#12 Remembering to Use the Chrome Web Store

In this blog we will look at the benefits of remembering that:

a) extensions exist

b) we can find them easily on the Chrome Web Store

_____________________________________________

Q: Why should we remember that the Chrome Web Store exists? 

A: Let's use a simple teacher concept/tool to help us highlight why: Word Clouds

Word clouds have been around for a while now. Common educational uses of word clouds include:

1. Ice Breakers

2. Introduce new topic

3. Collect new ideas

4. Conduct a brainstorm session

5. Set up a discussion

6. Sum up a topic

7. Check for understanding

8. Reflect on experience (learning)

9. Ease into vulnerable topics with student anonymity

10. Check in on students Social Emotional Learning

(The above list was taken from ClassPoint. For more information about each activity check out their in-depth summaries for each activity here.)


Now, let's imagine that making a word cloud is something that you or your students want to do as part of a lesson activity. 

Of course, you could make it arty and hand out some paper and colored pencils. 

However, if you or your students want to do it digitally, you may ask yourselves: "How do you make a word cloud quickly and easily so we can print some off or share online?"

 Like so many things these days, the answer is simple: find, download and use an extension from the Chrome Web Store.

But how do you do that, exactly?

In this example case of word clouds, easy: Follow these instructions:


1. Go the the  Chrome Web Store

2. Type into the search box 'word cloud'

3. You will get options come up, like this:

4. Pick word cloud generator and click the blue button to install


5. Once the extension is installed, find it in your Doc under extensions tab


6. Type in your words and the word cloud extension converts the words into a word cloud

7. The final version is ready to use


We have used 'making word clouds' the example topic of this blog. But of course, the point of this blog is to remember: Any time you have something tech-related you don't know how to do, particularly if it's in Google Docs or Slides, the Chrome Web Store might be able to give you something a little extra to help you do it.

Remember to use the Chrome Web Store!


Example Word Cloud Doc


_______________________________________


Note: A question about terminology
You may come across the phrases plug-ins OR add-ons OR extensions. 
What's the difference and is it important?

There is a technical difference, yes, but generally speaking for most educators you can use the three terms interchangeably, thinking of them all just as things that technically enhance your files/documents capabilities.

The shortest, most succinct answer I could find was this: 

- 3rd party plugins and add-ons add functionality and extra features to a particular webpage (but don't alter the code)
- Extensions add functionality and features to the whole browser and change the behavior of the browser (by changing the code).


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#22. Introducing Chat GPT to Young Learners through Storytelling Activities

Image
 This blogpost may be of interest to educators who are looking to introduce the concept and powers of Chat GPT to Young Learners in a fun, interactive way. For this example we will be using Books by AI , which is currently in its Beta phase. This is a platform that allows you to create and modify books (or the text at least) through inputting prompts.  Before we start with the activity example for this blogpost, let's quickly touch upon the ethics of students using AI and specifically Large Language Models chatbots (LLMs). There are good arguments for both allowing and not allowing students access to AI tools to supplement and support learning. Personally, I think if there are productivity tools such as Chat GPT, which are now being used and will be used in daily life and work in the future, then it's probably a good idea to introduce students to these tools and try and get them using them in a productive and responsible way. No doubt some students will be unable to responsibly
Read more

#17 Google Workspace Marketplace: An interesting and useful place to visit during downtimes

Image
It's June. The summer holidays are almost upon us. As educators, the summer months can be both exciting and daunting. With the end of school year activities behind us, it's time to think about how we'll spend our summer holidays. Of course, we will be on the beach. However, if you really do want to keep one eye on work, one way to make sure your break is potentially productive and interesting is by taking a look at Google Workspace Marketplace. The summer holidays is a great time to casually browse a platform like this as you may randomly find some useful tools which you will incorporate into the next academic year. So, if you are using Google Workspace products such as Slides, Docs, Gmail and all the rest, and you aren't familiar with Google Workspace Marketplace, what is it? Google Workspace Marketplace provides an extensive list of educational apps, add-ons and extensions that are designed for teachers, trainers or any other type of educator looking for new ways to
Read more

#20. The (AI) Power of Stories

Image
Reading & Writing Activities for Young Learners with AI-powered Tools This blogpost might be of interest to educators who want to develop collaborative reading activities which can utilise individual reading, guided reading, shared reading while incorporating speaking and writing activities. We all know the story about stories: Stories are a great way to help students learn so many things, not just literacy but morals, ideas, concepts etc. However, in terms of literacy we know the studies have been done repeatedly and in many places in recent decades with the general conclusion that students who read more do better at school over time. For any educator working with young learners in an ELA, EFL/ESL environment, the use of stories is crucial in engaging students and aiding that literacy development. However, with young learners now frequently using tablets and phones - and therefore being more image-focused than text-focused these days - there is a feeling amongst many educators tha
Read more