MMGS: PowerTools

Enhance what you can do with Google with Add-Ons to Sheets. There are many incredible add-ons that can do almost anything you need to do. You simply need to know what it is you want to accomplish, then see if there is an add-on available for that.

Here are a few of my favorites

Amazing Add-Ons

Wish you could do more with GoogleForms and GoogleSheets? Then check out these "You can't live without 'em!" add-ons to our favorite Google tools!

  1. AutoCrat

  2. Forms to Docs or Certificates

  3. Make Your Own App with Glide and Sheets

  4. Google Data Studio

  5. Mail Merge for Email

  6. FormMule

  7. Yet Another Mail Merge (YAMM)

1-Google Forms and AutoCrat

AutoCrat makes it easy to automate merging of data from a Google Form into a Google Doc or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). This is pretty easy, but it requires you to be aware of several components.

2-Forms to Docs or Certificates

The creator of Form Mule has several other must-have tools you need to check out. Those include:

  • Form Ranger: Automatically populate your form question choices from spreadsheet data.

  • Doc Appender: Create a running log of Google form responses in one or more Google docs.

  • Form Limiter: Automatically sets Google Forms to stop accepting responses after a maximum number of responses, at a specific date and time, or when a spreadsheet cell contains a specified value.

Form Publisher: This app lets you use Google Form responses to create documents that can be shared and signed in just a few clicks!

Need certificates? Although Autocrat works great, you can also use the following Google Workspace Marketplace add-on for Forms:

  • Certify 'em: Use this add-on to create online certifications and email custom certificates. Certify'em comes with several professionally designed certificate templates, and allows you to specify your own as well (created in Google Slides).

3-Make Your Own App with Google Sheets

Glide is a service that lets you add information to a Google sheet, then quickly create an app from its contents, all without coding. Just pick one of your sheets and Glide assembles it into a polished app that you can customize, share with a link, and even publish to the app store.

Ready to Give it a Try? Explore More

4-Google Data Studio and Similar Tools

5-Mail Merge Tools for Email

Wish you had a way to send emails like you print labels? Then email merge is your tool of choice. Tools like Yet Another Mail Merge and FormMule make sending out bulk emails to your students, colleagues, friends, and family easy as compiling a list in Google Sheets.

Important Info To Keep in Mind

Free Gmail account: If you use a free Gmail account, you are limited to sending a maximum of 500 emails in a 24-hour period, and a maximum of 100 addresses per email.

Paid Google Workspace account: If you use a paid Google Workspace account, you are limited to sending a maximum of 2,000 emails in a 24-hour period.

6 - FormMule

Tip #1 - Send out custom directions or information. Need to send out Home Learning Codes for Seesaw? Seesaw provides you with a comma-delimited file that you can use. Use bulk email for that.

Tip #2 - Create custom comments in English or Spanish. Put comments can be placed in different columns, then include them in the text/body of your email. Some examples of English comments can be seen in this blog from Scholastic and Spanish ones are available here.

Get Stuff You Need First

Prepare Your Mail Merge Data

  • In Sheets, create your Sheets with Name and Email columns of data, at minimum

  • In Sheets, work through FormMule wizard. You may want to compose your HTML email in a text editor to get it to look the way you want

Sending Bulk Email

  • Send total emails your Gmail account supports (500 or 2000) with FormMule

  • Copies of sent emails are saved in your Gmail Sent folder

  • Track job completion with your emailed message in Sheets

7 - Yet Another Mail Merge (YAMM)

Yet Another Mail Merge (YAMM): Get It

Get Stuff You Need First

  • In Google Sheets, get the YAMM add-on

Prepare Your Mail Merge Data

  • In Gmail, create a draft copy of your email and leave it in your Draft folder, unsent. Put {{ }} around merge tags, such as: {{FirstName}}

  • In Sheets, create your Sheets with Name and Email columns of data, at minimum

Sending Bulk Email

  • Send 50 to 100 emails using YAMM Add-On (see pricing for more)

  • Copies of sent emails are saved in your Gmail Sent folder

  • Track interaction with your emailed message in Sheets

Reflection Invitation

Allow me to invite you to reflect on what you are learning today. You can use this Jamboard to take notes on three areas:

  • What you've seen today

  • What it means for teaching and learning or your work

  • And what next steps or changes can you make to your work based on those

You can also get a copy of the Google Slides that serves as the template for the Jamboard here.