Chrome Extensions

Here are the Chrome extensions I have published either personally or for my school district. They are available for installing from the Chrome Web Store at the link provided.

Hide Classroom Announcement Editor – 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. Chrome Web Store Link

Hide Trending Search Suggestions – 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. Chrome Web Store Link

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

Hide Search Games – Hides these games on Google Search – Snake, Tic-Tac-Toe, Pac-Man, Solitaire, Minesweeper, US Open Tennis, & expansion bar under Animal Sounds search results widget. 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. Chrome Web Store Link

The image shows a screenshot of a Google Search result for the game "Snake," with a large red "X" over the game display. On the left side, text reads, "Google Search games (like Snake) can be fun but also distracting to students." Below the image, explanatory text states, "All this extension does is hide the CSS classes (on Google search) that hold: Snake, Tic-Tac-Toe, Pac-Man, Solitaire, & Minesweeper." It also advises, "Make sure students can’t use the INSPECT tool or they can make the classes visible." This suggests a tool or extension designed to hide distracting games from student view in educational settings.

Hide YT Renderer – Hides the YT Renderer element to keep students focused when using YT. 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. Chrome Web Store Link

The image shows a YouTube homepage with various sections like "Recommended movies," "COVID-19 news," and "Free to watch." These sections are displayed but appear devoid of video thumbnails, likely to emphasize that these elements can be hidden. On the left side, red text explains, "YouTube is great but domains that need to limit student access have trouble with all the recommended videos causing distractions for students." Below, it states, "All this does is hide that page element," suggesting a tool or extension that removes distracting content sections from YouTube to help maintain student focus in educational settings.

Hide Video Carousel – By hiding the Video Carousel on the Google Search results page, students can stay focused on their search results and not be drawn into YouTube. This should help students stay more focused on their learning. 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. Chrome Web Store Link

The image shows a Google Search result for "Minecraft," displaying a video carousel featuring trailers related to Minecraft. A large red "X" covers the carousel, indicating it is meant to be hidden or blocked. Below the image, red text reads, "Google Search is incredible but when domains need to limit student access to YouTube, the Video carousel on the search results page is very distracting to students." It further explains, "All this extension does is hide that element on this page," and advises, "Make sure students can’t use the INSPECT tool or they could make it visible." This suggests a tool or extension designed to block the video carousel on Google Search to reduce distractions for students.

Hide YT Smart Chip Preview – Hides the YouTube Smart Chip preview container in Google Docs and Google Sheets. That container holds the image thumbnail or the video preview depending upon the location of the cursor. For schools filtering YouTube access, this will prevent seeing those thumbnails inside a Doc or Sheet. 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. Chrome Web Store Link

The image explains how an extension can modify YouTube Smart Chip previews in Google Docs or Sheets. On the left, red text reads, "Smart Chips are great but for domains filtering YouTube access for students, YouTube Smart Chip previews can cause issues." It further clarifies, "All this extension does is block the image or image preview thumbnail." The right side displays two "before and after" examples. The "before" images show a Smart Chip with a thumbnail image and video preview on hover, labeled "Go from this..." The "after" example, labeled "... to this," shows a simplified Smart Chip without the image preview, displaying only the title, URL, and description of the video. This modification helps reduce distractions and potential access issues for students in educational environments where YouTube is restricted.

Hide Wikipedia Audio Player – Hides the embedded audio player on Wikipedia. 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. Chrome Web Store Link

The image explains how an extension can hide Wikipedia's embedded audio files, which may not be blocked by school filtering systems. On the left, it reads, "All this extension does is hide the CSS class for the Wikipedia audio player. Put the control back to your school’s filtering solution." It also suggests to "Force install for students and block the INSPECT tool." On the right, red text states, "Embedded audio files on Wikipedia may not be blocked by school filtering systems. This allows inappropriate materials to get to students." Below are examples of Wikipedia audio elements, each crossed out with a red "X." These include an "Audio sample" player, a "Thumbnail," and a player at the bottom with labels like "File," "File history," "File usage," and "Metadata." This extension aims to block audio content on Wikipedia to prevent access to unfiltered material in educational settings.

Hide Khan Academy Comments – Hides the section of Khan Academy courses that contains the sections: Question, Tips & Thanks. This conversation area can be treated as an unmoderated chat space for students. When those students are in a walled-garden at school and the school/district cannot manage Khan Academy, this extension will help maintain student privacy and prevent unmoderated chatting. 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. Chrome Web Store Link

The image shows a screenshot of a discussion area on Khan Academy, where users are encouraged to write a summary of what they learned and interact with other learners. The "Questions" and "Tips & Thanks" tabs are visible. Under the message "Want to join the conversation?" requirements for participation are listed, such as having a verified email and a minimum amount of "energy points." On the right, text reads, "Keep the conversation in your school’s moderated space & protect student privacy. Hide the Questions area on Khan Academy." The word "Before" is at the bottom, indicating that this extension or modification is designed to hide the "Questions" area on Khan Academy to maintain student privacy and limit discussions to a school's moderated environment.
The image shows an updated "After" view of the Khan Academy discussion area, where the interactive "Questions" section has been removed. The instructions at the top remain, asking users to write a summary of what they learned and to respond to other learners’ summaries, but the comment and discussion interface is absent, leaving only a blank area. On the right, text reads, "Keep the conversation in your school’s moderated space & protect student privacy. Hide the Questions area on Khan Academy." The word "After" is displayed at the bottom, indicating that this modification helps maintain a focus on privacy and moderation by disabling student comments on the Khan Academy platform.

Wider Reports – When visiting the Google Admin Console’s Security Center Dashboard and clicking on a link to “View Report,” the resulting page content normally displays with a max-width of 1024 pixels. Installing this extension removes the max-width style setting for that div. Chrome Web Store Link

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.

Quick Create Plus – Create new files for Google Drive from your browser bar. Links include Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Scripts. Chrome Web Store Link – over 60,000 users with a 4.7 rating!

The image displays a Google Chrome browser window open to the Google homepage (https://www.google.com). In the top-right corner, a browser extension menu is visible, showing options for creating new Google Workspace files. The menu includes the following options with corresponding icons: New Document (Google Docs) New Sheet (Google Sheets) New Slide (Google Slides) New Drawing (Google Drawings) New Form (Google Forms) New Script (Google Apps Script) Below these options, there are links to "Templates Galleries" for Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms. The interface provides quick shortcuts to create various Google Workspace files directly from the browser.

The Color Palette – This extension simply displays the hex, RGB, and CYMK color palette details for the Google logo and the Purple used in Google Forms. This can be handy for designers of any level of expertise. Chrome Web Store Link

The image showcases "The Colors of Google" with five horizontal color bars, each labeled with its name, hex code, RGB, and CMYK values. The first bar represents blue, displayed with the hex code #4285f4, an RGB value of (66,133,244), and CMYK values of (71,47,0,0). Below it, the red bar is identified by the hex code #ea4335, RGB values of (234,67,53), and CMYK values of (2,89,87,0). The yellow bar follows, featuring the hex code #fbbc05, RGB values of (251,188,5), and CMYK values of (2,28,100,0). The green bar is shown next with a hex code of #34a853, RGB values of (52,168,83), and CMYK values of (78,7,93,1). Finally, the purple bar is displayed with the hex code #673ab7, RGB values of (103,58,183), and CMYK values of (31,49,0,28). The colors are arranged in bold, horizontal sections with their information clearly labeled, highlighting the Google brand palette.

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