#BESTMORNINGEVER: Three Google Add-ons to Revolutionize Your Flipped Classroom

Ever feel like you're having the worst morning ever?

Do you ever wake up and say to yourself, 

"Self, there's just got to be a better way!"

Well, friend, you're in luck cause NOW THERE IS! BOOM! THAT JUST HAPPENED!

Here's three Google Apps Add-on's that will absolutely, positively, incredibly revolutionize your flipped classroom. You'll be so impressed with your own efficiency and productivity, that you may have time to go to the bank AND the post office after work! 

What's a Google Apps Add-on? 

Google has many things that can kick your Google Apps for Education Flux Capacitor above 88mph and into hyperdrive. 

The Google Chrome Web Store is a great place to check out free apps for Chrome. Google Chrome Web Store

But here, we're talking about Google Add-Ons. These are almost like mini-apps that work specifically with a Google App to give it some additional functionality. Here's how you access them. 

1. Open up the Google App that you want to use. In this example, I used a blank Google Doc. 

2. Click the button on the tool bar that says "Add-ons"

Here you'll see a list of your current add-ons. 

3. Click the button that says "Get add-ons..." and the screen below will appear. It looks very similar to the Google Apps store.

Click on an add-on to read about what it does for your Google Drive. Each Google App includes its own add-ons. There's an add-on for just about everything you can think of. Here's three that will make your head spin and make you dance in joy.

1. Read&Write for Google Apps

This app allows kids to highlight, write on, and have read-aloud to them any document they can pull up on the internet. No set up from the teacher required. You can have kids read books and articles via Google Docs and the computer will read-aloud for kids who need that support. BEST PART - they'll give you full access for free if you have a Google Apps for Education account. 

2. Form Publisher for Google Forms

This little guy packs a powerful punch. Form Publisher will let you generate Google Docs from one Google Form. That means, if you need to make a document for each student in your class, instead of copying and pasting and editing old documents, you type the info into a form, and it populates a document for you. THINK ABOUT IT! Lesson plans? Finished. Notes home for 30 kids? Done in half the time. It's hard to use, but don't worry, I'll feed you baby birds. 

You can make a lesson plan generator, notes home generator, an essay generator, AN ANYTHING GENERATOR!

1. Create a document and format it EXACTLY how you want it to look when it's filled in. Every place you want words to be filled in at, go to that spot on your doc and type __##Title##__ . Note, that's a double underscore on both sides. 

2. Where you see "Title" you're going to type the name of the Google Form question that you want to populate that spot. 

Example: 

If I want it to fill in a students name I'd write this on my document.

__##Student Name##__

Your Google Form question must match EXACTLY what your Title is - that's how it knows where to fill in specific info. The add-on tells you if something isn't going to match up. It works for every type of question, AS LONG AS your name of your question, and the name of the __##Link##__ matches exactly. Spaces, capitals, punctuations, everything. Don't use slashes or backslashes, it no likey!

In Form Publisher (which shows up on the sidebar), select your template (the document you want to fill) and the destination (the folder you want the new document to show up in). 

Run the Form Publisher add-on in Google Forms and click the checkbox on the bottom to activate it.

Word to the wise: it sometimes doesn't like school district GAFE accounts with funky network settings and privileges. But on a typical Google Apps account, it works just fine. 

3. Flubaroo for Google Sheets

Truly a limit to Google Forms is that you have to go through and do some manual grading. I do that and ask "WHAT IS THIS, THE STONE AGE?!" That is NOT the way of the lazy teacher! Enter: Flubaroo.

Flubaroo will collect results from Google Forms (via the sheet that they are put into by Google) and can automatically grade and analyze quizzes and tests for you. They'll also automatically email your students the results! Flubaroo, you're being modest. 

Tinker around with some add-ons and see what works wonders for your classroom! Enter your favorites in the comment boxes below! 

Worst morning ever? #BESTMORNINGEVER!