Useful add-ons for Google Docs

Add-ons are interesting tools that can expand the capabilities of Google Docs. They are created by third parties (often teachers!) who wanted Docs to be able to do something specific, and made it happen. Here are just two examples of what Google Docs Add-Ons can do:

Easy Accents
If you are often adding special characters like ö è ç ñ ¿ and other common characters in non-English languages, you have noticed it requires several steps in Google Docs (going to the Insert menu, choosing Special Characters and scrolling through the many options). The Easy Accents add-on allows you to open a sidebar with the special characters of your chosen language already there. Just click and the character is automatically added. 

WordCloud Generator
Word clouds can be a very quick and powerful way of looking at the content of a document, espcially when looking for specific high-impact or overused words. While there are many online options for word clouds, this add-on allows you to immediately view a word cloud of the Google Doc you are viewing. You can automatically or manually eliminate certain words, change the layout and color/style, and either download it or append it directly to the doc.

For all add-ons, start at the Add-Ons menu in your Google Doc. Click "Get add-ons" to search on the many options available or open the add-ons you've already installed.

Check out this short video from Google on Add-Ons and a few of their favorites: