Inbox Zero

Tech Tip Tuesday (May 13, 2025)

Yes, I feel like I'm contributing to the problem by sending this.

Spring into a clutter-free digital life with Ctrl + Alt + Declutter!

Last week, we tackled decluttering your Drive (here it is if you missed it), and there’s more to come. This May series shares weekly tips to organize files, streamline digital spaces, and optimize your devices for peace of mind.

Get ready to press Ctrl + Alt + Declutter on digital chaos!

This week: Inbox Management and 4 tips to keep it managed all year!

#1: Set specific times for checking emails.

It's not AOL Instant Messenger.

Avoid constant email interruptions by scheduling specific times to check your inbox (before and after school). Turn off notifications to focus on teaching, planning, and trying to curb the amount of times you hear "Chicken Jockey" in a day.

If you must check again, maybe after you've finished your chicken salad sandwich and Funyuns to round out your diabolical lunch break.

#2: Unsubscribe to that newsletter, not "I'll do it later"

You see the button at the top. Click it.

Regularly review and unsubscribe from newsletters or services you no longer need to reduce inbox clutter.

You can either scroll to the bottom of mass marketing emails to unsubscribe or use the Gmail Unsubscribe to better handle the clutter as it arrives.

#3: Archive emails instead of deleting

Not sure if you should keep or delete it? Archive, my guy.

If you’re unsure about deleting an email, archive it. This keeps your inbox clean while allowing you to retrieve messages when needed.

What's the difference? Check out here for more information on the difference between delete and archive!

#4: Use Search effectively

Finding the purpose of life is vague. Email filter rules are not.

Learn to use advanced search features in Gmail (searching by date, sender, or keywords) to quickly find important messages.

Need a visual (me too)? Here's how you refine that search and get quicker results.

Want some help with your Inbox? Book a time!

It's going to be a fun-filled excursion back to 2011 in our inbox purge.

A group of people dancing energetically on a street, with the text "IT TAKES TWO TO MAKE A THING GO RIGHT" displayed above them. The central dancer is wearing a green and white tracksuit, and others in the background are also dressed in vibrant 80s-style clothing, cheering and moving to the rhythm. The background shows a cityscape with buildings and a streetlamp.

A twofer for the people!

And with this duo, they couldn't be more different.

Would You Rather Math is a free image hosting site designed to spark math-based conversations by presenting students with engaging, choice-driven prompts that require mathematical reasoning. It supports teachers with adaptable prompts for different grade levels and sentence frames to encourage critical thinking and justify decisions using math.

The Music Lab uses citizen science to study how humans create and perceive music. Through fun games like rhythm tests, memory challenges, and pitch perception exercises, participants can explore their musical abilities while contributing to research.

Would You Rather Math

Engage students in math-based conversations as a quick brain break from your regular content or as a warm up!

The Music Lab

Participants can engage in experiments that study auditory perception, including how people interpret music and sounds.

Easy to spot, harder to prove.

Here's a breakdown of how AI-generated text can systematically decided.

A circular diagram titled "Identifying AI-Generated Text" with six interconnected sections represented by icons and text. The sections are: 1) "Semantic and Stylistic Analysis" with an orange icon, focusing on evaluating deeper nuances in writing style. 2) "Statistical Analysis" with a green icon, analyzing patterns in language use and fluency. 3) "Perplexity and Burstiness" with a lime green icon, measuring predictability and variability in writing. 4) "Training on AI Outputs" with a teal icon, educating detectors with AI and human text samples. 5) "Watermarking Techniques" with a purple icon, embedding subtle patterns in AI text. 6) "Metadata and Provenance" with a pink icon, using digital signatures to trace content origin. A central icon connects all sections, representing text analysis.

Report for Educators about ID'ing AI-generated text

💰 We all need money, don't we? 💰

Apply for an IRTA grant for your classroom!

Grants - Illinois Retired Teachers Association

The Illinois Retired Teachers Association Foundation offers a series of programs and grants for retired and current teachers. Learn more about IRTA grants.

irtaonline.org

IRTA Grant Form

1 page application, $750 maximum, due on June 1, 2025