing Chrome Extensions for Teachers

Before you consider adding any of these Google Chrome extensions to your teaching laptop, make sure to research pricing, security, and features first.

Features

Installing multiple Google Chrome extensions in the same category will offer you similar or overlapping features.

It's easy to get lost. Make a comparison table of the tools you're interested in and choose the one that best covers your needs.

Safety 

You certainly don't want to install a tool that can be dangerous and harmful to your computer, for example by infecting your laptop with viruses and stealing your passwords.

Recommended reading: Chrome Extensions for Small Business Owners

To avoid this, devote a few minutes of your time researching the extension's rating on the Chrome Web Store and reviewing websites like G2.

Pricing 

Make sure you pick Chrome extensions for teachers that sit within your teaching budget.

Look for a Google Chrome extension that offers a freemium system or a free trial to test the tool's functionality before purchasing it to ensure you get the best bang for your buck.

Google Chrome extensions for teachers FAQs

What are some good extensions for Google Classroom?

• The Kami Extension is ideal for interactive learning, providing a digital whiteboard for annotating and collaborating on documents, a feature that can enhance group work and student engagement.
• Evernote Web Clipper helps teachers organize their resources efficiently, allowing them to save and categorize web pages and articles for easy access during lesson planning or research.
• Screencastify is a versatile tool for creating educational videos, tutorials, or recording classroom activities, making digital learning more engaging and accessible.

What is the AI Chrome extension for teachers?

Mailbutler's Smart Assistant. This AI-powered extension is designed to assist teachers in managing their emails more efficiently. It can automate various tasks like summarizing emails, scheduling emails, and even providing smart suggestions based on the content of the emails. This tool can be particularly useful in reducing the time spent on email management, allowing teachers to focus more on educational tasks.

Summary

There you have it! Hopefully, the Google Chrome extensions mentioned above will help you with your overall teaching experience.

Rest assured that these Chrome extensions for teachers will add power to your teaching efficiency and increase student engagement levels.

In a time where education is changing more and more, it makes sense not to stay in the analog world when the digital has so much to offer.