How to Install and Manage Chrome Extensions

In this week's Practical Ed Tech Newsletter I outlined the things that I look for when I am considering installing a new browser extension or add-on. At the end of the newsletter I included directions for installing and removing extensions in Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. Those directions were provided as a series of screencast videos. The one about installing and removing Chrome add-ons is available to view here and as embedded below.  

On a related note, here's the difference between signing into your Chrome profile and your Google account. 

How to Install Microsoft Edge Add-ons

In this week's Practical Ed Tech Newsletter I outlined the things that I look for when I am considering installing a new browser extension or add-on. At the end of the newsletter I included directions for installing and removing extensions in Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. Those directions were provided as a series of screencast videos. The one about installing and removing Microsoft Edge add-ons is available to view here and as embedded below.  

How to Make Sure Students Aren't Unsupervised in Google Meet Video Calls

Google Workspace for Education users finally have a way to make sure that students aren't hanging out in a Google Meet without a teacher. 

Yesterday afternoon Google announced that teachers can now end Google Meet calls for all participants at once. Now when hosts leave a Google Meet call they will see an option to let others stay in the meeting or end the meeting for everyone. Students will be automatically disconnected when a teacher (host) chooses to end the meeting for everyone. 

If you use meeting nicknames in conjunction with the new option to end the meeting for all participants, you can ensure that students aren't hanging out in a Google Meet call without your supervision. 

As is usual with new features in Google Workspaces, this new Google Meet option is available to some users right now and will be available to all Google Workspaces for Education users in the next couple of weeks. It's important to note that this feature is only available to Google Workspaces for Education users and not to those using other versions of Google Workspaces (formerly known as G Suite for Education).

Add Voice Notes to Your Email With Mote

Last month I featured a new Chrome extension called Mote. Mote lets you add voice comments to Google Classroom, Slides, and Docs. As of yesterday it lets you add voice comments to Gmail messages. 

If you already have Mote installed in your Chrome web browser you should already have access to using Mote in your Gmail. (You might have to relaunch Chrome and approve Mote for it appear in Gmail). When you compose an email in Gmail you should see the Mote icon appear in the menu next to the "send" button. Click the Mote icon to record a message and have it automatically inserted into the email you're composing. 

Mote recordings in Gmail can be played by anyone who receives your email. Recipients don't need the Mote extension in order to hear your message. Recipients who do have Mote installed will be able to reply to your voice message with voice messages of their own. 

📢 HUGE UPDATE 📢

Teachers: it would be awesome if it were possible to record voice notes directly into emails 🙏
Us: we're launching Mote for Gmail! 📨

To access: update our extension to the latest version... available on the Chrome Web Store now! 💜🚀 pic.twitter.com/52MDaJAjbi

— mote (@justmoteHQ) February 22, 2021

Applications for Education

For some people recording a voice note might be a quicker way to respond to students' email messages. I like the voice option because it provides an easy way to use inflection and tone when giving students feedback on their work or when responding to their questions. 

A Tour of Google Arts and Culture for Teachers

Last week Google introduced Learn With Google Arts and Culture. Learn With Google Arts and Culture is a collection of lesson plans, Street View imagery, and virtual tours based around the content found in Google Arts and Culture. 

Other than the collection of lesson plans, there isn't anything in Learn With Google Arts and Culture that you couldn't find on your own by just going to the main Google Arts and Culture website. In fact, in some cases I found it easier to find what I was looking for by just going to the main site instead of going through the learning page. 

The lesson plans are what make Learn With Google Arts and Culture worth bookmarking. There are two dozen detailed lesson plans available through Learn With Google Arts and Culture. The lesson plans are very detailed and include links for students and teachers to follow. Much of each lesson plan that I reviewed could be completed by students working independently. 

In this new video I provide an overview of Learn With Google Arts and Culture. The overview includes:

• How to access the lesson plans. 
• How to share specific portions of Google Arts and Culture in your Google Classroom. 
• How to create collections of artifacts from Google Arts and Culture to share with your students.