Herp Derp Chrome Extension for YouTube #chrome #edtech

I fully admit, and my colleagues know, that I am a tool hound. I love finding a great tool, add-on or extension that does something cool, makes my job more efficient or makes life better. In some cases finding a tool that does all three makes my day. Chrome Extensions are some of those tools that I use every day, in some cases they're working in the background and I don't even remember I installed them, like Always Clear Downloads, which clears the Download bar after something has downloaded so I don't have to go and click on that little 'x' in the corner. Brilliant!

The one I'm going to talk about today is called Herp Derp for YouTube. I was presenting at a Google Summit last year about Chrome extensions and I opened up the floor for attendees to share their favorite extensions and this was one of their replies. What Herp Derp for YouTube does is change all of the comments below the videos to the words Herp Derp, which is nice when you have a classroom full of students who are keenly aware that there are often nasty comments or you don't want the comments to be a distraction. This could also be pushed out by a Google Administrator to all students along with Distraction Free YouTube to help hide things that can interfere with student learning.

I also love it as a father because I know if my kids are watching YouTube at home they won't be exposed to comments that are inappropriate. When they ask why it says Herp Derp it opens the door to a great discussion about what is helpful and hurtful when it comes to comments; a digital citizenship moment is born!