Remember when you were younger and had to walk or ride your bike everywhere. There was the long way-the way your elders encouraged you to take. Then there was the short cut. You may have rode through the path in the woods, through a neighborhood or behind the school. It was easier and faster. What happens when the woods are cleared or neighborhood changes? Can you still find your way?

Adding shortcuts to a student computer is fabulous. It’s easy for the student to locate the file, link, or folder-especially if it’s in a specific place. Problem is these young technologists are learning many skills and they practice them. A shortcut can be renamed or worse-deleted! What if the student only knows the shortcut and then it’s deleted one day?

Before you add the shortcuts, make sure you take the time to teach the “long way” to get to that file, link or folder. As the students master this task, you can then introduce the efficiency of shortcuts. Doing so will empower the student to locate what it is they need independently.