Chrome extensions

[Sheridan]

How do you handle chrome extensions in your school, do you allow staff to add what they like or whitelist ones that are requested? We currently do the latter and I'm already sick of people finding the 'best thing ever' that need to be installed, when half the time something else already exists to do the the same job. Dualless for example allows you to split the screen, just like Windows already lets you do...

 

The problem is too many extensions can causes issues with Chrome, and they're not supported so we're expected to help with them - and as we all know teachers will literally install everything without even checking, or removing ones they don't use anymore

[ThatBoringBloke]

We only allow approved ones to be installed and push a lot of these out via the admin console. Some don't need to be installed for everyone so we allow them but don't force install them.

[paulkerton]

The thing with Dualless, is that its a very quick way to split the screen, rather than trying to show staff how its possible on different devices (each with their own slightly different behaviour) dualless behaves the same on Windows, Mac and Chrome - so its more useful to just give them that.

 

Make it clear that support for extensions is as-is, and can't be given wider as they are third party tools.

 

Anyway, we have left most of them open but I started just before the pandemic, and it wasn't time to rock the boat on extensions and allowing them or disallowing them. I think we're going to move to a white list when things start to get back to normal, and when there is a sufficient lull to enact it. Possibly over the summer.

[Danp]

Little bit of a free for all here but I inherited that. I've setup new OUs in Google Admin and am slowly moving people over to it. That has about 3 default extensions that install and then a few they can pick if they want. We have an Authenticator extension for 2fa (pointless I know) but if I move a user it resets that so need to do it carefully.

[Sheridan]

That's what I want to avoid, a free for all of extensions and apps. Its the same as iOS apps - in that there are millions of them and everyone picks their favourite (or what another school uses :-) ) and then we're expected to know how to use it or why it doesn't work anymore etc, plus how it affects GDPR and privacy etc

 

Its like the old IE toolbar era - let them install toolbars and they will install all of them!

[Protec]

The extension store is blocked and extensions can't be turned off either.