Since Zoom University started, I have been looking for easier ways to accomplish all my tasks so that I can focus in bursts and get everything done ASAP. For me, having a million tabs or apps open and switching back and forth can get a bit overwhelming after a while. My solution: finding Google Chrome extensions that helped speed up and organize my workflow. Here are some of the ones I’ve been using lately!
- Video Speed
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This one is a huge lifesaver when it comes to recorded lecture videos being posted with different programs that don’t have a speed button. This extension will allow you to easily click the icon at the top of your search bar and change the speed of any video to 1.25x, 1.5x, 1.75x. 2x or “back to 1x” too. Even speeding up a slow lecture to 1.25x can help me focus better and get more done in less time.
- Weava Highlighter
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This is another great tool to help adapt to virtual learning. Weava Highlighter allows you to highlight text on websites and online articles in different neon colors. My favorite part about it is that it will save your highlight so that when you click into your Weava extension, it shows all the individual texts you’ve highlighted and links to what websites they were on so you never lose them.
- Language Learning with Netflix
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I am trying to strengthen my Spanish right now and wanted more fun ways to learn conversational aspects which led me to this extension. It blew my mind when I first discovered it off Tiktok. Basically, it connects to your browser and Netflix and makes it so that your show (in a different language) will have subtitles in that original language with subtitles of the English translation underneath! And it allows you to click on any word in the show’s original subtitles to learn its definition in English.
- Zotero
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If you are doing or planning to do research papers, this app and its extension are perfect for you. Zotero is an organizational app where you can input your sources into and arrange them in folders and subfolders per each paper or project (which is super helpful if you are planning for different ones all at once). It also extracts all the important information from the sources you input (title, author, summary, etc.) so you can see all the metadata quickly and easily. This also makes it so Zotero will automatically format citations and bibliographies for you! With the Google Chrome extension, all you have to do is find a source you want online and click the Zotero extension icon and it will save your source (all its information and PDFs if possible) into the app for you.
- Momentum
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Momentum has been a popular extension for a while seeing as it changes your Google home screen to a more minimalist, calming theme. With it installed, each tab will open to a beautiful photograph, a motivational quote, and a place for you to put your most important intention of the day. As I personalized it more for my needs in the settings, I realized it has more useful features as well. You can have a to-do list at the bottom right of the screen so your tasks are always at the front of your mind with each new tab and you can also save links in the top left corner. I use the “Links” section to save all of my Zoom links for classes, office hours, and clubs, which saves me a lot of time from scrambling to look for them five minutes before I have to be in them!
These are just a few of the most useful Google Chrome extensions out there, but there are plenty more to look through in the chrome web store. Some other honorable mentions for me are Google Keep, GoFullPage, Angry Study Helper, and being able to group taps in the browser in general. Try these out for yourself and keep pushing through online school!