How many classes do you teach a day? How many preps? This year, I teach five classes (the norm here) and I have two different preps, but for the past three years, I’ve taught three preps and coached debate, so I was usually on the brink of losing my mind.
I am also the person who has a million tabs open at any given time, which can be a bit overwhelming when trying to switch from one class to another.
Last year, when our school made the move to Google, I found a way to stay sane. It’s a pretty simple concept, but sometimes those are the best ideas!
How to Stay Sane with Multiple Preps Using Google Chrome
The first thing I do when I log into my computer is open three Chrome windows: one for administrative stuff, one for English 11, and one for Public Speaking. Sometimes I require more windows, but these are the three I have to have prepared for my day to run smoothly.
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One of the three windows ALWAYS open on my desktop at school: administrative |
Once I open my windows, I always have at least two tabs open for each class: Google Drive and the Slides I will be using for that day. If I have handouts, examples, or an assignment to show them, I’ll have those open before class as well.
I use slides to put up a daily agenda, warm-ups, and directions for the day. This way the kids know what to expect as soon as they walk in the room, and it helps me next year to see how I did things (basically, the slides act as an addition to my lesson plans).
As soon as 1st period Public Speaking is over and my 2nd period English 11 is headed in, I just hover over the Chrome icon on the tray until three choices pop up, scroll over to English 11 and BOOM, everything is ready for that class period. And then I can switch back when 3rd period Public Speaking comes in. When I have to Switch User for the 4th period floater to come in, everything is ready and waiting for me when I log back in.
These are great tips! As an administrator, I have a routine, too. I open three tabs when I get to work… Gmail, Calendar, and Google Drive. I usually have about 8 other tabs open during the day, too! π But I always keep those three tabs as the first three on the left.
Very helpful post for many!
Jennifer
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I also use right click-pin tab to keep my email/calendar/etc open but private while teaching and just in general.
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Thanks, Valerie! I haven't tried that but I will next week! π
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Thanks for sharing the post! π
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