Back to School!

It’s time! No more procrastination! It is back to school time and time to be organized. I have a little over two weeks to prepare for the upcoming school year. Inspired by ProfHacker, I’ve made a checklist of what I hope to accomplish in the next two weeks. Wish me luck!

1. Establish a filing system to corral papers that come up for each course and meeting group.
2. Create a model portfolio for each course, to aid in student understanding of expectations.
3. Review the curriculum for each course to identify changes in applications and potential uses of technology.
4. Set up computer file folders for each course. Our online submittal process is cumbersome for returning marked homework and requires multiple saves.
5. Complete work on my new website for students. I changed my webhosting over the summer and am completely reworking my site design.
6. Post the syllabus to each course on its website listing and on the school's site.
7. Create a Google docs form for student information. Rather than collecting and organizing papers with student information, I am going to try to keep basic information electronically.
8. Post two weeks of lessons for each course, including tutorials, homework deadlines, work guidelines, and lab assignments.
9. Paint the cabinet that got missed last year when we were painting, and do other general cleaning and room preparation.
10. Enter school events into my calendar such as holidays, breaks, due dates for grades, etc.
11. Refresh my work wardrobe. It is important to me to look neat and professional at work, even on days when the work is messy. A review of outdated, ill-fitting, and worn clothing and shoes is needed.
12. Stock up on office snacks and supplies.

How about you? What are you doing to get ready for this school year?