Here are your 3 7 tips that you can use in your classroom today for the week of February 25, 2019.
This Week is All About Google Drive
1. Organize your Shared with Me
“Shared with me” in Google Drive is an unorganized, cluttered mess that’s frustrating to view. Plus it’s hard to find anything.
You cannot create folders in “Shared with me.”
But you can move those files to folders in My Drive.
When you move a shared Google Drive file to My Drive, it doesn’t actually copy the file into your storage space. Think of “My Drive” and “Shared with me” as labels. When you move the file it keeps the “Shared with me” label and also adds the “My Drive” label.
You can organize everything under your “My Drive” label into folders, including the shared files that you move to it.
You can move the shared files by clicking and dragging into “My Drive” or a My Drive sub-folder in the left sidebar. Or you can select the files and either right-click and select “Add to My Drive”, or click on the “Add to My Drive” icon at the top.
Keep in mind that you’re not actually moving the shared Google files to your storage space. So if you’re running Google Drive File Stream on your computer, you will not see those files in your Google Drive folder in Windows Explorer.
Test it out: click on "my drive." What do you see - files or folders? Move any "homeless" files into folders.
Put every file in a folder
Tip: Don't be shy about how many folders you create. I have folder "trees" that are 7+ deep. If you want your files to be in a specific order, add a number prefix.
Create sub folders to organize your files.
Tip: if you have a LOT of homeless files to organize, open the file tree on the left and drag and drop you files into folders. You can also hold down the ctrl key to select multiple files at the same time.
Tip: you can use hashtags and special characters to draw attention to special files. I use [template] to identify documents that I copy frequently.
Name your Google Drive files carefully
When you share a folder, no one has to remember everyone on the team. The folder already knows. Dump your file in and you're done!
Tip: I recommend sharing folders as "view only." You can make any file within the folder editable, but you don't want everything editable by default.
Tip: I recommend sharing folders as "view only." You can make any file within the folder editable, but you probably don't want everything editable by default.
Team Drive
Your team could benefit from using a TEAM Drive folder. This feature became available in the spring of 2017 and offers new features for team sharing:
Try it: click on a file in drive and press "shift + z." It's magic!
Note: you can’t use shift + z to add a file to a team Drive, only a traditional folder.
add color to your drive folders.
Tip: If you add your emoji at the front of the folder name it will move to the top of your list.
add emoji to your drive folders
2. Use folders
Your files are like people. Folders are like houses. Make sure that everyone has a home! The goal is to eliminate any "homeless" files.Test it out: click on "my drive." What do you see - files or folders? Move any "homeless" files into folders.
Put every file in a folder
Tip: Don't be shy about how many folders you create. I have folder "trees" that are 7+ deep. If you want your files to be in a specific order, add a number prefix.
Create sub folders to organize your files.
3. Name your files carefully
Generic files names were okay when they were only your files. But Google Drive is for sharing, and when you share a file called "notes," you aren't doing your friends any favors. Be super detailed and specific with your file names.- Bad: Lesson Plan
- Good: Week 3 Lesson Plan | Stewart Lee, 2017
- Bad: Meeting Agenda
- Good: Curriculum Meeting Agenda, March 21, 2017
Tip: you can use hashtags and special characters to draw attention to special files. I use [template] to identify documents that I copy frequently.
Name your Google Drive files carefully
4. Share folders not files
Sharing individual files is fine if you are sharing with a small number of people on an infrequent basis. But most of us work in teams, groups or committees and share and pass files around. This is a prime use for a shared folder.When you share a folder, no one has to remember everyone on the team. The folder already knows. Dump your file in and you're done!
Tip: I recommend sharing folders as "view only." You can make any file within the folder editable, but you probably don't want everything editable by default.
Team Drive
Your team could benefit from using a TEAM Drive folder. This feature became available in the spring of 2017 and offers new features for team sharing:
- The TEAM owns the files, not a person (important when team members leave)
- Team Drive files do not show up in shared with me
- Team Drive has a very different visual design to set it apart from a shared folder.
5. Use shift + z to add files to a folder
Tip #4 creates a problem: "How do you add a file to the shared folder and keep it in your files"? The answer is "shift + z." Use this shortcut to ADD a file to several folders. Now you can keep files organized using your personal system AND put it in a shared folder.Try it: click on a file in drive and press "shift + z." It's magic!
Note: you can’t use shift + z to add a file to a team Drive, only a traditional folder.
6. Color your folders
Add color to your most frequently used folders to make them easy to find. Right click on a folder and look for the "color" option.
7. Use emoji 😀
If color isn't enough for you, you can add emoji to your folder names. Install Emoji for Chrome and add your favorite emoji into your folder names!
Tip: If you add your emoji at the front of the folder name it will move to the top of your list.
add emoji to your drive folders
ChatterPix - thanks to Sunny Whitfield!
WHAT IS CHATTERPIX?
Chatterpix is a FREE app available in the app store that can make anything talk--pets, friends, doodles, and more! Take any photo, draw a line to make a mouth, and record your voice....that's it!! Share with friends and family as a silly greeting, playful message, or creative card.
COOL THINGS ABOUT CHATTERPIX
Easy to use: choose a photo, draw a line for the mouth and record the message. Done!
You don’t need to create an account to use it. It’s free.
*You’re limited to 30 seconds of audio, thus focusing students on the essential elements of storytelling.
HOW TEACHERS CAN USE IT
Take a picture of an object an add adjectives to describe it.
Take a picture of geometric shape and have the shape give its attributes.
Have students animate a favorite photo of themselves with messages for a virtual exhibition — great for students with social anxiety issues around presenting.
Take a picture of a character in a book and have them introduce him/herself.
Get a picture of the author of book and have the author share the author's message.
Take a picture of a book and share the genre of the book and why.
Make figurative language come to life. Use a picture to share personification/idioms/similies/metaphors as if they were taking literally.
Record the morning school announcements.
Take a picture of book and give a recommendation.
Create a map of a country and give each state it’s own voice.
Students can share a poem, tell or retell a story, tell a story from a different point of view, or even solve a math problem.
Have students record bios of famous historical figures.
As an educator, you could also record yourself giving instructions for a lesson; modeling that bio of a famous historical figure; create a map of a significant place in a book your class is reading
Just for fun!
