Let’s create our school calendar
We will assume you already have a Google account and have your own Google Calendar established. To create a school calendar, find “My calendars” on the left-hand side of the screen. Select “Create new calendar.”
Creating a new calendar
Name your calendar. The name you pick will be the one the public sees later. Your new calendar has its own color. To add an event, click on the desired date and start typing.
Adding an event to the school calendar
After entering the name of the event, you see a drop-down menu allowing you to choose the correct calendar for it.
On your Google Calendar, you will see all of your personal events in one color and all of the school events in another. If you have experience with Google products, you probably know how to “share” that calendar with someone else.
The question remains, “How do I get that calendar to show up in my blog or website?”
Getting the embed code
Navigating to the embed code
On the left-hand side of your Google Calendar, again click the drop-down beside “My Calendars.” This time, choose “Settings.” On the next screen, click the name of the calendar you want to embed.
On the next screen, look for the “Embed This Calendar” section. Here, you will see the code. Highlight and copy it. In a moment, you will paste this code into your website or blog.
Embed code to copy
If you are using Blogger…
Log into Blogger.com. Select the desired blog if you have more than one. In the “Layout” menu, click “add a gadget” either in the sidebar or footer, depending on which of those areas you want the calendar to go.
Where to embed the calendar in Blogger
The gadget you would select would be an “html” gadget. Paste the code in the box which appears and “Save.”
Paste the embed code here for Blogger
If you are using WordPress…
With a website, the process is going to be similar. For example, if you are using WordPress, log into the Dashboard. Select “Appearance” and then “Widgets.” On the left will be the different widgets you can use. In this case, find the one that says “Text” and drag it to the sidebar or Footer. Click the drop-down arrow in the Text widget and paste the code.
Adding a widget in WordPress
The finished product
Adding future events
When you embed the calendar one time, you’re done. To add new dates or change current ones, you don’t have to log into your blog or website. Merely keep your own Google Calendar up to date. The calendar on the website updates automatically.
An added bonus
Parents and students can visit your site and view the school calendar. If they have a Google Calendar, they have a fantastic option. They can “subscribe” to the school calendar. In the image above, see the icon in the lower-right corner of the calendar? If someone clicks that icon, they will be “subscribed” to your calendar.
What does being “subscribed” mean? When they visit their own Google Calendars, they will see the school calendar displayed along with their own events. Each calendar retains its own color. Each calendar can be toggled on and off.
If you add a new school event on your calendar, it updates on their calendar. If you change an event on your calendar, it’s changed on theirs. Your stakeholders need never miss another event.
Too good not to do
A good calendar system keeps everyone on the same page. Google Calendar is so universally accessible and so easy to use, it’s hard to find a reason not to use it. Embedding the Google Calendar in your site lets all stakeholders know what’s happening and when.
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