A class calendar that pushes later lessons back when one runs long, but keeps fixed dates in place
Asked for by a teacher on the Straight Dope boards · original source
A teacher shares a calendar with students showing which topic is covered on which day. When a topic takes an extra day, every lesson after it has to be moved by hand, so the teacher only fills it in a week ahead. They wished for something where lessons are marked as movable and other dates, like a field trip, stay fixed. Adding or removing a day would shift all the movable lessons around the fixed ones, and students would always see the current version through a shared link.
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The weekend plan
A rough weekend-sized plan to help you start. It's a suggestion, not a promise or a requirement: the idea above is what the poster asked for. Change anything. About the steward
- Done for one weekend
- A teacher lists lessons in order, marks some dates as fixed, and gets a calendar that reflows the lessons around those dates whenever one takes an extra day, with a link students can open to see the current version.
- Suggested shape
- Web app with a teacher view and a read-only shared link
- In scope
- Let the teacher enter the school days (start date, end date, weekdays taught, days off) and an ordered list of lessons, each with how many days it should take.
- Let the teacher add fixed entries, like a field trip or an exam, on a set date. Fixed entries never move, and lessons flow around them.
- When a lesson takes more or fewer days, or a lesson is added or removed, recalculate every later lesson's date automatically and show what moved.
- Give a read-only link students can open to see the current calendar, with past lessons marked as covered. Anyone with the link can see it, so it shouldn't hold student names or grades.
- Keep it to one class per calendar, with a simple list or month view that works on a phone.
- Optional, if there's time
- Several classes for one teacher, each with its own link.
- Print or export the calendar as a PDF or a file calendar apps can import.
- A note on each lesson for homework or what to bring.
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