5 Google Chrome Extensions for Teachers to Save Time in 2015

By today, you've undoubtedly read numerous feel good blog posts this holiday season, all meant to jump-start your motivation and excitement for the coming 2nd half of the school year. Instead of providing inspirational words (of which I have few), I decided to contribute in a more practical manner (with a nod to the motivators for taking care of that!).

So here are 5 Google Chrome Extensions to add to your repertoire this year. Since time is always the enemy, I chose the following in hopes that they bring you tidings of great efficiency... or something close to that.

Submitting Digital Assignments with Google Forms & Screenshots

Google recently updated its Forms to allow embedding of images and videos opens the door for great possibilities with surveys/quizzes/etc. It's especially helpful in one area: using Google Forms to submit student work. (Credit to +Greg Kulowiec for opening my eyes to this!)

My 7th graders completed timelines on major events of the Civil War using the program Timeglider. In order to share them with me, they would need to change the sharing settings and find an obscure link to their timeline. Knowing the confusion caused by this from past experience, I created a simple form where they would only enter two pieces of information:

1. Their name
2. The link to their timeline

In order to get this information, I now used screenshots to show them exactly how to share it correctly. Since the screenshots can be embedded in the survey, it simplifies the process for the students.

The result? Zero questions. Nearly 100% of links correctly submitted within 4 minutes of the start of class. (Realized I was missing one step that through off a few students... always learning!)

To create the images, I simply used my Mac's built-in screenshot feature (command + shift + 3), then cropped and annotated the image using Mac's built-in pdf viewer, Preview.

Since Google Drive also allows for embedding of videos, this would be an easy to way to incorporate screencast video tutorials for the same reason. I use these often to show students how to use the various online tools we utilize in class.

Why I'm using Mailbox for Gmail

The goal of Mailbox: "Inbox zero"

Disclaimer: I do not do paid endorsements, nor am I paid to write anything on this blog. My posts are my views and nothing else.

Teaching leaves minimal time throughout the day to check email. Most average days go by with barely enough time for a snack, let alone a full meal, or a chance to purge your inbox. So this week I decided to try out the Mailbox app for the first time - an iPhone and iPad app for gmail that leads you to deal with your email every day in a smart, effective, and uber-efficient way. It came highly recommended by a teacher I have great respect for, Dave Crumbine. After my first week using the app, I'm starting my weekend with a grand total of 9 emails between both personal and work accounts - a ridiculously manageable number that pails in comparison to my average weekend load.

With Gmail's new tabs layout, those of us hyper-organized, folder-and-tab loving users found a solution that weeded out the social updates (Facebook, Twitter) and daily deals (Groupon, Gilt) from the more important emails of the day. But instead of ending up with a clear, constant flow of important emails, it allows for a lot of piling up.

Mailbox's key feature is getting you to "Inbox zero." Instead of letting that meaningless sale offer sit in a "Promotions" inbox, Mailbox forces you to read, delay, or trash immediately and easily with a single swipe on your phone. No need to check a box or open the email. Just swipe it directly from your inbox - and it's gone. 

There's a strong argument for getting rid of tabs and folders altogether, and Mailbox demonstrates the beauty of it. The need for organizing your emails is unnecessary in Gmail given its search function (let's not forget where Google's roots are). Mailbox keeps all your old, read emails in Gmail's "All Mail" folder. Swipe across in the Mailbox app, and the green arrow puts the email in the "All Mail" folder immediately. Gone from my inbox, but not gone forever. 

Where Mailbox really nails it is in its ability to let you delay or "put off" emails for a later time. If I get an email in the middle of the day from a parent, I want to respond thoughtfully, after school's out. Swipe the email to the left, and I can choose "later today" to have the email put back in my inbox later that day. This allows me to get to "Inbox 0", without needing to respond immediately to every email all day. Can't deal with it until tomorrow? The weekend? Next week? Next month? Just swipe to the left and choose - it'll stay in your "Later" folder on Gmail until the time is right.

As a teacher, time is your most valuable resource. Instead of spending it slogging through emails, use it to improve your teaching. Mailbox is a great app for those of us who use Gmail. Any ideas for the rest? How do you get to "Inbx zero"?