Time Saving Tips for Teachers

Tech Tip Tuesday (January 7, 2024)

Welcome back! If you're like me, you might spend the next few weeks crossing out "2024" on forms (don't worry – I'll be doing this well into spring!).

January brings both fresh energy and new pressures. While we're all eager to make 2025 amazing for our students, let's channel some of that new year momentum into working smarter, not harder.

After all, being your best self for your students starts with taking care of yourself!

1. Automate what you can

This one has a LOT to it, and there can be some learning curves to some of the higher ends uses. One big one for me is filtering and sorting my Gmail. I don't need to see everything and especially, everything at once.

Another big time saver is automating formative assessment. Google Forms can be used to make an automated exit ticket, or Schoology has a TON of different question types such as labeling an image, hotspots, or fill-in-the-blank to meet any of your auto-grading assessment needs!

2. Comment Banks for Feedback

This one is an oldie, but a goodie! If you're a Chrome user and reading this is in your inbox, you see Google Keep directly to the right (yellow light bulb icon towards the top). We often type the same feedback comments in Docs and gradebook comments, so keep a comment bank of them. Ctrl+C (copy) + Ctrl+V (Paste) is much faster than typing them out!

3. Email Templates

Gmail templates are a fantastic tool for teachers, helping you save time and maintain consistent communication with students, parents, and colleagues. By creating templates for common messages—like reminders about assignments, responses to frequently asked questions, or announcements for upcoming events—teachers can easily streamline their workflow.

To set up a template, simply compose a message, click on the three dots in the compose window, select "Templates," and then "Save draft as template." This way, teachers can quickly access and send these pre-written messages, allowing them to focus more on teaching and less on repetitive tasks.

4. Send a Forced Copy or Template

"Go to File and Click Make a Copy". I've said this a lot, but you can help them out by forcing it to happen automatically with wonderful Google Drive URL tricks!

Sending a forced copy or template in Google Drive is a super helpful way for teachers to share resources with students and fellow educators! It makes sure everyone gets their own version of a document without changing the original. Just open the document you want to share, click the "Share" button, and grab the shareable link. Then, tweak the link a bit by adding /copy at the end. When your students or colleagues click on this special link, they’ll be prompted to create their own copy in their Google Drive.

Check out all the tricks here!

5. Monotask

Contrary to an fictitious belief, we cannot multitask, especially to any fruitful efficiency or effectivity.

Many items on our to-do lists tend to get tackled in bursts throughout the day and week, often mixed with other tasks in a chaotic form of multitasking. Instead of handling tasks one at a time—like making daily trips to the photocopier or checking emails eight to ten times a day—try batching similar tasks together.

For example, complete all your photocopying for the week in one go or schedule out assignments on Schoology in folders or single assignments. Check and respond to emails just twice a day, addressing all of them during those times.

Looking to bring real-world perspectives into your classroom?

Oxfam Education offers a treasure trove of free teaching resources that connect your students to global issues and citizenship. Their carefully curated materials span topics from climate change to food security, with ready-to-use lesson plans, interactive activities, and cross-curricular resources that transform abstract global concepts into engaging, age-appropriate learning experiences. Whether you're teaching about environmental sustainability, cultural awareness, or economic equality, these curriculum-aligned materials can help your students develop both empathy and critical thinking skills while becoming more informed and engaged global citizens.

Oxfam GB | Teaching resources

Free ideas, resources and support for active global citizenship in the classroom and beyond.

oxfam.org.uk

🌐AI + 🗣️Vocabulary = ✅Success?

AI-generated images can enhance learning by providing visually engaging, customized content to support lessons across subjects. Teachers can create unique illustrations, diagrams, or visual aids that align perfectly with their instructional goals, making abstract concepts more accessible and relatable for students. AI can also help generate culturally inclusive visuals or imagery tailored to student interests, fostering deeper engagement and understanding. By incorporating AI-generated images into your instruction, you can save time and enrich their materials with visuals that spark curiosity and creativity.

For more on this, especially making your own vocabulary images, check out this quick Edutopia read from Monica Burns!