TemplateTab Copies a Graphic Organizer Per Student

TemplateTab is one of the first things I ever coded, and I think one of the best things I’ve coded. Special thanks to Alicia Williams and John McGowan for helping me get this published to the G Suite Marketplace.

All Students in the Same Spreadsheet

If you have ever taken an online workshop with me you will know I love having everyone in the same spreadsheet. Why open 30 when you can open one?! I use the TemplateTab Add-on to make this easy. Now after 5 years, it is publicly available for anyone to install it!

Note: TemplateTab collects NO data. It simply creates sheets within the same spreadsheet. It also gives you the ability to create a fresh copy for use with a different class of students.

How It Works

After installing the Add-on locate TemplateTab in the Add-on menu for any Google Sheets Spreadsheet. The first sheet in your spreadsheet should be your roster of student names. (Note: you can hack TemplateTab to create named tabs that are not student names.) The second sheet is your graphic organizer that will be copied per student.

Setup Sheet

If you already have your spreadsheet where the first sheet is your roster and the second is the graphic organizer you can skip this step. Otherwise, click “Setup sheet” in the sidebar to insert a sheet for you to paste your roster.

Need your class roster? Google Classroom users can use the Chrome extension “Class Roster” to get a Google Sheets spreadsheet of their students. Tip, start here and add the graphic organizer as the 2nd tab, no roster copy paste required.

Run TemplateTab

Clicking “Run TemplateTab” in the sidebar will copy the graphic organizer on the 2nd tab for each name on the roster. A tab will be created with each student’s name on it.

Share the Spreadsheet

Share the spreadsheet with the students with edit access. Each student finds their name along the bottom and utilizes the graphic organizer. Everyone in the same spreadsheet.

Google Classroom users, click the Drive icon in an assignment and add the spreadsheet. Change the default “Students can view file” to “Students can edit file.”

Coding Google Apps Script

I coded TemplateTab so you do not need to look at or know any code! But if you do want to make your own applications like TemplateTab you can use Google Apps Script to do it! It is easier than you think. At the top of my site, under “Templates” is “Apps Script Tutorials” if you want a free place to get started! If you’ve been coding and want to move to publishing your Add-ons check out automagicalappreneurs.com where I am collaborating with THE John McGowan for being a Google Apps Developer.

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