I am a big fan of keyboard shortcuts. I try to use the mouse as little as possible as that slows down my workflow. In the classroom, being fluent with keyboard shortcuts is essential as we need all the time we can get to work with students not fight with technology. Here are 30 keyboard shortcuts that teachers need.
30 Keyboard Shortcuts That Teachers Need
Join me for an eye opening OTIS session on keyboard shortcuts!
In my workshop with OTIS I tried to choose 30 lesser known keyboard shortcuts that teachers need. This won’t be your typical Control C and Control V… although those are definitely essential keyboard shortcuts!!
30 Keyboard Shortcuts That Teachers Need
Learn how you can enhance efficiency and classroom management with keyboard shortcuts, a simple yet powerful way to swiftly navigate digital tools. In this session, Alice Keeler will introduce keyboard shortcuts for Google Chrome and Google Workspace. We’ll learn how to streamline daily tasks and foster a more interactive learning environment. Through this webinar, teachers will not only learn to use these shortcuts effectively, but also enhance their digital proficiency, ultimately boosting their skills and making room for student engagement.
And Here Are 30 More
I hope you’ll check out my OTIS session either live or catch the recording afterwards. Here are 30 more keyboard shortcuts that teachers need that I did not include in my OTIS workshop.
Hands off the mouse!! The challenge is how do you navigate your computer to increase your efficiency so you can spend more time focusing on students?
Jump to Other Tabs Quickly
I always have a lot of tabs open. I love tabs! I also love oneTab to quickly reduce and list my tabs without losing them. To quickly navigate your tabs use Control 1 to jump to the first tab. Control 2 to jump to the 2nd tab…. and of course Control 5 to jump to the 5th tab. If you’re using a Mac use the Command key instead of the Control key.
Keep your email as your first tab, gradebook as your 2nd, LMS as your 3rd so you can quickly get to these things with a Control 2.
Control 9 Is the Rightmost Tab
Control 9 does not take you to the 9th tab but rather… the LAST tab. Very handy!! I use Control T to create a new tab constantly, so the last tab is what I’m probably working on.
Switch Applications
Use Alt Tab to cycle through the different applications you have open.
Find Your History
I do a lot of research looking up information for my lesson. Now… where is that tab that I was just looking at? Use Control H to quickly open your browsing history. In Chrome your history is searchable!! Use the search bar to locate what you were looking for.
Student quickly closes their Chromebook lid when you walk by? Try Control H to check out what they have been looking at.
Scroll with the Spacebar
You’ve probably done this on accident and gotten frustrated. However, once you realize that using the spacebar on a website will scroll you down a screen you will want to use it all the time!
Shift Spacebar Scrolls Up
Scroll to far? Hold down the Shift key and press spacebar to scroll up a screen.
OTIS for Educators
I am frequently a guest presenter for OTIS. Be sure to sign up for a FREE OTIS account.
The key to register for one of my workshops is to first log into your free account. Then, navigate to “Upcoming Courses” to locate the calendar of events.
If you have any challenges with registering for free, accessing the live session, or the recording please email otis@teq.com for a quick response.
Redo Your Action
Control Z is undo, but what if you want to undo your undo? Control Y to the rescue! Redo the undo.
Select All
I constantly use Control A. As I am typing in a cell in Google Sheets or have a typo in my URL… I just want to start over. Control A to select all and then start typing again. It is also great for copying into AI to get suggestions on what I wrote.
Copy the Formatting
Control C is awesome for copying text, but try Control Alt C in Google Docs to copy the formatting. This is like using format painter, but with a keyboard shortcut!! Copying the formatting helps you to have consistency throughout your document.
This is Command Option C on a Mac.
Paste The Formatting
Of course, it doesn’t do you any good to copy the formatting if you can’t paste the formatting. Control Alt V pastes the formatting.
Find and Replace
Control F is find, but Control H is find and replace. Try finding two spaces after the period and replacing with one! Super fast!
Word Count
While I am more about the content than the amount of words a student writes… sometimes word count can be really handy. Even for myself. Control Shift C helps me to keep my directions brief.
Tools Menu in Google Docs
Alt T will get you to the tools menu quickly!
Hide the Menus
Gain more screen space, especially when projecting your Google Doc, with Control Shift F.
Nudge One Pixel At a Time
This is ESSENTIAL for me when creating slides. Select and object and hold down the Shift key to move it with the arrow keys. This will nudge the object into the perfect spot one pixel at a time.
Rotate Shapes
Alt Right Arrow will rotate your textbox, shape, or image by 15º.
Add a New Slide
When adding a new slide using Control M you will insert a slide with the last used layout. If you have the slide selected on the left in the filmstrip, simply press Enter to add a new slide.
Tab is one of the best keyboard keys!! Use Tab to cycle through the different objects on a slide. Essential when you’re trying to select an element that is behind something.
Shift Tab Cycles Backwards
I often Tab one too many times to get to the object I wanted. Shift Tab takes me backwards!
30 Keyboard Shortcuts That Teachers Need Includes Google Forms
Google Forms can make keyboard shortcuts a little tricky, but still worth the effort. The new features of being able to bold and hyperlink are cool, but if you have your cursor where the text is, some keyboard shortcuts don’t work.
Move a Question
I really wish the Forms team would allow you to collapse questions because any long question is so difficult to drag into a different position. In this case you MUST use the keyboard shortcut. Click on the edge of the question and use Control Shift J to move the question down. Control Shift K will move it up.
Mark as Correct
When grading student responses in Google Form, try Control Shift C to mark it as correct!
Use the puzzle piece for Forms Add-ons. Form Printer sends Form to Google Docs to allow you to customize how your Form looks. Also, print responses better.
Add a Question
This keyboard shortcut is on muscle memory for me. Control Shift Enter adds another question to your Form.
Duplicate a Question
Sure, you can click on the duplicate icon at the bottom right of the question, but it’s faster with Control Shift D.
Hide a Column
Control Alt 9 will hide a column quickly. Essential when you have student names you do not want to accidentally reveal.
Select the Column
Control Spacebar is easy to use and a quick way to select the entire column.
Select the Row with Shift Space
Move to the Next Sheet
Use Alt and the Up Arrow to move to the next sheet. Alt Down Arrow to the previous sheet.
Control Z – Undo
Use Control Z/Undo Liberally Do not be afraid! Try it! You can UNDO! Master the keyboard shortcut Control Z (Command Z on a Mac). Try
Quick Web Navigation Tip: Space Bar and Shift Space Bar
When navigating a website it is quicker to hit the spacebar rather than scrolling down the page. This is also handy to keep your
ZOOM – Control Plus, Minus, Zero
Zoom in On Your Screen When showing your screen, and especially when recording your screen, you want to zoom in. These keyboard shortcuts work on
Mac Tip: Command Option Escape to Force Quit
Force Quit If a program freezes or needs to be forcibly quit out of you can use Command + Option + Esc to force
Control A – Select All
Keyboard Shortcut – Control A to Select All Keyboard shortcuts greatly improve your productivity when using the computer. I recommend learning one a week. Put
Gmail Shortcuts [Infographic]
Infographic of Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts Link to infographic Turn On Keyboard Shortcuts Unlike the other Google Apps you need to enable keyboard shortcuts in Gmail.
