As an ordinary subject teacher, I have about 16 classes each week. Since I teach Information Technology, there is only one class per week for each group, which means I have to teach 16 different classes. Remembering when, which class, in which classroom, and what subject to teach during the 5 days of the week was once a headache for me. To complicate matters further, it is inevitable to encounter situations where I need to swap classes with other teachers—some classes get canceled, and some are added on short notice.
In the first few years of being a teacher, I worked in the school's academic office and didn't teach many classes. At that time, I only needed to print a blank schedule on paper and handwrite the subjects I taught to easily remember them—many teachers used this method. Later, I started teaching full-time, and the information about my classes became increasingly complex, making it difficult to rely solely on paper and pen or memory.
So, I began trying various schedule-related apps to find a tool that could help me record my teaching information while also conveniently handling class swaps. After some exploration, I found a schedule management app that basically met my needs—iStudiez Pro.
Basic Information about the App#
- App Name: iStudiez Pro
- Platform: macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, Android
- Price: The app itself is free, with online sync costing ¥68/year
Basic Usage Method#
- Create a new semester/academic year
First, create a new semester or academic year in the "Schedule" interface based on the school calendar, which is the foundation for recording course information.
- Create subjects/classes based on teaching assignments
Next, create courses based on the subjects and class information you teach. Since I only teach Information Technology, I directly set the subject name as the class name for easier management.
- Edit specific information for each class
After creating the courses, you can edit the detailed information for each class. To facilitate input, you can first modify the duration of each class and the weekly workday arrangement in "Settings" - "General" according to your personal needs.
Then, you can add course information for each subject in the "Schedule" interface. However, I personally prefer to record the detailed arrangements for each class in the "Overview" interface on the computer, referring to the schedule issued by the school.
You can choose regular classes or single classes. For daily teaching, I generally select "Regular Class," then edit the start and end dates, class times, repetition frequency, classroom location, and other specific information for each class.
- Cancel or swap classes and set holidays as needed
If you encounter situations where classes need to be swapped or canceled, you can edit the details by clicking on the corresponding course in the "Calendar" interface on the mobile app (or the "Overview" interface on the computer). Canceling a class is very simple, while swapping classes can be done by adding a "Single Class" type on the new class day.
For holidays, you can add them in the "Holiday" option in the "Schedule" interface based on actual circumstances. In the settings, there are two ways to handle classes during holidays—under the "Other Dates" mode, classes during the holiday will be canceled, while the "All Class Schedule" mode will carry the class hours forward.
Calendar Synchronization#
If we only look at the function of recording and arranging class hours, iStudiez Pro may not be significantly different from other schedule apps. However, the main reason I chose it is its powerful course calendar synchronization feature.
I usually keep my daily arrangements and to-do items recorded in the Apple Calendar, and the schedule synchronization feature of iStudiez Pro allows my course arrangements to be directly synced to the calendar, giving me a clearer grasp of my daily time management.
In the "Settings" - "Calendar" interface, clicking "Add to Calendar" will directly sync the schedule to the Apple Calendar. If you need to sync to Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar, you can also choose the "Advanced" option to obtain a webcal format calendar URL for subscription.
Others#
In addition to the basic usage and calendar synchronization features mentioned above, iStudiez Pro also includes many other practical features.
For example, for each specific class, you can add "Tasks" on the computer. If a certain class on a certain day requires students to complete "Exercise A," you can add the corresponding to-do task on that class's detail page to track completion.
Additionally, iStudiez Pro offers exam and assignment management features, which may be even more useful for teachers of cultural subjects like language and math.
Using iStudiez Pro over the past few years has not only helped me easily manage my schedule and handle class swaps but also seamlessly integrates my teaching and personal time management through calendar synchronization. For teachers like me who need to manage multiple classes and frequently adjust courses, it is a very practical tool that effectively reduces many trivial matters in daily teaching.
As a teacher of Information Technology in the compulsory education stage, I have always enjoyed trying various digital tools in my work. The "Digital Teacher's Stationery Box" series is a collection of articles introducing the tools or methods I use. It specifically includes:
- Digital Teacher's Stationery Box 1: Schedule Management—iStudiez Pro + Calendar (this article)