10 of The Best Google Docs Add-ons for Teachers

January 25, 2016

We have curated for you below a collection of some of the most popular Google Docs tools we reviewed last year. Popularity is gauged through your interaction with these add-ons both here (in terms of pageviews) and in our PLNs in social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus. This list is also great for those of you who are new to Google Docs add-ons and are looking for some teacher-tested titles to try out. We invite you to check them out and share with us your feedback. Enjoy

1- Chalkup

Chalkup is a great web tool that allows teachers to create classes and share different study materials on a message board that students can access in real-time. Chalkup lets you post discussion prompts, add comments to discussions, distribute announcements and assignments and view files.

2- EasyBib Bibliography Creator

'EasyBib allows you to easily create a bibliography for your research paper. Automatically cite books, journal articles, and websites just by entering in the titles or URLs. Format citations in MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, and over 7K other styles.'

3- Easy Accent

'This Add-on allows users to easily insert accents for different languages directly from a sidebar in their Google Doc.When you click on an accent it will insert the accent,move the cursor in front, then allow you to continue typing without re-clicking.'

4- MindMeister

'The MindMeister add-on for Google Docs turns any bullet-point list into a mind map, and automatically inserts it into your document. The first point of your list becomes the root topic of the mind map, while the rest of the first-level points are turned into first-level topics. Second-level points are turned into the equivalent second-level topics and so on.'

5- Lucidchart

“Lucidchart is a visual collaboration tool that makes drawing diagrams fast and easy. Work together with an unlimited number of others to create and edit diagrams in real time, with changes merged and synced instantaneously -- great for team collaboration and working with clients. Because it's web-based, Lucidchart is the perfect alternative to Microsoft Visio for Mac, Windows, Linux and more.”

6- HelloSign

'HelloSign makes it easy to sign your Google Doc with a legally binding, business-caliber signature.Need to get your document signed? HelloSign makes requesting a signature from others easy too!'

7- Tag Cloud Generator

'Tag Cloud Generator creates a tag cloud in the side bar from any Google Docs document that contains 50 words or more. Use this add-on to quickly assess what your emerging theme is, how to best categorize your document, or if it is someone's else's document - find out the theme of the document without reading it. '

8- Lucidchart Diagrams

'Lucidchart is an HTML5-based visual collaboration tool that makes drawing diagrams fast and easy. Work together with an unlimited number of others to create and edit diagrams in real time, with changes merged and synced instantaneously -- great for team collaboration and working with clients. '

9- g(Math)

'Create graphs and complex math directly from the sidebar in your Google Doc. You can now use Speech to Math in Chrome to talk directly to g(Math) to create the expressions or use Handwriting recognition for expression entry!'

10- Office Editing for Docs, Sheets and Slides