Chrome Extensions
Becky Rahm
Luverne Public School Math teacher (8th & 12th grade)
MCTM Region 2 Director
My school became a GAFE school a few years ago and it has been great with all students having a google account. But I began to question how google could help me as a teacher. I heard a lot about apps, add-ons, and extensions but I didn’t really know the difference between them and which ones I should use. So I started investigating and found some great ones that I have fallen in love with. This article will look at what is the difference.
Let’s start with the question “What are they and where do I find them”. Well, to put it simply, Google Chrome is a web browser that has a library of special tools that you can access to make your life, in your classroom and at home, easier. Those tools are in the form of apps, extensions, and add ons and can be found in the Chrome webstore at chrome.google.com/webstore. One of my favorite things about Google Chrome is that no matter what device I login to with my Google account, my apps and extensions are always there.
Now let’s move to the question “what’s the difference between a Chrome app, extension and add-on”. Chrome apps are like software programs that you used to download onto your desktop and use, but now they run in the Chrome browser and are available no matter which device you login to. It’s almost like it’s a shortcut to a website or app within the browser. Examples of a Chrome app is Google Maps or the Desmos app. Sure I could just type in the web address, but I have found that using the Chrome app launcher on a Chromebook is very convenient. A tip I’ve heard to remember apps is “apps are like maps” because they are stand-alone links to webpages.
A Chrome extension is a little bit different from apps in that they aren’t stand-alone, they are actually installed in your browser toolbar and act to enhance the functionality of the website currently being viewed in Chrome. The tip is to remember that extensions “extend” the function of the Chrome browser. Some examples of Chrome extensions are the Pinterest save or Awesome Screenshot.
Here is a picture of my Chrome browser with the extensions I currently have. The ones greyed out are not available for use on the current website I am on.
Add-ons are actually features in Google Drive and help increase the functionality of docs, sheets, etc. These are not found in the Chrome store but are actually housed in the app itself in the Add-ons option in the toolbar. Some examples are Flubaroo in Sheets or g(Math) in docs and forms.
If you are still a little confused or you are more of an auditory learner, here is a video that I found that I believe does a good job of explaining the difference. So hopefully by understanding the difference among all of these things it will help you feel less intimidated than what I felt when I first was introduced. Which, in turn, will allow you to maybe find some of your favorites that can save you time in your classroom or at home. Next time I will look at what some of my favorite are that I have fallen in love with. Stay tuned.