Making Sense of Gmail

Trying to write a blog post about Gmail is actually harder than it turns out--who knew!  Gmail does so many things that I could never adequately explain the service in a single blog post, and there are already thousands of other sites, blogs, and tutorials floating in the either of the internet.  To try to do what so many others have done would be to reinvent the wheel, but instead of a fluid and useful tool, mine would look like a disproportionate pentagon that was neither comfortable or useful for anyone.  So I decided to delete everything that I had drafted and do something different with my Gmail post.  I want to collect a few great resources for those trying to find answers on how to use Gmail (and all of its extra features) to the best of its abilities.

Google's Own Resources

Google has a really comprehensive web-based class for all of its products.  They are free to access and will systematically walk you through all they have to offer in their core apps.  I have included for you here links to their three part lessons on Gmail

Gmail Level 1:  The Basics

Gmail Level 2:  Classroom Application

Gmail Level 3:  Advanced Gmail

The Blogs

I know it is hard to believe, but my blog is not the only technology blog out there for teachers.  Mine is, however, the best technology blog for teachers out there wearing a beard and glasses.  Here are some worth checking out.

Gmail's Official Blog

Gmail Plugins

The News Articles

A quick Google search for Gmail tips and tricks will reward you with a little over 15 million responses, but these two will cover just about all the tricks you would ever care to know.

9 Gmail Basics

30 More Advanced Gmail Tricks

The Videos

I don't want to leave out the strictly visual learners so I have included a few videos that have much the same information as the other links I have provided.

The Ultimate Guide (of so they say)

Gmail Tips and Tricks

The Gmail How-to Video to Watch When you Have an Hour to Burn

Well, compared to my other posts that have embedded videos or pictures, this post looks kind of boring.  So to spice it up here is a picture of a man dressed as a rooster.

And a video of a teenage boy that can't handle laughing gas.

Hope you found this post both helpful and enjoyable.

Cody

Putting the Cart Before the Horse

I had a moment of realization yesterday, which is rare (the realization not the day).  I have written a few posts about Chrome extensions and apps but I never explained how to get said extensions and apps.  That is a bit of a silly oversight on my part.  I aim to correct that now.

Heady Academic Stuff:

• Extensions are bits of computer code added to the Chrome browser to add to the functionality of the browser.  It is like supping up your car, or upgrading the appliances in the kitchen.  Chrome will work well without extensions, but extensions make it awesomer (technically that isn't a word but you get what I am saying).
• Apps are essentially shortcuts to websites.  They may be customized by the developer to work seamlessly with Chrome and Google Drive, or they might just be shortcuts.  Either way they are a great way of keeping close access to websites that are useful to you.

Now, before I get too far into this I would be remiss to not tell you that installing extensions and apps is slightly different on a Chromebook vs a Chrome browser.  You need to access the store no matter what, but those two platforms access the store differently.  The Chromebook has a Store app located in the app tray (those nine dots in the lower left corner of the screen).  It should be the second icon you see.  The Chrome browser is different.  You will see the same app tray, or nine dots, in the upper right corner of any Google page or you can go to this site: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/

From there you can begin searching for extensions and apps.

Extensions

Now that you are to the Chrome store you can start looking for things to add.  Lets start with extensions.  On the left side of the Chrome store is the search field that you can use to find extensions by searching for either a name or what you want it to do.  For example, I want to be able to do a Google search just using my voice (using your fingers to type is just too much work).  I would just type "voice search" in the search field.  This brings up both apps and extensions that meet the search criteria.  I can limit that search by selecting from the the options beneath.  Once you find the extension you want click FREE to add it to your Chrome browser.

My new extension is the microphone on the left.

Extension will appear as icons next to, and in some case in, the URL bar.  To use the extension you will click on it, verify information (you only have to do it once), and then you are off.  Right clicking on an extension will give you access to adjust setting and delete the extension.  If you don't know where to start with extensions you can take a look at my favorites here.

Apps

The process for finding and installing apps is the same as extensions, but they are housed in a different location.  On a Chromebook apps are housed in the app tray.  It is a little more cumbersome to access apps from a Chrome browser.  You can access them by typing "chrome://apps" into the URL bar or by clicking the "Apps" shortcut in the bookmark bar (if you have that enabled).  The first thing I would do after installing an app is installing the extension "Blackmenu" to make it easier to get to your apps in a Chrome browser.  I have several more apps to add to my list but what I have so far should get you started.  You can get that list here.

Let me know what is your favorite app or extension.

Cody

So I got a Chromebook...

...and now it is time to do some damage--or not.  My school just issued Chromebooks to all of its teachers.  I have excitedly waited for this over the past few months because, despite the naysayers, it is a surprisingly functional tool. I will most likely churn out several Chromebook specific posts, but I decided to only include three features in this post.  Google Cloud Print, Chrome Remote Desktop, and the "Keyboard Shortcut App" (It doesn't have an official name).  These three stood out to me as immediately usable as I began familiarizing myself with the device and making it my own. Hopefully, they are as useful for you as they have proven to be for me.

Google Cloud Print

So, Google Cloud Print. The name sort of explains everything.  It allows you to print wirelessly using Google's services.   It is a feature universal to all Google products.  You can use Google Cloud Print (GCP) with an GCP enabled printer or any printer connected to a computer with a Chrome browser.  What makes this so vital is that you can't directly connect a printer to a Chromebook.  Connecting to a GCP equipped printer is as easy as opening a print dialogue (ctrl+p) in any chrome window or tab, selecting the printer, and clicking print.  Unfortunately, my school doesn't have GCP equipped printers.  Fortunately, like I said early, you can connect to any printer using GCP as long as you have a computer connected to it that has Chrome--one more reason why you should make the switch to Chrome if you haven't already.  

To set up GCP at my school I did the following (it should be the same for anyone):
1. Open Chrome on your desktop (this is the computer connected to the printer)
2. From the Menu  (it looks like this )  select Settings, which will open a new tab.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the window and select show advanced settings.
4. Find the Google Cloud Print section (third from the bottom) and select "Manage".












4.This will open up a new tab with the printer management dialogue.  It looks something like this:

5. Select "Add printers".  This will bring up a menu where you can select the printers connected to your computer.  (If your school uses network printers like mine, you will need to make sure they are installed on your desktop first.)  The dialogue should look like this:

6. Select the printers you want to add, press  "Add printer(s)", and follow any other directions that follow.

Once this is done you can print from your Chromebook anytime you want as long as the printer and connected computer are on and awake.

You can also share printers with other users so you can stay logged into Chrome with your personal account on your home computer and still print from your Chromebook at home.  Navigate to this tutorial for instructions.

Chrome Remote Desktop

There are all kinds of screen sharing applications out there.  Some work better than others, but most require a purchase of some sort in order to get full functionality.  Chrome Remote Desktop (CRD) only requires two computers using Chrome and an internet connections and you can remotely control your desktop from your Chromebook.  You may ask why would you ever need to remotely access your desktop.  Let me propose some reasons.  Let me pose a few reasons.  A main complaint about Chromebooks is their lack of functionality, but you have the full functionality of your desktop when you remote in from your Chromebook.  Maybe you saved something to your desktop instead of Drive.  Remote in and you have access to all the files on your desktop.  I have used it to update a Photoshop document on my iMac at home and a Excel spreadsheet saved on my desktop in my classroom, all while sitting in the teacher workroom waiting on copies.  Now tell me that is not both cool and useful rolled into one ball of awesomeness.  The process of setting everything up is a little involved (though easily accomplished even by novices), so I am just going to direct you to Google's directions.  

Keyboard Shortcut "App"

The keyboard shortcut "app" allows you to see what actions can be completed

with just a key combination.

Alright, so there isn't an official name for this and I'm not sure that it is an app, but it works extremely well and is easy to use.  This thingy-wopper brings up a visual, and interactive, layout of your Chromebook's keyboard and allows you to see all the keyboard shortcuts your Chromebook can preform.  There are a lot of keyboard shortcuts, and they make it so that you rarely have to take your hands off the keyboard to navigate the computer.  You may not think much of it--lots of devices have lists of keyboard shortcuts--but this is the first I've seen that is both easily accessible and navigateable.   To begin press ctrl+alt+/.  It will bring up the "app".  From there follow the instructions.  When you are ready to exit the interface you press ctrl+alt+/ again.  You can access this feature from anyplace in your Chromebook.
















As an added bonus I have included some links to helpful Chromebook tips, but you should also check out the "Get Help" app on your Chromebook.

Chromebook tips and tricks
Chrome tips and tricks
And some more tips and tricks
Keyboard shortcuts in a list form

Let me know what you think,

Cody

My Most Asked Question about Google Drive

As of last year my school had local network storage for all of the teachers and students.  It was nice in the sense that we could access our h drive (as it is called) from anywhere on campus.  When we made the switch to GAFE and gained access to Google Drive we were able access our files anywhere.  The problem now became getting all those years of collected files from our h drive to Drive.  It was/is such a common predicament that it has become the most common question I get asked around the school--other than does your beard bother you.

This led me to writing this blog post.  I'm going to attempt to explain how you can transfer all of your files from your computer (whether it be h drive, my documents, or any other location) to your Drive account.

Prepping Your Files to Transfer

So first things first, you need to prep your files for transfer.  If you are like me you have files tucked within folders which are tucked within folders, and they are in turn tucked in more folders.  You also probably don't want to recreate all of that organization.  Thankfully, there is an easy way to accomplish this:

1. Create a new folder in a location you can find (like the desktop) and name it something you will remember.  In most cases you can right click and select "create new folder".  Once everything is said and done you will delete this folder.

2. Copy and paste all the files/folders you want to move to this newly created folder.  The easiest way is to select the first item you want to move (it could be a file or a folder) and then hold down shift and select the last item.

Moving the Files

For the next step you will need Chrome.  When you upload the files you have a couple of options on how the files will look when they get to Drive.  Option one:  you can leave the files as they are; the file format will not change. For example, Word documents will be uploaded as Word documents.   The downside is they are more cumbersome to edit, collaborate, and access offline.  Option two:  you can convert all of your Office documents to Google documents.  The benefit is easier editing, collaboration, and offline access.  You can even download Google Documents as Office documents.  (Do I sound a little biased?)  To enable Drive to convert your files you need to enable it by:

 Selecting the gear icon in the upper right corner>upload settings>Convert uploaded files to Google Docs format.  (See below)

Now that we have that out of the way we can upload the files.

1. Open a Chrome browser tab and access your Drive.
2. Press the upload button to the right of the red "Create" button and select "Folder" from the menu.  (See picture below.)

3. Another menu will come up and from there you will select the folder that you created earlier. Press "Upload" and a new window will open showing the progress of your upload.  I will warn you that you if you have a lot of files to upload it will take time so start the upload in the morning.

Unpacking

Now that you have all your files on Google Drive it is time to unpack.

1. Open your newly uploaded folder and click on the check box next to "TITLE".  This will select all the items in the folder.



2. Next, select the "Move to" icon (it is a gray folder) and select "My Drive" from the menu that appears.  Click done and you are unpacked.



3.  Now you can go back to the original folder you uploaded and delete it.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the easiest way to upload all your files from your computer to Drive while still keeping everything organized.

I hope you enjoyed, or at least learned something.

Cody

Websites for the Classroom

This will be the most ambitious post of this nascent blog.  You might say a little prayer that you and I can get through this.  What I will attempt to do is give you a synopsis of all the websites, excluding the obvious ones like YouTube, I use with my classes.  I also tried to stay away from websites that are purely ELA related like OWL at Purdue.

Good luck, may the odds ever be in your favor, may the force be with you, God speed, etc.

1. Storybird 

I thought I would get the most limited in terms of cross curricular out of the way first.  Storybird is an awesome site for anyone that does any type of creative writing or prompt writing.  Students create short stories, poems, children's books, and novels using high quality art as their inspiration.  Students can collaborate and share their stories before publishing them.  There is even an option to create printed versions of the student's work to use as fundraisers.

2. Kaizena  

Kaizena, as strange as the name sounds, is a highly usable website for teachers.  The premise is simple.  The students complete an assignment and submit it to Kaizena and you make verbal annotations to the assignment.  It is then sent back to the students.  What I love about it, other than being able to record my comments, is that it is tightly integrated into Google Docs.

3. Tinyurl 

The next two are URL shorteners.  I am including both because there are pluses and minuses to each website.  First, Tinyurl is the more spartan of the two.  You can shorten the URL and create a custom link if you so wish.  The main benefit, as I see it, to Tinyurl is that the links are not Google indexed so you don't have to worry about student's work floating off into the either for others to steal or risk FERPA violations.

4. goo.gl 

Second, we have goo.gl (I'm not sure if that should be capitalized).  As you can probably discern goo.gl is a part of the Google ecosystem of services.  It has some nifty features such as automatic QR codes and all goo.gl URLs are saved for later use.  The downside is they are Google indexed by default so I wouldn't use it to share sensitive information without ensuring that those who find it on the web can't access it without your permission.

5. Diigo 

Diigo is a website annotation tool with an accompanying Chrome extension.  It is great for research of any type.  

6. Evernote 

I was introduced to Evernote roughly five years ago and I thought it was a niche product at first.  Even so I thought I would give it a try.  I found that it is anything but niche.  Besides its excellent notetaking and journaling tools, it is useful for creating simple ad hoc websites and presentations, collaborating with peers, and storing/archiving everything from recipes and lesson plans to worksheets and certificates.  

7. Blendspace 

I cover Blendspace in a little more detail in another blog post but I want to mention it here again.  Blendspace is the ultimate web based presentation tool.  You may even find yourself spending less time with Keynote and PowerPoint.

8. Twitter 

You may not think of Twitter as a tool for education but it is quickly becoming a preferred way to get ideas and help from colleagues across the globe.  You should check it out.  You can check out this link if you are not sure who to start following. Another thing to think about is that you don't need a Twitter account to view tweets.  Its like a henna tatoo:  all the cool without the commitment.

9. Edmodo 

Let's just say that Edmodo is the "social media" tool for the classroom.  I use "social media" loosely because it is more of a digital classroom and less of a social network, yet it still has the feel of Facebook.  You can run your entire class online with Edmodo.  I do not have enough room here (not to mention my hands are starting to cramp up from all the typing) to sing praises to Edmodo so go to their website to get more information.

10. HaikuDeck 

HaikuDeck is a simple presentation site that is easy for kids to use and create beautiful presentations.  It is not as fanciful, or complicated, as Prezi or as all inclusive as Blendspace, but it is great for students to use for presentations.

11. Picktochart 

I have to fess up here.  I have never used Picktochart, but I want to.  It is a site that easily allows you to create infographics.  It is great for review and whatnot.

12. Pixiclip 

Pixiclip is an online whiteboard.  If you don't know what that is imagine this, you can record your lesson with everything you would write on a board as a video and send that to students to watch as homework.  You can even send it to absent students or the ones who through a series of poor choices landed them in ISS.  Pixiclip is the first of a few of these I have used, but be warned it is still in beta.

13. Remind 

Remind (formally Remind 101) is by far the best way to communicate with students and parents.  It allows you to send reminders and messages to groups or individuals in a safe and confidential manner.

14. Showme 

Showme is another online whiteboard.  Showme is a weird beast.  Some content is only available on their site while the actual whiteboard content is created with a free iPad app.  That is a huge negative for those that are iPadless, but there are plenty of useful lessons on their site.

15. Ustream 

I don't often pretend to be an online television start, but when I do I use Ustream.  Ustream is a free service that allows you to record and stream, live might I add, yourself or others via the internet and a webcam/mic combination.  You can even record your stream for others to watch later.  It is a great resource for teaching when you or your students will not be in the room.  I will warn you that the free accounts are ad supported so you need to beware of what ads may pop up as you are streaming.

16. Mixlr 

Mixlr is to audio what Ustream is to video.  Mixlr is the easiest way I have found to record and stream a podcast for students to listen to.  It is a great study tool for students because you keep a library of short lessons and reminders for students to refer back to regularly.  You do have to download an app to your iOS device or computer to start broadcast but it is a painless operation.

17. Screenleap 

Screenleap is the only screen sharing app to make it on my list this time around.  The idea is quite simple.  You download the application to your computer and then share the screen code with whomever you want to see your screen.  They go to the link you give them and they are in essence seeing a "real time" video of your screen.  Now I am using the term "real time" loosely because the stream will have a bit of lag to it, but it does have some value none-the-less.

18.TED 

The next two are companion sites TED and TED-Ed.  You have probably heard of TED Talks before; you know the short inspirational talkie-talks of the learned and wealthy.  Some of the videos are great for discussion and sparking interest, and others are best left unseen.  The topics cover the spectrum so I am sure there is something on TED you could use.

19.TED-Ed 

TED-Ed is less about videos of people talking from behind a podium and more about teaching with videos.  The TED-Ed videos are education focused and comprised of narrated animations.  They cover a wide variety of topics, even the history behind the spelling of onion, which is nice.  With each video there are activities and questions to prompt discussion and further learning for the kids.

20. Keepvid 

If you need to access a YouTube or Vimeo video but the internet has slowed to a crawl or the service is blocked by our overzealous but well meaning web filters, then you appreciate the need for Keepvid.  Keepvid will download videos from popular sites in several different formats and save them wherever you like.  There are some important caveats:  it uses Java and most browsers block Java, and it has something against the marriage of OSX and Chrome.

21. Socrative 

How many have heard of Learner Response Systems?  Who has wanted to be in the AFV audience to cast your vote?  Well Socrative will let you do that in your classroom because it is the Learner Response System for everyone.  Socrative lets you create quizzes online that students can then respond to using any internet connected device.  They also keep a repository of previously created quizzes so you don't have to create everything from scratch.

22. Kahoot! 

Kahoot! is similar to Socrative but with a twist.  Instead of a straight up response system it is designed to be game-like.  The kids compete against each other to answer first.

23. LiveBinder 

I have to admit first off that I have a love/hate relationship with LiveBinder.  It is an excellent way to store all of your websites and resources online in an organized fashion, but the older version that I used for a few years made it cumbersome to add content.  They have since updated the site and I hope it improved the workflow as well.  I recommend checking it out, especially if you glean many of your resources from the internet.

24. StudyBlue 

This is more of a student focused website and app but I wanted to share it with you anyways.  StudyBlue allows students to create flashcards and review quizzes and then share those with other.  It has a sleek design and is easy to use.

25. Easybib

I teach ELA and one of the things that constantly frustrates me is the breath and fluidity of MLA and APA citations.  There are so many different ways to cite a source and the format keeps changing.  Easybib solves that problem for the kids and helps them find credible sources online by verifying that sources are accurate and relevant.  They also have a Chrome extension.

26. Pinterest

I have never been on Pinterest but my wife swears by it, and not because of all the arts and crafts ideas.  Apparently Pinterest is a treasure trove of resources and ideas for teachers.  It has been such a helpful tool for teachers that Pinterest begin curating part of their site just for teachers.  For the more manly among us you can check out Gentlemint. (Okay, they may not have much in the way of teaching, but it is a cool site none the less.)

Well folks, I made it through the list and I hope you did too.  As a parting word I want to remind you that many, if not most, of these websites also have apps (web and/or mobile) to accompany their sites.

Cody

P.S. I do have some honorable mentions, Todaysmeet, Canva, and Flubaroo.  I have not used these in a classroom but teachers that I respect have which is why I wanted to include them on my list in some fashion.

Chrome Apps for the Classroom

This time around I want to share some Chrome apps that I use in my classroom.  Before we start I need to clarify two things.  First, I am an ELA teacher so you will see a particular bent in my selection, but I tried to pick apps that are cross-curricular.  Second, Chrome apps are not like apps for your desktop.  They are essentially websites that have been customized and/or optimized to be used with Chrome and Chromebooks.  In most cases they are completely web based and tightly integrated with Google Drive.  Oh, I almost forgot, I am cheapskate and so I only look for apps and websites that are completely free.  I thought you might like that.

Without further pandering, my list of classroom tested Chrome apps.

1. Mindmeister

Mindmeister is a mind mapping and diagramming app.  I use it to create all kinds of diagrams for the students and assign it to the students to use as well.

2. RealtimeBoard

RealtimeBoard is another mind mapping app.  What I like about this app is that is collaborative so you can have several students or an entire class working together.  This is quickly becoming my favorite mapping app.

3. PowToon

I used PowToon for the first time this spring to create a presentation for a seminar that I was apart of.  The web app was intuitive and easy to use.  I liked it so much I had my incoming AP students use PowToon to prepare their presentations for their summer reading.  PowToon is being aggressive about getting into the education market so they have created tons of how to videos and webinars.

4. Stupeflix 

Stupeflix is another video making web app that I came upon this summer.  I have yet to test it out in a teaching environment, but it looks like a fun options for the kids to use instead of a boring PowerPoint presentation.  It is worth taking a look at but keep in mind that you have to pay to make longer videos.

5. Blendspace 

PowerPoint and I were once inseparable, but she refused to change with the times and my infatuation dimmed.  She couldn't go where I wanted to go.  She hated that I spent so much time with an iPad.  She refused to collaborate and share with others.  That is when I came across Blendspace (or Edcanvas as it is sometimes called) and it really impressed me--it still does.  Within Blendspace I can create presentations that include videos, text, graphics, and instantly scored quizzes.  I don't have to leave the app to search for content on the internet and I can create and share as many presentations as I want.  Sorry PowerPoint, I have found someone better.

6. Google Drive and Its Core Apps

I don't have to the time to write nor you the time to read all the benefits of Google Apps for Education so let me try to hit just a few highlights.


Google Drive is your one stop spot for all things Google.  You get a crazy amount of free storage, access to all of Google's other apps, and the ability to manage and share almost anything with almost anyone.

Google Doc is a word processing app that makes it easy to start working on a document on one device and finish it on another.  You can share and collaborate on a document in real time.  With optional plugins you can add voice annotations and automate grading.

Google Spreadsheet is a spreadsheet app that isn't as robust as Microsoft's Excel but will suit 90% of the people 90% of the time.  It is great if you want to share and track data with others.

Google Form is a great way to gather information and assignments.  You can even use it to create instantly graded quizzes.  All data gathered by Forms are compiled and deposited in a spreadsheet for you to look over.

Google Calendar is invaluable for me.  I can never keep track of what all I have going on.  I know that there is no shortage of calendar apps out there, but Google's Calendar app has time and again proven to be my favorite.

Google Slides is Google's answer to PowerPoint.  Expect the same thing from this app as PowerPoint with the added bonus of being able to edit the presentation from anywhere and sharing with other.  I also like that you can import both your old PowerPoint presentations and PowerPoint themes straight into Google Slides.

This link has great tutorials on how to use Google apps and what they can do for you.

Well that is about it folks.  I'll add to my list as I find more useful Chrome apps for you.

Cody

Must Have Chrome Extensions for the Classroom

For my inaugural (Okay, technically my second) blog post I would like to tackle a few Chrome extensions that have been critical (Fine, maybe not critical, but definitely instrumental) in my classroom. I'm only going to talk about Chrome extensions because it best fits the workings of my district and classroom.  I have used Safari, IE, and Firefox, but it makes sense to use Chrome if you are already in the Google ecosystem with GAFE like my district happens to be.  With that said, if you prefer another browser, go ahead and use it.  You can probably find similar extensions or plugins for them as well.

First up is Black Menu

Black menu is an extension that adds a shortcut to all of Google's services, apps, and files.  You can quickly access your email, calendar, and drive; as well as, create short URLs, do a Google search, or just about anything else from with in the Black Menu interface.  The great thing is that it is all done without leaving your current Chrome tab.  You can also customize the layout of Black Menu to make your most used items quickly available.

Next is goo.gl URL Shortener

Next up on my list is my go to URL shortener.  It is a a tiny extension that allows a user to instantly shorten the URL of any page he or she may currently be on.  Just click the button and it gives you a shortened URL that you can then copy and paste into a document as well as QR code to go with it.  You may be asking why anyone would need this.  (It is okay, I get that question all the time.)  The usefulness of this tool becomes apparent as you begin to do more and more assignments/lessons online.  No more writing down long URL's or reciting them over and over to students.  No more countless trouble shooting sessions where 12 students all forgot the "!" 64 characters into the URL.  It is a huge time and sanity saver for you and your students.  QR codes are even quicker for students to use.  All you need is a device with a camera and QR reader and they can instantly go to the site you want them to go to.

Coming in Third is Google Calendar the Extension

Between Staff meetings, department meetings, team meetings, committee meetings, parent conferences, grading deadlines, and all the other business of a teacher's life it can be difficult to keep track of everything.  That is why I love the Google Calendar (by Google) extension.  The icon not only tells how long until your next appointment, but once you click on the icon it gives you a list of all your upcoming appointments, allows you to add and change those appointments, and gives you quick access to your full Google calendar.  (Sorry Outlook people, this one only works with Google Calendar, but there is an extension called Magneto that will take care of that for you.)

And Google Calendar's Cousin Google Mail Checker

I know what you are thinking--Google doesn't get very creative with their extension naming paradigm. Well, maybe you weren't thinking that, but Google Mail Checker is something you should think about.  This little plugin gives you a notification of new/unread emails and lets you go straight to Gmail when you click on the icon.  There are a couple of other Gmail extensions out there but I like this one for its simplicity.  Just this morning I found a similar extension called Checker Plus for Gmail that I am kind of digging.  It not only gives you a notification of new emails but also allows you to read and compose emails without ever opening a new tab.  It is highly customizable.  I haven't had a chance to really test it out which is why it hasn't earned its own place on this list.  But one day, just maybe...

It is Now Time to Turn off the Lights

Unlike these "witty" subheadings I'm having to create, I love Turn off the Lights.  The extension serves as a way to black out all of the unwanted stuff around a video.  If you have ever showed a YouTube video in class you know what I am talking about: the inappropriate videos to the rights, the inappropriate comments beneath; all creeping in to defile our young students' minds.  Turn off the Lights solves all those problems.

Adblock for Chrome Family

The other issue with cruising around websites willy-nilly in front of students are the unexpected and unwanted ads lurking in the crevices of the internet.  Adblock has an entire set of extensions to help with that problem.  I haven't found myself needing most of their services but their Adblock for YouTube has been priceless for me.  It kills all the advertisements and ad bubbles in, before, and after YouTube videos.

Clipular

I admit it, I don't have the stamina to keep up with these cheesy subheadings.  Thankfully this extension doesn't need a cheesy title to sell its merits.  Clipular is a web clip/screen shot extension that allows you to quickly create a screen shot of whatever is in your browser window and then share that in all kinds of different ways.  You also have access to past screen shots from Clipular's website.  It even has keyboard shortcuts.

Save to Google Drive

Save to Google Drive is my favorite tool for borrowing (teachers never steal) stuff on the internet and saving it to my Drive with one button.  Never waste time saving that activity again.

I hope to add extensions over time as I get a chance to review them, but I do have some honorable mentions.  These are extensions that I currently have and like, but they haven't been tested in the classroom.

• Diigo

• Google Cast

• Evernote Clipper

• Easybib

Let me know what you think.

Cody