Tech Tips from the Classroom: Manage Your Schedule
One of the great benefits of working with students and teachers is that I am constantly learning new and better ways to utilize technology. Rarely a day goes by when I don’t pick up at least one nugget of wisdom, and these practical tips/techniques really deserved to be shared with a wider audience. That said, I’m beginning what will hopefully become a regular (i.e. weekly) series of short posts that highlight one or two of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from my students and colleagues. To start things off, I’m going to feature a simple yet clever way of managing our six day rotating schedule courtesy of science teacher Rachel Tourais and few 7th grade boys I met during Orientation.
Move Your Background Out of the Background
For many, the desktop background is a place to show off favorite pictures of friends, family, and entertainment idols. However, it can also be the perfect location for displaying one’s class schedule. Using a simple Excel template (kudos to Rachel) and the Snipping Tool (or other screen capture application), creating a custom background takes less than 10 minutes…and can save hours of time as we constantly try to figure out when and where we’re teaching.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- To begin, download Rachel’s Excel Template and fill in your teaching schedule.
- Save your schedule and then open the Tablet’s Snipping Tool from the Microsoft Experience Pack for Tablet PC.
- Capture and save your schedule as an image (.jpg) file.
- On the desktop, right-click and select Properties.
- Choose the Desktop tab, then Browse for the image file of your schedule that you just created.
- Once your schedule is selected, under the Position drop-down menu choose Centered.
- After you click OK, your schedule should now appear on the center of your desktop.
If you’ve never worked with Excel, the Snipping Tool, or changed your desktop background before don’t worry; just let me know if you need a hand. Even better, see if one of your students can show you. After all, they were the ones who came up with this handy little tip!
August 26th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Okay techno wizards, here’s another challenge. I love, and need a 6 Day cycle schedule at the ready. What I’d love even more (reward offered) is a planner/calendar and 6 Day Schedule combined. Thus, if I wanted to know that October 6th was a Day 3, I’d also know what me schedule was that day, and even whether it was an Assembly Late Start, or regular schedule with the times of periods embeeded. I’d also like to be able to add onto this template my own little “to-dos” like morning hal;l coverage, 8th grade support meetings etc. I imagine on the desk top the week we’re in, but some way of popping up any other week in the school year at the flip of a click or two. I can’t imagine a better gift to new faculty than such a flexibl;e template. Again, reward offered. Tom
February 11th, 2009 at 7:08 am
Wow! Really awesome post!
… Question: What version of excel did you use?
February 11th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Matthew–
Thanks! We use Office 2007, but I think any version of Excel would work for this.
Good luck!
August 8th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Did anyone ever post a solution to the 6-day planner/calendar schedule issues posed by Tom Wehling? Many of us in schools adopting the 6 Day Schedule have the same needs and it would be great if there was a solution.
Thanks.