Insert Learning: Transforming Website Interactions

The technology trend I chose for this assignment is a Google Chrome extension called Insert Learning. While researching this tool, I discovered that it was first released on the Chrome Web Store in 2020, though I hadn’t heard of it prior to this assignment. Once I began exploring its features, I was immediately inspired by the many ways I could incorporate this extension into my classroom. It also prompted me to reflect on past lessons and realize how this tool could have made certain projects more successful and interactive for my students.

What is Insert Learning?
Insert Learning is a free Google Chrome extension designed for use with Google Suite. It allows teachers to transform any webpage into an interactive learning experience. Once installed, teachers can highlight text, embed questions, add videos, insert sticky notes, and include discussion prompts directly within a website that students may be using for reading, research, or gathering information. After creating an interactive lesson, teachers can easily assign the customized website to their class.

When students open the assigned lesson, they can view their teacher’s notes, respond to embedded questions, and add their own highlights or sticky notes to support comprehension and research. I love that Insert Learning turns any webpage into an interactive space where both teachers and students engage more deeply with online content.

Classroom Connections
There are countless ways Insert Learning can enhance teaching and learning across grade levels. Exploring this tool helped me reflect on my former 2nd graders’ animal research project, in which students selected an animal of their choice and wrote an informational report. This project often proved challenging for young learners, as finding websites with accurate but age-appropriate information was difficult. I spent hours printing articles, highlighting key details, and guiding students step by step through the writing process.

If I had known about Insert Learning at that time, I would have used it to make students more independent in their research. With this tool, I could have pre-selected websites, added guiding questions, pointed out specific vocabulary, and highlighted essential information—all within the students’ digital workspace. The screenshots below show an example lesson I created using Insert Learning and highlight some of its key features.

A few specific lesson ideas that incorporate Insert Learning include:

Digital Citizenship Lesson – The teacher can select an article or website about online safety and use Insert Learning to:

• Embed multiple-choice questions.

• Add a sticky note discussion prompt: “What would you do if you ended up on an unsafe website?”

• Include a reflection prompt at the end for students to share one safety tip they learned.

Character Traits Lesson – The teacher can choose a short story or article about a famous person and use Insert Learning to:

• Highlight descriptive sentences that show character traits.

• Add a multiple-choice question: “Which word best describes this character?”

• Insert a reflection question: “How would you show the character trait of bravery in your own life?”

Recycling Lesson – The teacher can find an article about the importance of recycling and use Insert Learning to:

• Add a short-answer question: “What are two ways you can help the planet?”

• Embed a short video about recycling.

• Add a poll: “What is one action you will try this week to help the planet?”

Implications

Initially, I didn’t notice an option to add a video or voice recording of myself, but after creating my own lesson, I discovered that those features were available. That was the only potential drawback I encountered. Overall, I found Insert Learning to be an incredibly well-designed, useful, and engaging tool that enhances comprehension and engagement with digital text.

Some possible future update suggestions include:

• Automatic generation of comprehension or discussion questions based on the webpage content and grade level

• Built-in translation features to support multilingual learners

These additions could make Insert Learning even more powerful and inclusive, helping teachers save time while making content accessible to all their students.

References

Reference 1: Prezi Instructional Presentation on Insert Learning 

Reference 2: Insert Learning YouTube Tutorial 

Reference 3: Shake Up Learning Article on Insert Learning 

What’s one way you would utilize Insert Learning in your classroom to enhance your students’ interactions with digital text?