How to Maximize Your Work Efficiency Using Google Calendar

If you're an educator, what are the online tools that you frequently use in preparing for your classes? Google slides? Canva? Google Forms? What about in monitoring the performances of your students? In sending out feedbacks? How efficient do you find yourself in working with multiple web applicatons in meeting your goals as a teacher? 

Working with multiple sites in carrying out your job can be overhwelming for your internet browser and for your computer especially if you're only using an average speed connection and device. The good news is, Google Calendar can help us save space and time in doing our jobs. And that is by setting it as your one-stop link to different sites.

To do this, first, log in to your Google Calendar (at the later part of this post, we will see how we can make Google Calendar, as the start up site of our internet browser). And then, on the right side, click on Google Tasks icon. This will open the Google Task app, which allows you to insert tasks like in a to-do list. We will also use this for listing of links for different types of sites.

Creating a List of Web Applications for Class Preparation

As an educator, it will help you save time if you have a list of links to web applications that you use in preparing for your classes like Google Slides, Google Forms, etc. To do this, on the top of the Google Task app, click "My Tasks" to open the Tasks Menu, and then, select "Create new list". Name the list as "Prepare for Class", and then click "Done".

From here, we can already start inserting the links to different web applications that we use for class preparation. Below are links to commonly used apps:

•  Canva                       https://canva.com    
• Google Slides            https://slides.google.com
• Google Classroom     https://classroom.google.com
• Quiziz                         https://quizizz.com/ 
• Google Forms            https://forms.google.com
• Google Docs              https://docs.google.com
• Google Drive              https://drive.google.com
• Youtube                      https://youtube.com

Insert the links by clicking "Add a task", and then typing in the name of the app, and the link on the description field. Repeat the procedure to insert the other links.

You can also use this list to add related tasks. By clicking on the Date/Time button, you can set deadline for the said tasks, and they will be automatically added to the calendar.

Creating Other Lists 

To complete, your lists, you may want to follow these suggestions:

Monitoring and Analyzing of Outputs

• Link to the electronic grading sheet of your classes
• Link to the Google Sheet file of Google Form Quiz responses

Academic Concerns

• Link to Facebook Messenger, Google Classroom, or Gmail where you can follow up students with missing requirements
• You can also use this list also to list down names of students to follow up

Course Evaluation

• Link for submission of online grades
• Link to the unit's progress report spreadsheet
• Link to your department's Google drive, etc

Setting Google Calendar as Your Startup Site

It helps you save more time by making Google Calendar as the startup site of your web browser. Doing this will depend on the internet browser you're using. For Microsoft Edge, open the web menu by clicking on the options button in the upper rightmost corner of the web page, and then select Settings. 

Under the Settings page, go to the left side bar and select "Start, home, and new tabs". This will open the options for starting Microsoft Edge. And then, click "Add a New Page", and then paste the link of your Google Calendar. Click "Save" right after. 
 

After completing all these procedures, your Google Calendar will already be the first site that opens when starting your Microsoft Edge browser.