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There are so many aspects of technology integration into today’s classrooms that it really cannot be easily simplified. One of the main goals should be to increase access to information, to increase access to a high quality education. One of the easy ways to extend access to this information, to education, is through the use of calendars and websites. This post will contain information about how to share and synchronize Google Calendars and about how to create a website with a classroom calendar embedded in it. By embedding the calendar, the teacher need not worry about updating a website on a daily basis. When the teacher updates the calendar, he or she will be sharing information directly to the website.
First, let’s start with sharing and syncing calendars:
I have a both a personal and a work account in Google. I would rather not have to toggle back and forth between accounts to keep my calendars updated. The settings of my work domain do not allow me to grant managing capabilities to account holders outside of the domain. So, I share my personal calendar to my work calendar. I understand that this probably will raise some red flags with some of you. I can set this as a private calendar so that my work colleagues cannot see the details of my personal calendar. However, the way I understand it, system administrators will still be able to view calendars even if they are designated as private. So, be careful about the details that you place on the calendar.
There are so many aspects of technology integration into today’s classrooms that it really cannot be easily simplified. One of the main goals should be to increase access to information, to increase access to a high quality education. One of the easy ways to extend access to this information, to education, is through the use of calendars and websites. This post will contain information about how to share and synchronize Google Calendars and about how to create a website with a classroom calendar embedded in it. By embedding the calendar, the teacher need not worry about updating a website on a daily basis. When the teacher updates the calendar, he or she will be sharing information directly to the website.
First, let’s start with sharing and syncing calendars:
I have a both a personal and a work account in Google. I would rather not have to toggle back and forth between accounts to keep my calendars updated. The settings of my work domain do not allow me to grant managing capabilities to account holders outside of the domain. So, I share my personal calendar to my work calendar. I understand that this probably will raise some red flags with some of you. I can set this as a private calendar so that my work colleagues cannot see the details of my personal calendar. However, the way I understand it, system administrators will still be able to view calendars even if they are designated as private. So, be careful about the details that you place on the calendar.
To share the calendar:
- Click on the drop down arrow next to the name of the calendar that you want to share.
- Click on Share this Calendar
- Type in your work email address
- Change the Permission Settings to Manage changes and Manage sharing
- Save
- You will now be able to update your personal calendar from work.
- For those of you that use a mobile device, when you sync your work calendar to your phone or tablet you will also be able to update the personal calendar.
Now, for embedding a calendar into a website:
Lets start with Google Sites.
How to embed your Google Calendar into a non-Google site.
Next
You have now extended the direct access to your classroom beyond the brick and mortar walls of your school.
Lets start with Google Sites.
- Click on the Apps icon at the top right of your screen when you are in Google Drive. (It looks like a nine button keypad.)
- Click on the Sites icon.
- Click on the red Create.
- Click on the Blank Template option, Name your site, Select a theme, Click Create.
- (If you Click on the Browse the Gallery option and Select Teacher Template #1 you will find some helpful hints. I created this template and embedded some ‘how-to’ videos. I will have to update the template but this should work for this set of instructions)
- Click on the Pen/Pencil icon to edit the page.
- Click on Insert near the top left.
- Select Calendar from the third column of options.
- Select the Calendar you want to embed.
- Click on the Select button.
- You will then have options to choose view and display options. I suggest that you play around with these options. Choose what works best for you.
- Click the RED SAVE button to set the display options
- Click the BLUE SAVE button near the top left to save the site level changes.
- Now, to update your website on a daily basis, all you have to do is to edit your calendar.
- When you have created a site that you like, adjust the Share settings to make it so that anyone with the link can view it.
- Click on Share.
- Copy the link and paste it in an email it to me.
- Change the Who has Access settings to allow anyone with the link to view the site.
How to embed your Google Calendar into a non-Google site.
- Click on the drop down arrow next to the name of the calendar that you want to share.
- Click on Calendar Settings.
- In the middle of the page there is an Embed this Calendar option.
- You can simply copy the html code or you can click on the Customize link above the code. Once you have made the desired changes, copy the html code.
- Go to your website and find the option that allows you to change the html or embed html code.
- Paste the copied code.
Next
- Create an event on the calendar you have embedded on your site.
- Make sure you select to correct calendar in the event editing screen.
- Attach a document.
- Refresh your site.
- Watch the event appear.
You have now extended the direct access to your classroom beyond the brick and mortar walls of your school.
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