When it comes to thinking about how technology can support teaching and learning, browser extensions might not be the first tools that spring to mind.

But there is a host of additions you can make to your internet browser that can make a positive impact on teaching and learning, saving you time and helping you to get the most out of your students.

Here’s a list of apps and Google Chrome extensions that I now couldn’t teach without.

1. Grammarly

In the midst of a busy schedule, it’s all too easy to overlook minor spelling and grammatical errors when creating teaching materials or responding to emails.

Thankfully, a free extension called Grammarly can do most of the work for you. It is a writing assistant that provides feedback on spelling, grammar, punctuation, tone and writing style. Just be careful to set it up for the relevant language - otherwise you could end up replacing all of your “s”s with “z”s!

2. DeepL Translate

The number of bilingual and multilingual students in UK schools has increased significantly in recent decades. As a result, “translanguaging” - a practice that allows and encourages English as an additional language learners to use their full linguistic repertoire in school - has become more common.

However, given the number of languages spoken across some cohorts, it’s unrealistic for teachers to always be able to support students with the translated resources they need.

That’s where the free extension DeepL Translate comes in. It allows you to instantly translate as you’re reading or writing in Chrome. I’ve found it to be one of the best free translation tools out there.

3. Screencastify

Living through the Covid-19 pandemic taught us many things about teaching - one being the power of video learning resources.

Having experimented with various tools to create learning videos for students, Screencastify has become my favourite. This free extension allows you or your students to easily record what you are doing on your desktop, in a browser tab and/or through a webcam. It also allows you to edit videos in your browser and share them in multiple ways.

4. Mote

Imagine never having to take a pile of books home to write feedback on them again. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Well, that’s exactly what the Mote extension allows you to do.

Ask your class to complete work through Google Apps and you can then use Mote to record verbal feedback that students can listen back to. You can give feedback on documents, emails and forms - and my students report that they really enjoy receiving personalised feedback in this way.

Although Mote is available free, you will likely have to upgrade to one of the paid packages if you want to record enough feedback messages for an entire class at once.

5. Helperbird

When supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities to use technology, it can sometimes be tricky to remember which accessibility tools different devices have.

The free Helperbird extension allows students to access a range of accessibility features in one place. From voice typing to an immersive reader, Helperbird provides support for reading and writing tasks, and makes learning more accessible for everyone.

6. TLDR This

As a history teacher, it’s always frustrating when I find the perfect webpage about a topic, only to realise that the text is pitched at too high a level for the age or English skills of my students.

So, when I found TLDR This, I was over the moon. At the click of a button, this free extension summarises a webpage into clear, succinct bullet points, allowing you to access the key information.

This is useful not only when you need to reduce the level of a text but also when you simply don’t have time to read a huge amount from start to finish. For that reason, it can be really useful for speeding up planning.

I have encouraged my students to use TLDR This themselves and it has instantly widened the range of web pages they are able to access.

7. BeeLine Reader

For students who find reading challenging, BeeLine Reader may be helpful. This tool claims to allow people to read more quickly and efficiently by using a colour gradient to guide the eyes from the end of one line to the beginning of the next.

There is some evidence that the tool needs to be used cautiously - as it may be more beneficial for students of certain ages than others - but BeeLine Reader has a lot of support, having won social impact awards from the United Nations and Stanford University.

My experience of using this extension is that it has not only helped me when reading lengthy articles but has also helped many of my students.

8. Copyleaks

While there are huge benefits to the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) writing programmes, such as ChatGPT, one of the downsides is that students can come to rely too much on them. And while some may be honest with you about getting a helping hand, for others, the use of AI can be harder to detect.

That’s why Copyleaks is a useful extension to have. The Copyleaks AI Content Detector allows you to quickly and accurately determine what was written by a human and what was created by an AI bot, including GPT-4 and Bard - even if the AI text was paraphrased or interspersed with human-written content.

9. Merlin

AI can of course be useful for teachers, too, and the Merlin extension can help you to use it more efficiently. Merlin gives you access to an all-in-one AI tool without having to navigate to separate sites or log in to them. You simply have to hit Ctrl+M to bring up the extension.

Help with responding to emails, summarising articles and coming up with ideas for lesson activities are just a few of the things I have found this extension useful for since installing it at the start of the year.

Amy French is an international learning support and humanities teacher at The Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur

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