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New Extension: Hide Classroom Announcement Editor

I have created a number of Chrome extensions to meet specific needs of my district. This extension hides textbox editor for posting Google Classroom announcements.

By default, when a new Google Classroom is created, the Stream is set to ‘Students can post and comment’ but that can lead to issues if the Classroom is not monitored by the teacher. In our district we prefer to have the Stream set to ‘Students can only comment’ but there is no way for a Google Admin to change that default. To prevent teachers from needing to go into every Google Classroom that is auto-generated by the Google Admin to change the setting, installing this extension will prevent students from posting announcements to the Stream even if the setting has not been changed by the teacher. This does NOT prevent them from commenting on posts made by the teacher.

Google admins wanting to use this in their domains should force install this extension on student Google accounts with Developer Tools disabled otherwise they could use the Inspect Tool.

Before and after view of the extension. Before, the textbox is visible. After, it is hidden.

New Extension: Hide Trending Search Suggestions

I have created a number of Chrome extensions to meet specific needs of my district. This one just published came from a question on the CDW Education Collaborative (paid membership required for the collab).

This extension hides the trending searches suggestions on the search box on google.com. Sometimes the “Trending searches” suggestions on Google Search are not necessarily school-appropriate. Google admins don’t have the capability to disable those from being displayed. This extension will hide those Google Search suggestions that are shown under “Trending searches” without hiding the other search suggestion subtypes. Google admins wanting to use this in their domains should force install this extension on student Google accounts with Developer Tools disabled otherwise they could use the Inspect Tool.

Hopefully this will be helpful for other Google Admins. Get the Hide Trending Search Suggestions extension on the Chrome Web Store.

A screenshot showing 'Trending Searches' before installing the extension and after. Uses the Google homepage.
A screenshot showing 'Trending Searches' before installing the extension and after. Uses a Google Search Results page.

New Extension for Google Admins: Wider Reports

I have created a number of Chrome extensions to meet specific needs of my district. This one just published is for me and my fellow Google admins and fixes one of my pet peeves of the Security Center Dashboard. When you click a VIEW REPORT link, the report is shown but in a very narrow table. All kinds of wasted space left and right when a wider table would be so much more user-friendly. Dug in and found a way to adjust the style sheet to give me wider reports. Sharing the goodness here.

This extension ONLY runs with URLs beginning with https://admin.google.com/ac/sc/dashboard and the only thing it does is change the DIV class of .gCXDaf to have no max-width.

Hopefully this will be helpful for other Google Admins. Get the Wider Reports Chrome extension on the Chrome Web Store.

The image shows a screenshot of an "Admin" dashboard with a "File exposure" section. It includes a "Sharing events" graph displaying sharing events over time, though the graph area is blurred or blank. Below the graph, there is a "Top viewed files" table with columns for "Document ID," "Title," "Views," "Visibility," and "Owner." Various data points in the table are blurred for privacy. At the bottom of the image, there is text that reads, "Before 'Wider Reports'" in large, blue font.
The image shows an "Admin" dashboard with a "File exposure" section, similar to the previous image. It includes a "Sharing events" graph displaying sharing events over time, though the graph area remains blurred or blank. Below, a "Top viewed files" table is visible with columns labeled "Document ID," "Title," "Views," "Visibility," and "Owner." Some data in the table is blurred for privacy. At the bottom, there is text in large, blue font that reads, "After 'Wider Reports,'" indicating an updated or expanded version of the report compared to the previous image.
Screenshot Of A Presentation Slide Titled

Google for EDU Product Training Series

I was honored to be invited to help present during two of the H2 2024 Product Training Series webinars offered by Google for Education. Check them out at the links below:

Unlock your Google Classroom: Interactivity and Differentiation with Classroom Updates – Link to event page – Recorded October 15, 2024. “Discover how the latest Google Classroom updates can transform your teaching with enhanced interactivity and tailored learning experiences. In this session, we’ll explore powerful new features designed to elevate student engagement and assist educators in differentiating their instruction to meet their students where they are. Join us for your key to unlocking the full potential of Google Classroom!”

Maximize Access for All: Google’s Essential Accessibility & Productivity Tools – Link to event page – Recorded October 29, 2024. “Leverage the capabilities of Google Workspace for EDU with essential accessibility and productivity tools that ensure every student can excel. In this session, you’ll learn how to enhance access and boost efficiency in your classroom, empowering all learners to succeed.”

Google Doc Demo Mode

Google Tip: When you want to share a PREVIEW or VIEW version of a Google Doc URL AND you also want to have your document outline visible, change the URL by adding ?rm=demo to the end.

Informational graphic about Google Doc Demo Mode. The graphic includes a logo with 'Wanda Approved' and text saying 'Google Tip.' It explains how to use demo mode by modifying the URL with examples. The graphic shows before and after URLs for preview and view modes, each with a QR code linking to Google resources. The overall layout includes green borders and a cartoon character logo in the upper left corner.

Google Workspace for EDU Video

My school district was honored to have been featured in this video about Google Workspace for Education Plus for their partner CDW Amplified for Education (formerly Amplified IT).

UPDATE November, 2023: Unfortunately, the video was removed so I removed the embedded video. It was a really neat experience though.

About Wanda

Twenty-­nine year educator Dr. Wanda Terral is the Director of Technology for the Lakeland School System (TN). A former band director, Wanda is constantly seeking information relating to techniques & practices related to the use of tech to empower students and educators. A Google Certified Innovator & Trainer, she is known for widely sharing useful resources and lesson ideas on Twitter and Facebook. She earned her Doctor of Education from the University of Memphis, focusing her research on the topic of self-directed professional learning of educators. Wanda is a member of ISTE, TETA, CUE, and TCEA as well being an organizer of EdCamp Memphis. In 2016 was named the Lead PBS Learning Media Digital Innovator for the state of Tennessee and in 2019, she was named Outstanding TN CTO by the Tennessee Educational Technology Association. When not spending time with her cats, she is coding, listening to audiobooks, or sketchnoting.

Find Wanda online:

Wanda’s Furry Babies

Miscellaneous Photos

gie-summit

at-gta

glass-pres

at-google

glass

outside-of-google
KernCUE 2020

ISTE Google Playground 2019

ISTE Google Playground 2019

Edit Auto-Generated Subtitles on YouTube

Sometimes the auto-generated YouTube subtitles / captions need a bit of tweaking. Here is how to do that:

  1. Sign in to your account at https://studio.youtube.com
  2. Choose Content from the left sidebar.
  3. Hover over the video for which you wish to edit the subtitles. Click on the pencil icon to go to edit the video’s details.
edit the details for a video

4. In the right sidebar, click the pencil icon on the Subtitles button.

click the pencil icon on the subtitles button

5. Edit the subtitle text and/or adjust the timings. Save your draft frequently or you could lose your work. When everything is as you wish it to be, click DONE.

subtitle editor
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