G Suite Add-Ons: Word Cloud Generator

Add-ons can create the 'fun' in functionality in G Suite! Haven't used them yet?  Read on to discover how you can use some of these hidden gems.  If you've every asked the question, 'I wish Google could...,' you might find the answer by exploring add-ons!

What are add-ons?
Add-ons are created by third party developers who work with Google to make their applications accessible within G Suite environment--there are add-ons in Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms,  even Gail.

Where do you find add-ons?  Add-ons are available in the G Suite Market place here:  https://gsuite.google.com/marketplace.  An even simpler way to find them is right from within an application.  Here's where you can explore add-ons in Docs:

So let's dip our toes into the add-on waters and give Word Cloud generator for Docs a try--it's simple to use and appropriate for grades 4 and up.  Here's a short video to get you started. 

Word Cloud Generator can be a huge help for students with vocabulary selection and word overuse in their writing pieces.  It's also a great tool for high school students to use to analyze text or speeches.

Give it a try!
Linda

Google Keep, Who Knew?

I was pleasantly surprised with how popular Google Keep with educators  in Central Vermont graduate course. In addition to the benefits they saw in their own practice, they recognized it's usefulness for upper elementary students using Chrome Books for notetaking.

I love this simple but effective notetaking tool and it's user friendly post-it note style makes it a snap to use--even for elementary students.  Color coding and labels were a big hit. But teachers quickly discovered that the power of Keep is how it works seamlessly with other G Suite applications.

We downloaded the Chrome Extension for Keep in the Chrome Web Store here.  The extension makes it super easy to add website content to Keep.  Here's what the icon looks like when you install the extension in Chrome.

There's also a free app for Android or iPhones.  Find a resource to use in class when you're on your mobile device?  No problem  Just add it to Keep when  you're on the go, and look at it later.

Keep's integration with Google Docs makes it a snap to add your notes and resources to a Doc.  Open the Tools menu in your Doc and the 'Notes from Keep' pane opens on the right.  Click and drag your Keep notes into the open Doc and you're good to go.

And Keep also plays nice with Google Slides. So think about teaching students research and notetaking skills using Keep.  They can use color coding and tagging to organize information into categories for a presentation.  When they're ready, they open Google Slides, click on the Tools menu and add Keep notes to their slides--all with just one tab open.  No lost information.

Google Keep is a keeper for your classroom tool kit!

Your Personal G Suite Trainer

My latest favorite Chrome extension is G Suite Training.  It's like having your own personal trainer with G Suite apps exactly when you need it.  It works a little differently than other Chrome extensions--you won't see it next to your omni box where most of your other extensions live.

Instead, it's embedded right in the Google app you are using, as in the example from Drive:

The G Suite Training extension provides interactive training lessons and works in Gmail, Calendar, Sheets, Slides, Drive, and Classroom.  Want to learn how to create Labels in Gmail, or how to use keyboard shortcuts in Drive? Help is just one click away.  Quickly find answers to your how-to questions in G Suite with this handy extension. 

Try it and let me know what you think!