Educator-Specific Templates

• 09/01/03

A template is a storage area for items used repeatedly and for complex tasks you might only want to do once. Templates will help you focus on content instead of format, create an identifiable look for all your items, standardize the way a project is completed and/or presented, and help you get your projects completed faster. More specifically, templates are pre-designed layouts that can be used as a starting point or 'skeleton' to create your own publications.

Types of Templates

A great way to get started working with templates is to visit Web sites that provide opportunities to use pre-designed templates. One such site is SBC Knowledge Network Explorer's Filamentality (www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil), a free fill-in-the-blank educational template tool that guides you through picking a topic, searching the Web, gathering Internet links and turning them into learning activities. The following is a generalized list of some widely used types of templates:

• Professional Templates
  These are used to create documents such as memos, brochures, letters, forms, class lists and grade keeping.
• Publication Templates
  These are used to create items such as newsletters, books, awards, certificates, booklets, reports and flyers.
• Curriculum Templates
  These are used to create tests, quizzes, review sheets, lesson plans, assignments, puzzles and word searches.
• Web Page Templates
  These are used to create Web pages that you would upload to a server and display online. They are available in a multitude of designs and formats for all user levels.
• Software Templates
  These are the templates contained within your existing applications such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, AppleWorks and Inspiration. Check your application's help section for information and instructions related to available templates.

Template Resources

A search of the Internet will produce a lot of sites offering free templates to suit your needs. However, read each site's downloading and user instructions carefully to help guarantee appropriate use and success. The following are a few of the best template resources available on the Web:

• EducatorTemplates.com
  http://www.educatortemplates.com
  This site is a FREE directory of customizable & printable education related templates -- you'll also find tips and support for downloading, saving, opening, resaving, printing, and troubleshooting.
• Microsoft Office Template Gallery
  http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/templategallery
  This site offers more than 1,000 free templates for calendars, resumes, greeting cards, business plans and more.
• Apple Learning Interchange: AppleWorks
  http://ali.apple.com/ali_appleworks/templates.shtml
  Educators and companies share their educator-specific templates for use in the classroom.
• Hewlett-Packard - Office Templates
  www.hp.com/sbso/productivity/office/index.html
  This site from HP allows educators to create professional images with free and easy Microsoft Office templates.
• School Web Page Templates
  www.massnetworks.org/resources/sun/schools/template/Template-OV.html
  These templates provide pre-designed layouts that can be used to create Web pages.
• Free Education PowerPoint Backgrounds and Templates
  www.websiteestates.com/education/templatesindex.html
  A frequently updated collection of free PowerPoint templates geared toward students and educators.
• WebQuest Design Patterns
  http://webquest.sdsu.edu/designpatterns/all.htm
  A list of patterns derived from existing WebQuests.

Judith B. Rajala, M.A., president and founder of EduHound.com, is an independent educational technology instructor and former K-12 educator. She is also a consultant to several Connecticut-based state technology organizations. Contact her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2003 issue of THE Journal.