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Weekly Schedule

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Using Google Calendar to Make a Class Schedule

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Using Google Calendar to Make a Class Schedule

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The past two weeks has been consumed with prepping classes for the fall semester. With the amount of content I have at , I do less content preparation and more planning. My primary task is to set up the calendar for the entire semester in each of the three classes I teach, College Algebra, Finite Mathematics, and Survey of Calculus. Last semester I tried using Google Calendar to organize my personal work schedule as well as the calendars for THe each of these classes. It worked great for me and now I am starting to delve into best practices...how can I improve what I am doing?

This semester I am teaching five sections distributed over three different courses. Each of the in person classes (2 sections) meets on Monday/ Wednesday...the rest are online courses. To organize these courses, I have a Google Calendar for each course as well as a Google Calendar for my personal work week.

On the class calendars (, , ), I put all due dates and what is covered on each week. An added bonus is that I can include hyperlinks to the parts of the website for the coverage.

On my personal work week calendar, I put anything that requires my attendance. This includes class meeting, office hours, college meeting ect. I can also copy any of these events to other calendars. So I can copy the office hours over to the course calendars as well as the class meetings. This is why you can see class meetings and office hours in the course calendars...they started as events on my personal calendar.

This semester I did not start the calendar from scratch. The week to week schedule is very similar...only messed up by the Spring Break and Thanksgiving. Since they fall in different places in the semester, I need to make adjustments. To make these adjustments, I copy events from the spring semester to the fall semester. For instance, below is a portion of my calendar from the spring.

Click on the event you want to copy to get the menu below.

Select "copy to my calendar". In the screen that appears, edit the event for the fall semester. You can also set up how an event repeats too.

After making the changes below, choose "Save".

Doing this for each of the events in the calendar allows me to create one the one below.

By the way, when I set up the coverage for the week (the green section across the week), I repeat a basic template entry for the semester...repeat it each week. Then I edit each individual week to add the fact that it is a particular week covering particular sections.

Is this fast....NO. But it is very tidy and is easy to paste into a blog or Course Management System by pasting a snippet of HTML code. This semester, it took me about a day to set it all up for all three courses.

For info on how I set up the original calendars during the spring semester, check out the post below.

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More On Using Google Calendar for a Class Schedule - scholarlyoa.com

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The past two weeks has been consumed with prepping classes for the fall semester. With the amount of content I have at , I do less content preparation and more planning. My primary task is to set up the calendar for the entire semester in each of the three classes I teach, College Algebra, Finite [...]

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PowerPoint Slides - The Learning Scientists

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Which is the best note-taking method for you?

There are hundreds of different ways you can take notes - but not all are created equal.

The most effective note-taking methods will help you not only understand the concepts you're learning better, but help you easily revisit and revise the material easily when exams roll around.

But the best one for you can depend on your subject/topic, learning style, and even how your lecturer teaches.

So, here's an overview of the best note-taking methods for college students, how to apply each, and when you should (or shouldn't) use each one.

The Outline Method is one of the most structured note taking methods, and visually looks very organized.

Add your main points as bullet points, and elaborate on them underneath. For any piece of supporting information, create a nested bullet point below it. Remember to keep your points brief, preferably around one sentence per point.

The finished note should look similar to an outline.

When to use this note-taking method

The outline method is ideal for when you need to jot down information quickly, like during lectures or meetings.

With its clear structure, you can easily see the hierarchy of information, and what ideas correlate to which point.

Pros:

Highlights key points of the topic

Allows you to group related points together

Highly structured and visually organized, making it revision friendly

Cons:

Not great for subjects that require many diagrams, charts, or visuals

The Cornell note-taking method is one of the most popular and renowned note-taking techniques, created by Prof. Walter Pauk of Cornell University in the 1950s. It's designed to make you actively think about your notes as you go along, rather than mindlessly jotting things down.

All notes from the class go into the main note-taking column.

The smaller column on the left side is for comments, questions or hints about the actual notes.

After the lecture, you should take a moment to summarize the main ideas of the page in the section at the bottom which will speed up your reviewing and studying process immensely. The best part is that many people already remember and digest the information while they write a summary like this.

When to use this note-taking method

Cornell notes are especially effective for studying, because of how easy it is to revise from afterwards.
Pros:

Helps you extract the main ideas

Writing the summary gives you a better level of understanding on the topic

Your notes are already logically organized and easy to skim when it comes time to revise

Cons:

Takes a bit more effort when taking notes

Requires some time to set up the page

(To help you get you started, try this free Cornell notes template.)

The Boxing Method is a highly visual note-taking method. It gives you an at-a-glance overview of your topic.

Each section or subtopic of your notes will live in its own labeled box

This method was originally coined by a GoodNotes user, ipadstudying. Note-taking apps like GoodNotes are especially helpful for this method, because you can draw boxes and straight lines without the help of a ruler.

When to use this note-taking method

We recommend using this for revision. Each page or set of notes will be for one course or topic. In each of the boxes, summarize the key points from each individual lecture (or subtopic). Label the boxes accordingly.

At the end, you have one summary page of all the key points for that course.
Pros:

Helpful to create during revision

Gives you a summary of each lecture, chapter, or subtopic at a glance

Cons:

Not a suitable method for lecture or meeting notes, when you have to be able to jot things down quickly

Can be a hassle if you're drawing boxes freehand (as opposed to using a note-taking app)

The charting method is a great way to organize different items or concepts that all share several properties.

For example, if you were studying up on chemical elements, each row would be a different element, and columns would list out their properties, such as atomic mass, melting point, color, etc.

Here is a summary of this article in a note written with the charting note-taking method:

When to use this note-taking method

Charts are useful when comparing items across a certain set of characteristics.
Pros:

Great for comparison

Summarize a series of items in a systematic way

Cons:
Not effective for more linear note-taking or notes that follow a story/progression of information

Another visual note-taking style is the Mapping Method.

It allows you to organize your notes by dividing them into branches, enabling you to establish relationships between the topics.

Start with writing the main topic at the top of the map. Keep dividing it into subtopics on the left and right as you go down. You can also try a mind map format, where you start in the middle and branch outward.

When to use this note-taking method:

This method is perfect for when individual points require a lot of explanation. It also works for when your notes follow a linear progression or a story.

Pros:

Easy to create and follow ideas

Easily demonstrate relationships between information

Elaborate on points without cluttering your page

Cons:

You may run out of space on the page if you have many branches of information

GoodNotes Tip: If you run out of space while writing in GoodNotes, just switch to a larger paper template, or lasso tool all your writing and shrink it.

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Which is the best note-taking method for you? There are hundreds of different ways you can take notes - but not all are created equal. The most effective note-taking methods will help you not only understand the concepts you're learning better, but help you easily revisit and revise the material easily when exams roll around.

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I'm so excited today to share how I do time blocking with Google calendar to establish a routine for myself, plan out time blocks where I can work, since I have my own business and am also a stay at home mom for two boys, one of whom is doing virtual learning and the other I'm homeschooling for preschool to get him ready for kindergarten. I use this in conjunction with my planners, as this is really just the base for my schedule and routine, and then I go in with my Daily Duo planner and plan specific tasks for the working time blocks, or my cleaning routine for the week, etc...
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Time blocking with Google calendar

I also have a video walk through of how I do this on my Youtube channel, you can watch it below if you are interested.

My schedule

Here's an over view of my calendar, I have it color coded. Here's what the colors stand for-

Magenta is work tasks

Light purple is self care- getting ready for the day, working out

Blue is time with my boys with no other distractions

Orange is home stuff- cleaning and cooking dinner

Red just marks my kiddos' screen time because I know I can put work tasks that need more focus and less interruptions there since they'll be occupied

I have a few calendars visible here- my schedule, plus my blog content plan and my Youtube content plan are visible at the very top.

Now, I do want to preface this by saying a few things-

1. We don't always follow this exactly. Life happens and things get moved around or there are things that don't get done. This is just the base for my schedule. I will show you how you can move things and edit things on the calendar, too.

2. This looks like a lot- and it is, totally! Your schedule does not have to look like mine. I just find this to be really helpful because I am juggling 100 things all the time. However, this week is a great example of how I don't always follow this. I've been really tired this week for some reason and sleeping in til 7 some days, so I just shift things and I've been working later in the evenings. Some days I even ignore the times all together and I just know that these basic blocks are on my to do list for the day and I try to take care of those tasks before I go to bed.

Creating a new calendar

Okay, so let's talk about how to set up a new Google calendar and add tasks so you can use it for time blocking.

To create a new calendar, simply look at the menu on the left hand side underneath any other calendars you might have made or any default calendars set up under your Google account, and select the plus sign beside "Other calendars" to add a new one.

Then, select "Create new calendar".

Next, there are a few things to do.

1. Give your calendar a name, I've named mine 'Test Calendar".

2. Select "Create calendar".

3. Then, click the back arrow to go back to the main calendar view.

Double check under your list of calendars to be sure your new calendar is the only one selected. This makes things a lot easier when adding things to the new calendar.

Creating an "event"

Next, click anywhere on the calendar to create your first event. For example, if you want to track your work schedule, and work starts at 8, click on the 8 am time slot. The new window to create your "event" will pop up.

The first step is to name your event. For this example, I've titled it "Work".

Setting up recurring tasks

Then, you can click the date/time area and double check the date, or change it, change the time block hours- here it shows 8-9 but let's say work is from 8-4, you can change that time here. Then, you'll click where it says "does not repeat" and you can choose for it to repeat daily, weekly on Monday, etc...

If you choose to repeat daily, that task will show up on everyday, including Saturday or Sunday. If you work times are different each day, but Mondays are the same, you can select to repeat that event weekly on Monday. You can also select "Every weekday" and choose to have the event repeat on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for example, for a traditional work schedule, or events that only repeat on the week days. For events that repeat on sporadic days, say Monday, Wednesday, Friday, you'll select "Custom" and select only those days that you want the event to repeat on each week.

Once you have the date and repeating options figured out, you can click down below to change the color of this event if you want to color code your calendar. Here you can also change which calendar this event belongs to, but that's only necessary if you are creating multiple calendars. When you are finished with all of that, select "Save".

Editing tasks/events

If you need to edit an event, you can select it, then select the pen icon to edit the event, or the garbage can icon to delete the event. When you select the pen you can change any of the things we've already worked on- the title, date, time period, repeating options, color, etc..

Adding a notification

Here, you can also add a notification if you want your phone to notify you of important events like appointments, or if you'd just like a notification that it is time to move on to your next time block. When it comes to time blocking with Google calendar, I recommend getting the Google calendar app on your phone and then sign into your Google account. This will send push notifications to your phone, too!

Now, when you are editing an event you have 3 options for saving, and here's what they mean.

This event- edits ONLY this event at this time that you have selected, does not impact future repeating events, those will still stay the way you have them configured.

This and following events- changes this event, plus any future repeating events.

All events- changes this event, future events, plus any past events.

There you have it. From here you can repeat this process with anything you want to time block. Here's a close up of one of my time blocked days in case you need some inspiration of things to add to your calendar.

Time blocking my day

I'm not sure if this makes me organizationally challenged that this time blocking with Google calendar helps me out so much, or if maybe I'm a time management genius, the jury is still out, but this helps me so much, so I hope you find it helpful, too. If you have any questions be sure and leave them below in the comments.

Also, don't forget to sign up for my email list for more planning and organizing content coming soon! You'll get access to my library of free planning printables when you do.

Then, check out even more Google Calendar tips that will help you be more productive, from Hubspot.

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I'm so excited today to share how I do time blocking with Google calendar to establish a routine for myself, plan out time blocks where I can work, since I have my own business and am also a stay at home mom for two boys, one of whom is doing virtual learning and the other I'm homeschooling for preschool to get him ready for kindergarten.

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Mind Map Tutorial | My Secret for Project Management

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" Don't confuse recognizing information with being able to recall it."
~ Adam Robinson, author of What Smart Students Know

What are some things we typically do when we "learn" or "study" during the semester?

Listen to your professor's logical, organized explanation of a new concept and thinking, "oh ok, got it"

Read through your lecture notes while nodding and murmuring, "makes sense"

Do problem sets with the textbook open to the example problems, and plug-and-chug until the correct answer pops out

These things may make us feel warm and fuzzy, but the truth is, these things are embarrassingly ineffective when it comes time to put pencil to paper on an exam.

And tragically, they end up convincing you that you understand everything, until you show up to the test, where it feels like you're seeing the material for the first time again.

Why?

Because all of these things are PASSIVE.

Think of what we typically do in lecture.

We like to think of ourselves like sponges: we'll somehow absorb what the professor is saying as it washes over us like a warm bath.

But remember: the brain will always conserve energy when possible, so unless there is a specific problem for it to solve, unnecessary information is quickly discarded.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, and what top students embrace and practice on a daily basis, is what we call "active learning" (or more specifically the technique of Active Recall).

Active learning is just as it sounds. In order to truly learn a new piece of information, you need to somehow trick your brain into working on it, activating new neural pathways and building new connections.

If you put in short bursts of hard work doing active recall (solving problems from scratch), you can save yourself hours and hours of wasted time mulling over useless material.

Step 1: Start with a question

This can be conceptual or an actual practice problem.

Do NOT look at your notes.

And do NOT review any problem solutions. (*Note: you will need the solution in step 3 though so have it on hand, hidden away.)

Step 2: The struggle

Struggle with it.

This is going to be tough, especially if this is the first time you're trying to solve a particular type of problem from scratch.

Try your best, and guess if you have to. But again, no peeking at your notes or the solution.

Once you've given it your best effort, then comes...

Step 3: Check yourself

Bust out your problem solution and see how your answer lines up with it.

Don't skimp here! You want to catch any gaps in your understanding and address them as soon as possible.

So find your mistakes, and go back and correct them.

Remember: finding your mistakes and fixing them NOW means that you won't make those mistakes LATER on the exam when it counts. So the more mistakes you find, the better!

Step 4: Repeat at different time intervals

Studies show that the most effective spacing for performing this type of practice is...

#1 - Right after you've learned something

and then...

#2 - 2-3 days after you've first been introduced to the material

So for you that means the following:

After class for the day, immediately test yourself using active recall, when you're still uncomfortable with the material. This is where you get the biggest bang for your buck, because you're really forcing your brain to work hard.

Then, do it again ~2 days later.
So get out there, and start ACTIVELY learning your course material, and watch as your grades and understanding skyrockets.

Tom Miller is an engineer and physics tutor, obsessed with independent learning. He writes about unconventional study methods at WTF Professor, aimed at simplifying the learning process for engineers and technical students.

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How to use Active Recall to become a Problem-Solving Machine

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" Don't confuse recognizing information with being able to recall it." ~ Adam Robinson, author of What Smart Students Know What are some things we typically do when we "learn" or "study" during the semester?

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Improving Information Retention from Class/ Lectures

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Studying for Finals - Google Slides.webm