At Harper Park Middle School, files containing teachers' bookmarked Web sites are kept in shared folders where students can use them as well. Help teachers set up templates on the network. A template, which Mac users also call a stationary file, is easily created and is useful for repeated activities. It is simply a special computer file. When the file is opened, the computer automatically creates a copy with the text, formatting, and graphics of the original.
Users work on the copy and the original remains untouched, ready for the next person.
The way a template is created depends on the software used. With most software, however, it usually takes just a couple of mouse clicks. The uses of templates on the network are virtually endless. For example, when a teacher creates a lesson plan or instructional material on the computer, it can be shared with other teachers via a template. The original file is saved as a template and put in a folder that other teachers can access.