Blog 10: Google Sheets is the Sheet!

I did not forget about my blog!! Okay, maybe a little. But to be fair, tired. But I’m back! I know we are already almost through February but hey I can still make goals right? I hope so because I’ve already stunk at keeping my January ones. Don’t judge, trying to make it happen! I would say 2021 will be better than 2020, but maybe not off to a great start?? Like 10 degrees in Texas??? How world how?! But we’re back and ready to go!!

In exciting news though I signed up to take my GRE for grad school!! One step closer to my Ph.D.! Except I mean, I still have to get in and then you know, do the classes, but I’m really excited! After my master’s I just didn’t feel like I was finished continuing my education, so doctorate here I come!

For today's blog, I want to talk about Google Sheets though! Just like I’ve mentioned before, Google has its own versions of basically all that Microsoft has! And like I’ve said before if you haven’t made the switch to Google Drive/Slides/Docs you need to!! If you need more reasons to switch, just lemme know and I will make my piece!

But Google Sheets is Google’s version of Excel. Over this past quarantine/lockdown summer I watched a whole bunch of educator’s Instagram pages and this is something that I learned! I kind of felt stupid after the fact, like oh my gosh how have I missed this my whole life? Or at least educator life?

When you open up a Google Sheet’s page it looks very similar to Excel, and honestly, it works the same kind of ways. What I love about Google Sheets, is that it’s a free, more me version of a teacher binder. And I can’t lose a page, or forget it at home/work because it’s always online! I use some fun fonts and colors to cure the sadness and make me feel good at what I’m looking at.

I keep attendance records, and also a hard copy of scores in my Google Sheets for every six weeks! When a student logs into Zoom, I mark them off then let them in! One so I know if they were in the Zoom and earned attendance, and two so I know who is logging into my Zoom calls! Not on my little list? Not in this class then and no Zoom for you! Security and function! You get the best of both worlds as Hannah Montana would say!

First things first, I copy and paste my student’s names from my roster, that way they match up with how they do in the actual grade book (does that match up with Canvas, of course not because we all know how I feel about Canvas). Since each Google Sheet I make is for every 6 Weeks, I label out each week and merge the cells to make it nice and pretty! I add in my “Check Boxes” for each student for each week! All you do is click on “Insert” up at the top of the screen and checkboxes are down near the bottom! So in the end it looks like this! Also, peep how awesome Luna is doing!

I know it seems like a small kind of thing, but I swear it changed my life. I was horrible at keeping a hardcopy because I never had the proper journal or page to really keep track. But now, with Google, it makes it so much easier. And when you start a new 6 weeks you can just simply make a copy and change how you need to change! Or you can simply just keep adding, but sometimes it’s a little easier to have it broken down!

I will be back soon with more info and more life stories! Until then have a WONDERFUL week and know that someone is rooting for you! (did you know it was me? because it was me, you’re awesome)

- Bay :-)