Here are your 3 tips that you can use in your classroom today for the week of February 4, 2019.
This Week is All About Google Claendar
Get a Daily Agenda Email
Everyone could use a personal assistant. That's not going to happen, but Google Calendar's daily agenda will email you every morning at 5 a.m. with an overview of your day's events.
To set this up, click the gear in the top-right corner and select Settings. On the left-hand menu, click the name of the calendar you want emails about. Under General Notifications is an option for Daily Agenda. In the drop-down, select Email.
Enable and Use Tasks
Need help organizing your events? Calendar includes a useful Tasks function, but it's not easy to find. On the right-hand side, look for the small blue Tasks icon. Click it and the Tasks menu will slide in from the right. Create a new reminder by clicking "Add a task" and filling out the details. Click the pencil icon to add a description, date, and sub-tasks. Mark tasks complete as you complete them.
Add a Calendar
Need to keep track of what your friends or coworkers are up to? If they also use Google Calendar, you can add their calendars to yours. On the left-hand side, click the hamburger menu and look for "Add Calendar." Enter the email address of someone you know. If you don't already have access, a pop-up menu will appear; click "Request access" and that person will receive a message asking for permission to see their calendar. Once you get the okay, their events will appear as a layer underneath your "Other calendars" section.
Create a New Calendar
If your main calendar is getting a little crowded, create separate calendars for certain types of events (work, personal, specific projects, etc.) and organize them into shareable sub-calendars nested under My calendars.
To create a new calendar, click the three-dot icon next to the Add a calendar field and select New calendar from the drop-down menu (also accessible via the Settings menu). Name your calendar, add a description, and set a calendar time zone. Once the calendar has been created, you will be able to edit its settings, manage notifications, and share with others.
Share Your Calendar
If you want to share an existing calendar, navigate to Settings and click your calendar. Scroll down to the Access Permissions section and click "Get shareable link," which will produce a URL you can copy and share with others.
To share a calendar with someone through email, scroll down to the "Share with specific people" section. Click Add people and enter an email address.
Find a Time That Works for Everyone
Finding a time when everyone is free can be a frustrating experience. Rather than sending an invite and hoping for the best, though, peek at your co-workers' calendars first.
Click the "+Create" button and select More options. On the next page, select the Find a Time tab. On the right, type in the names of the people you want to invite in the "Add guests" box; Google Calendar supports up to 20 people. Their calendars will appear, each person in a different color. If they have something scheduled, it will say "Busy" for that block of time. Find a time that works for everyone.
Block Off Appointments
If you want to block off some time to allow others to schedule meetings with you, Google Calendar allows you to create Appointment slots.
Create a new event for a time when you'll be free, then click "Appointment slots" on the right. The icon on your event will change to that of a box. Click through to the event's page, and there will be a link for "This calendar's appointment page." Click it and you will see a shareable web version of your calendar. This is where others can make claims on your time. Either share the URL with others or allow them to click through on Google Calendar.
Add Holidays and Other Helpful Info
Do you want to know every major and minor holiday, national holidays in other countries, when your favorite sports team plays next, or the phases of the Moon? Calendar supplies a number of stock overlays filled with just this type of helpful information.
To add these details to your calendar, click the gear icon and select Settings. Under General on the left-hand side, select Add Calendars > Browse calendars of interest and click the calendars you want to import (click the eye icon for a preview). Once subscribed, you'll find it nested in the Other calendars section.
Google Voice
Yes, I've mentioned Google Voice before - but it bares mentioning again. Google Voice gives you a phone number for calling, text messaging, and voicemail. It works on smartphones and computers, and syncs across your devices so you can use the app in the office, at home, or on the go.
- You’re in control
Get spam filtered automatically and block numbers you don’t want to hear from. Manage your time with personalized settings for forwarding calls, text messages, and voicemail.
- Backed up and searchable
Calls, text messages, and voicemails are stored and backed up to make it easy for you to search your history.
- Manage messages across devices
Send and receive individual and group SMS messages from all your devices
- Your voicemail, transcribed
Google Voice provides advanced voicemail transcriptions that you can read in the app and/or have sent to your email.
