Chrome Apps Faculty Will Love

If one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to be more organized, get more work done, and finally finish your research or book, then these Chrome Extensions might be perfect for you and your students.

Distraction-free viewing

Mercury Reader (formerly Readability) allows you to focus more on the task at hand without all of the distractions. Many web pages, even academic ones, are filled with distractions like ads or recommendations. To avoid all of that, download the Mercury Reader extension. Whenever you find yourself on a distracting webpage, click the rocket ship in the toolbar to remove anything that doesn’t belong. This will leave you with the main content including videos, photos, or links in the article just minus the annoying ads.

Built-in break times

Even as an adult, procrastination and distraction is a problem. Pinterest and social media creep into your work time, and before you know it your office hours are over before you’ve even gotten any work done. With Strict Workflow, you can block those distracting websites to force you to stay on task. This chrome extension acts like a temporary parental block on your chrome. The app reminds you to remain patient and stay on task until your break time. Then you can visit your distractions for a little while before going back to work.

Sticky notes galore

Do you always lose your planner? Do you have tons of sticky notes posted all over your desk? You should get Note Board, the electronic alternative to pen and paper to-do lists. With Note Board, you can create different boards and create tons of notes to keep yourself organized. You can even set reminders right in the extension.  You can keep track of your research notes, your To-Do list, and your grocery list all in one place.

As a professor, sometimes the best way to make your life easier is to make your students’ lives easier. Recommend these three apps to your students to help them study more efficiently or to get through that difficult article with ease.

Study and procrastinate at the same time

With Memorize! your students can create questions and answers, like flashcards to appear at preset intervals. Every five to fifteen minutes the extension will ask a random question from a list questions the student creates. If they answer the question right, and they can go back to their browser. Answer wrong, and they will be given a single letter hint. The app makes them keep guessing until they answer it correctly.

Study Smarter

Your students will never be late turning in an assignment again with My Study Life. This Chrome extension allows your students to create and manage their schedule and all of their assignments and tasks. The app will remind them daily about upcoming due dates, classes, exams, and tasks. If you know someone who has trouble keeping track of everything and sticky notes aren’t working, recommend that try this to finally get organized.

Finally, a dictionary

Who hasn’t wished for a dictionary when they were reading a particularly wordy article? With the Google Dictionary extension, your students can click on any word to view a definition, synonym, or translation. This could revolutionize your research experience and help your students work through a lengthy article without all of the trouble.

With these Chrome Extensions, this semester could go a lot smoother for your and your students. Make Chrome your Valentine this year and download one or all of these extensions.

Adapted from Karrar Haider and originally posted on http://www.maketecheasier.com/best-chrome-extensions-for-students/.