Happy Retirement, g(Math)! Welcome aboard, #EquatIO!

image from texthelp.com

Yesterday g(Math), a popular add-on to Google apps for inserting math, was officially retired. This means it can no longer be downloaded and added on, and it doesn't appear in my list of add-ons any more. If you loved using g(Math), you will find much of what you used in the Chrome extension EquatIO which was developed from g(Math) by John McGowan with support from TextHelp. If you have never used g(Math), or EquatIO, read on for some details.

Install EquatIO from the Chrome store. If you're a teacher, apply for a free premium account after you install it. You must be signed in to Chrome to use the extension. This is one drawback for teachers who teach in many rooms with shared computers, but I don't think it's a deal breaker. Once you install it, you will find its icon at the top of your browser window, to the right of the address bar.

The premium account of EquatIO, free for teachers (thanks, TextHelp!), will allow you to add math to Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, and Drawings. The free version will only get you integration with Docs. Once inside a Google tool, click the EquatIO icon and a window pops up at the bottom of your screen. 

From that pop-up window, you can type in the math you want, use LaTex to code the math you want, use handwriting recognition to write the math you want, or use speech input to record the math you want. Then click "insert math." It's that easy.

Here is a quick video to show how the handwriting recognition works:

Here is a video to show how the speech input tool works. It's worth noting that EquatIO "listens" carefully to what you say and tries to only turn that math words into insertable math.

EquatIO also has a prediction feature for premium users. In this video I show a few things that are quickly predicted:

EquatIO also has a student response tool that I blogged about here. The retirement of g(Math) is really an evolution from add-on to Chrome extension, full of more possibilities and to be used in more ways.