If I can give any educator a piece of advice, it is to learn some keyboard shortcuts. The faster you are with keyboard shortcuts the more productive you are. We spend so much time planning, grading, creating, interacting with students, doing yard duty, meeting with parents, attending meetings, cleaning our own whiteboards, etc… we need to find ways to save time.
If you use a MAC you want to use the command key
If you use a PC or chromebook you want to use the control key
I am primarily a Mac user so I will refer to “command,” PC users should substitute this for control.
Stop right clicking or using menu commands to copy and paste, please.
Command C – Copy
Command V – Paste
Make a vow to not copy and paste any other way. Try using Command C and Command V multiple times a day until it is muscle memory. Mastering these 2 keyboard shortcuts will change your life (really, I do not feel I am exaggerating here).
Your new favorite keyboard shortcut is
Command Z
Command Z is the UNDO key. I probably use this about 50 times a day. This gives you license to try something. Become a button pusher. “Hmmm, I wonder what happens if I push this button, if I change this font, if I insert this thing…” Wonder no more, just go for it! You can just press command Z in almost any program or web 2.0 tool and undo what you just did if you do not like it. Anytime you say “oh shoot” just go “command z” and probably smiles will return to your face.
If you are using the internet (and obviously you do), you want to be master of the tabs!
Command T
Command T creates a new tab. I have 47 tabs open right now, I use command T all day long. As I am thinking of something I want to look up… bam, command T.
In a Google Form I may ask students to submit a URL to their project. A quick workflow for me is to use the arrow keys to move down the spreadsheet where I am on the cell with the URL. Command C, Command T, Command V push enter. This copies the URL, opens a new tab, pastes the URL and when I push enter takes me to that website. This workflow helps me to be very efficient.
Command B – Bold your text
Command U – Underline your text
Command I – Italicize your text
Command P – Print
Command A – Select All
Command S – Save
Some lesser known keyboard shortcuts
Command W – close the tab on your browser
Command + Shift + T will open the tab you accidentally closed (chrome).
Command R – refresh
Command Y – redo
Command F – Find
Click Here to link to MAC Keyboard Shortcuts poster