Time Management Tools for Students in Google Workspace: Google Calendar (Share with your students)

 

In 17 years as an educator, one of the biggest pain points I have seen teachers deal with is frustration with students not keeping track of assignments, due dates and time management. These are essential skills that successful adults possess. Please share these tips with your students to help them better manage their time.

Schools often provide students with a paper planner. We all know kids don't use this as much as we would like. A habit I try to instill in students is to write due dates and reminders in the planner, and then add them to Google Calendar. The repetition helps them better remember and it shows them the value of paper and digital time management tools.

One of my favorite Google Calendar tips, for adults and students, is to use the Schedule View. This allows you to see your day (and a few days after) at a glance. It makes it easier to focus on the immediate future. Teach you students to change the view to schedule by clicking the Calendar View button just to the right of the "waffle". By default, it is set to Month View. This could be a useful habit in a homeroom or advisory class.

Below is what the Schedule View looks like. It will show you your current day's appointments, tasks, etc. vertically in chronological order.

Last week, I wrote a similar blog post about how students can use Google Tasks to keep track of assignments and better manage time. Google Calendar allows you to show your Google Tasks in your calendar. This way you have a one stop shop for tasks and events. Any task you set in Google Tasks can be shown in Google Calendar by clicking the checkbox next to Tasks on the right side of Calendar in the section labeled My calendars. 

Below is what it looks like using the Schedule View with Tasks enabled in Google Calendar. Your Tasks will have a little circle with checkmark icon to the left of them. You can click on them in Google Calendar to view any notes attached to a Task and cross them off without having to switch over to Tasks in the right side toolbar.

Over the years, I have seen students struggle with managing school work with extra curricular activities. Often times, clubs and sports teams will print a schedule for students. More often than not, this printed schedule gets lost or left in a place where they forget to check. One thing they almost never forget to check is their cellphone. 

Teach your students to create extra curricular activity calendars in Google Calendar. If they sync their Google Calendar to the calendar app on their cellphones, reminders and schedules are just a pop up notification away. 

Have them start by clicking the little plus button on the left side of Google Calendar in the section labeled Other calendars. In the menu that appears, have them click Create new calendar. 

They will be prompted to name their new calendar, then click Create calendar.

When they return to the main Google Calendar screen, their extra curricular calendar will appear in the section on the left labeled My calendars. They will need to check mark it to make it visible. 

Below is an example of how students can begin creating events on their extra curricular calendars. They start by clicking the big Create button on the top left of Google Calendar. When the event details window pops up, have them click More options to go full screen and see all options. Have them set the date and time of their first event. It is a repeating weekly event, have them set it to repeat. 

Be sure to show them how to set the event to correct calendar. By default, events will appear on the calendar titled as their name. Have them click their name (seen below) and choose the correct calendar in the drop down menu that appears.

Below is what it looks like in Google Calendar using the Month View. You can see this student's "Robotics Club" event repeats every Tuesday. The color of the dot next to those events is different than events that are on other calendars. 

Students can use Google Calendar to schedule pretty much anything in their lives. They can schedule appointments, study dates, set reminders for homework, and much more. An easy way to start is to show them how your Google Classroom has an accompanying calendar that shows assignments and due dates. How might you use Google Calendar with your students? 

Share this video with your students that demonstrates the skills mentioned in this blog post.

If you have any questions and would like a follow up, contact me via Gmail or Chat at ajuarez@techcoachjuarez.com. My book, The Complete EdTech Coach: An Organic Approach to Digital Learning, co-authored with my wife Katherine Goyette is now available on Amazon. Click here to purchase. It is published by Dave Burgess Publishing. Be sure to follow the hashtag #OrganicEdTech and #CVTechTalk for updates.

Time Management Tools for Students in Google Workspace: Google Tasks (Share with your students)

 

In 17 years as an educator, one of the biggest pain points I have seen teachers deal with is frustration with students not keeping track of assignments, due dates and time management. These are essential skills that successful adults possess. Please share these tips with your students to help them better manage their time

Schools often provide students with a paper planner. We all know kids don't use this as much as we would like. A habit I try to instill in students is to write due dates and reminders in the planner, and then add them to Google Tasks. The repetition helps them better remember and it shows them the value of paper and digital time management tools.

Hidden in plain sight is one of Google Workspace's most useful tools, Google Tasks. On the right sidebar of Gmail, Docs, Slides, Sheets, etc. you will see the Google Tasks icon. This simple tool allows students to set reminders for one-off assignments and repeating assignments. It provides a great complement to paper planners.

With Tasks open, have students click Add a task.

Below is an example of a task they can put in their paper planner and here in Google Tasks. Be sure to have them set a time for which they would like to be reminded to accomplish this task.

Below is what it looks like when setting the date and time for a reminder.

Once set, below is what it will look like on their right sidebar in Google Workspace. If students download the free Google Tasks app on their mobile devices, the reminders and tasks will sync.

Students often have assignments such as binder or notebook checks that repeat weekly. When setting the date and time, they can set it to repeat.

Below is an example of what a repeating task looks like. Next to the time and date, you'll see two opposite pointing arrows. This means this task will repeat. When the student clicks the circle to cross it off, there is no need to put the task in again. A week later, it will reappear automatically with the new date.

If you are reading this blog, you are probably using Google Classroom. When you post in Classroom, students receive an email notification. These email can be useful for students to manage their time. When they open an email notification from Classroom, have students click the Add to Tasks button at the top. This will add the subject of the email as a task and it can be edited if they want. Students should make it a habit of adding assignments to Tasks and setting reminders before the due dates.

Below is an example of a Google Classroom notification added to Tasks with a reminder. Notice the mail icon at the bottom. This serves as a link directly back to the email message. This is useful because between the time the student sets the reminder and the time you actually go back to the email to access the assignment, students will receive many more emails. This icon in Tasks allows the student to not have to go fishing through their inbox to find the message.

Google Tasks complements paper planners very well and it is a great tool to show students that technology is a powerful tool, not just a toy. How will you use Google Tasks to help students better manage their time?

If you have any questions and would like a follow up, contact me via Gmail or Chat at ajuarez@techcoachjuarez.com.

My book, The Complete EdTech Coach: An Organic Approach to Digital Learning, co-authored with my wife Katherine Goyette is now available on Amazon. Click here to purchase. It is published by Dave Burgess Publishing. Be sure to follow the hashtag #OrganicEdTech and #CVTechTalk for updates.

Digital Organization Tips for Students with Gmail, Tasks and Calendar

Time management is something students need to learn to be successful the modern classroom and workforce. As more teachers rely on digital tools for distributing and collecting materials and student work, there are many simple ways in Google Workspace for students to manage time and organize themselves digitally. Take a look at a few of my favorite tips and tricks.

Google Classroom, Google Calendar and Google Tasks

When teachers assign assignments in Google Classroom, students receive an email notification. Keeping track of Google Classroom notifications for multiple classes can be tricky. To help to remember to work on an assignment, when the student opens the email, they can click the Add to Tasks button on the top toolbar. 

When they click the Add to Tasks button, Google Tasks will open on the right side panel. The subject of the email will be added as a task. Below the task, students will see a button that will give them one click access directly back to this email if they choose to address the assignment later. Next to the task, there is also an edit button.

When they click the edit button, they can add a time reminder that will alert them when they are ready to work on this assignment. 

Another simple tip for students is to create a task independently that will remind them to check Google Classroom for new assignments and announcements. When they click edit, they can not only set a time reminder, but make it recur daily.

When students use Google Tasks, their tasks can appear in Google Calendar. If they have the Google Calendar app, they can receive push notifications on their phones for each task just like a calendar event. To enable Tasks in Google Calendar, on the left side, below My Calendars, click the checkbox for Tasks. In addition, students can view Google Classroom assignments in Google Calendar. They can enable this the same way as Tasks.

My recommendation for easily viewing tasks and Google Classroom assignments in Google Calendar, as seen above, is to use the Schedule view. You can change the view by clicking the button at the top next to the waffle. Enabling this view shows a list, in chronological order of all calendar events and tasks for one day at a time.

Organize Gmail Inbox with Labels

As an edtech coach, I have seen countless students' Gmail inboxes. More often than not, their inboxes are an unorganized mess with thousands of emails. A good practice for students is to organize their inboxes with labels. Think of labels in Gmail like folders in Google Drive. Have students create labels for each subject or teacher and move messages that need to be saved into the respective folders. Remind students to delete messages they know they don't need anymore.

For example, if there are a bunch of messages from science class, have students move them into a science label. Get started by check marking the messages you want to move. At the top, click the Move To button. 

If you don't have a label created yet, click Create new. If one is already created, click the label in the list that appears in the dropdown menu.

When you create a new label, a pop up will appear. Name the label and click Create.

Your labels will appear in alphabetical order on the left side of Gmail below Drafts. Click on your labels to view the messages in each label.

Feel free to use these tips to streamline your workflow and organize your digital workload, and don't forget to share with your students. If you have any questions and would like a follow up, contact me via Gmail or Chat at ajuarez@techcoachjuarez.com. 

My book, The Complete EdTech Coach: An Organic Approach to Digital Learning, co-authored with my wife Katherine Goyette is now available on Amazon. Click here to purchase. It is published by Dave Burgess Publishing. Be sure to follow the hashtag #OrganicEdTech and #CVTechTalk for updates.

Hidden in Plain Sight: Subtasks in Google Tasks

 

Not too long ago, I wrote a blog about creating new, secondary lists in Google Tasks. That is a great organizational tool, but you have to switch over to those lists to see them. More importantly, you need to remember to switch over. As my colleague Kathleen Giannandrea says, "Out of sight, out of mind". If you fall into that category, the subtasks function in Google Tasks will be helpful. 

For example, if you have a separate list in Google Tasks to remind you to make or check on IEP accommodations, you could, instead, create a Task just for IEP Accommodations with accompanying subtasks. This will keep these tasks at a glance in your primary list without having to switch lists to view. One downfall to adding subtasks to a task is the inability to set it to repeat. You can set a one time reminder for the "parent" task.

Get started by creating a new task in Google Tasks found in the right side panel in Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Chat, Google Drive or Google Sheets.

After typing the task, click the "pencil" button to edit.

While in edit mode, click the button to Add subtasks.

You will add the subtasks in the same manner you would a regular task. The difference is the subtasks won't have an edit button. If you need to add multiple subtasks, either click Add subtasks again or push enter/return on your keyboard after entering a subtask.

What you see below is an example of a task with multiple subtasks. 

Here is what it looks like on the right side toolbar. You can click the circle button next to each task to cross off individual subtasks, but if you cross off the "parent" task, all the subtasks will disappear.

For many of us, the subtasks function of Google Tasks is a simple, but great productivity tool hiding in plain sight. How will you use the subtasks function of Google Tasks? If you have any questions and would like a follow up, contact me via Gmail or Chat at ajuarez@techcoachjuarez.com. 

My book, The Complete EdTech Coach: An Organic Approach to Digital Learning, co-authored with my wife Katherine Goyette is now available on Amazon. Click here to purchase. It is published by Dave Burgess Publishing. Be sure to follow the hashtag #OrganicEdTech and #CVTechTalk for updates.

Use Google Tasks to Help with IEP Accommodations

Not too long ago, I wrote a blog post about how to organize your IEP accommodations documents for easy access. Organizing your IEP documents is one thing, but with our hectic schedules, remembering to consider many of the nuances and unique accommodations in lesson design is another thing. 

With my hectic schedule, Google Tasks makes remembering these things much easier. Tasks helps me schedule reminders for common, frequent accommodations such as sending extra reminder emails, creating reduced alternate assignments, providing extra time for assignments, contacting case managers, and much more. 

If you're not careful, your Google Tasks list can get long and convoluted. What I like to do is create a new, secondary list for IEP accommodations. Start by opening Google Tasks on the side panel in Gmail. Click "Your Name's list" and select Create new list in the menu that appears.

Title your list.

Add your task(s) and set time/date reminders. On the days I know I will be lesson planning, I always set reminders for IEP accommodations.

Some reminders are set for certain days and others are each day during the week. 

If you don't want to have to always toggle between lists on Google Tasks, turn on Tasks in Calendar and your tasks will appear in your Calendar. I like to use the Schedule view. 

During the pandemic and in distance learning, accommodating students on IEPs is much more difficult. Anything we can do to streamline this process is definitely welcomed. How will you use Google Tasks to enhance your ability to accommodate students on IEPs. If you have any questions and would like a follow up, contact me via Gmail or Chat at ajuarez@techcoachjuarez.com. 

My book, The Complete EdTech Coach: An Organic Approach to Digital Learning, co-authored with my wife Katherine Goyette is now available on Amazon. Click here to purchase. It is published by Dave Burgess Publishing. Be sure to follow the hashtag #OrganicEdTech and #CVTechTalk for updates.

 

New Lists in Google Tasks

 

On November 4, 2020, I wrote a blog post about how to utilize Google Tasks to schedule reminders for the tasks you do daily, weekly or monthly. If you're anything like me, this task list can get long. One way to organize your tasks and differentiate between tasks for lesson planning, grading, coaching and or other administrative things is to use the Create a new list function. 

The Create a new list function is a feature that is hiding in plain sight. I use it to categorize my tasks. I have a list for tech coaching, grading and lesson planning. Access this function by clicking on "Your Name's" list in Google Tasks on the right side panel within Gmail.

In the dropdown menu that appears, click Create new list.

 Give it a title and click Done.

Immediately, Google Tasks will switch over to the new list. Just like normal, click Add a task to start your new list.

Editing tasks and adding date/time is the same.

When editing a task, you can move a task from one list to another as needed.

To toggle between lists, click the Name of the list at the top of Tasks. You will then see a list of all the lists you've created. A checkmark will be next to the list that is currently open.

When viewing your list of lists, hover over one and click/drag the dots to rearrange them.

Next to Add a task, click the three dots to access more options in Google Tasks. If you need to rename a list, you will find the option here.

Google Tasks has been a game changer for my workflow during the pandemic. Using the Create a new list function has taken it to a new level. What new lists will you create? If you have any questions and would like a follow up, contact me via Gmail or Chat at ajuarez@techcoachjuarez.com. 

My book, The Complete EdTech Coach: An Organic Approach to Digital Learning, co-authored with my wife Katherine Goyette is now available on Amazon. Click here to purchase. It is published by Dave Burgess Publishing. Be sure to follow the hashtag #OrganicEdTech and #CVTechTalk for updates.