Be Time Savvy...

Time.  What is it with the end of a break that makes me feel like I got the life sucked out of me?  Gut-punched with disappointment and realization that the daily grind will be starting again.  While I am excited to get back into my routine (and I NEED my kids to be back into their routines), I still find myself staring at the clock in revolt.

As much as I am wanting to karate-chop any calendar or time device right now, I do love my method for scheduling with teachers in school.  This is my "can't imagine living without it" site of the day.... Youcanbook.me.

I happened upon this site by chance once as I had decided to leave my middle school classroom for the role of technology integrationist.  Being uncharted territory, I needed to develop a game plan that worked for me, my admins, and most of all the teachers.  I am a BIG Googler.  Love everything Google.  I knew that I somehow wanted to combine the ease and functionality of my Google Technology Integration Calendar with something that visually showed teachers in a concise way whether or not I was free or "booked" at quick glance.  That's when I stumbled upon Youcanbook.me and its Google calendar integration.  Just sign up using the "register" button and away you go!

Below is a snapshot of a page within my Google calendar.  I picked this first week back, where I wasn't booked as solid as usual, so you can see what the teachers will see in Youcanbook.me without all my timeslots being full.  (While I do expect this to start filling up much more tomorrow, the first days after break are great for me to catch up, do updates, and get my ducks in a row before the normal chaos ensues.)

You can see that the slots are filled as teachers book them, just as if I was to put them into Google Calendar myself.  The following is what teachers see on my Google RVTechPD site.  This site (link here) is a place for teachers to have access to a variety of resources to assist them in properly infusing technology into their daily practices.

So, as you can see, the bookings coordinate with one another in the two calendars.  This is a fantastic way to book time slots for those of us who need to coordinate our schedules with others.  What's even better?  TOTALLY FREE!  So, in this new year, manage your time well and make it easier for others to connect with you.