The answer is always a spreadsheet, but sometimes the tips are hard to remember to implement. Practice these 3 Google Sheets shortcuts to really help you get more out of using a spreadsheet in your daily classroom workflow. Whether you are managing a massive student roster or tracking formative assessment data, efficiency is the key to staying organized without losing your prep period to manual data entry. Most teachers only use a fraction of what this tool can actually do, but mastering a few specific keyboard commands can transform your spreadsheet from a static list into a high powered command center.
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1. Make a Column
You might have some vocabulary words that are presented in different columns and you wish they were all in the same column. Here is a quick and easy way to accomplish this that you’re sure to use often.
TOCOL
=TOCOL() (to column) will take your range of data and turn it into a single column. In a blank cell, or on a new sheet, type =TOCOL( and highlight the entire grid of information you want to bring together. Press enter and boom, an easy list that you can copy and paste easily into a Google Doc if you want.
2. Paste Values Only
How many times have you pasted into a spreadsheet only for it to turn out funky? The trick is the SHIFT key.
Control Shift V - Paste Special
When pasting content, use paste special (Control Shift V) to paste only the values, not the formulas or formatting.
For example, in the above tip of using TOCOL to send all your data into a single column, this doesn’t copy paste nicely. Highlight the parts of the column that you want to copy, and when you paste use the Shift key. This will successfully paste the values you highlighted instead of giving you a formula error.
3. Group Rows or Columns
If you keep adding to a spreadsheet it gets tedious to keep scrolling past the old rows. You don’t want to hide them, but you want to get to the bottom faster.
Group the rows!
Alt + Shift + Right Arrow
Highlight a selection of rows (or columns) and use Alt Shift Right arrow on a PC (Option Shift Right Arrow on a Mac) to create a group out of those rows. A line will appear to the left showing you those rows are grouped. At the top of the line is a box with a minus sign to let you collapse the group. This now shows as a plus sign that you can easily expand to show the rows when you need them.
