I forget, and my students forget. It's a fact of life. Why not make life easier?

Here are three simple hacks to keep your classroom going smoothly and help you remember lessons, links, and backpacks.

What's a simple classroom hack or tip that helps you and your students remember? Let us know: email us, tweet, and share!

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Three hacks to help retrieve and remember

Use these three hacks to help you (and your students) remember!

#1: Remember your lesson plan with a 1-minute reflection

Can't remember how a lesson from last semester or last year went? On the bottom or back of a lesson plan, include two questions:

What went well? What should I do differently next time?

As soon as you're done with the lesson, take just one minute to write down a note to your future self. Stuff all your lesson plans/reflections into a folder. The next time you teach the lesson, future-you will be glad that past-you retrieved!

#2: Retrieve links by adding QR codes to your presentation slides

Need students to quickly pull up a website, Google Form, or tech tool? Tired of waiting for them to remember their LMS passwords? Use a QR code instead! Launch the camera app on a phone (iPhone, Android, etc.) and point it at the QR code. Click on the popup link. No special app needed. Try it for yourself:

Search for a QR code generator on Google (or click here), use any of the tools, copy/paste in a link, download the image, and drag/drop it into your presentation. You'll get the hang of it quickly and your students will love you for helping them "retrieve" links. I use this hack during workshops, too!

#3: Remember backpacks with the help of luggage tags

Do students forget their belongings in your classroom? The next time you're at an airport, grab a handful of luggage tags and hand them out in class. If we can't rely on our memories, at least we can rely on name tags!