New to Google Drive?

Getting Started with Online Storage

Google Drive is an online storage system that allows files to be saved and stored online to be accessed through a web browser or app. Files can be stored for personal use or shared with others for collaborative work. No more emailing files back and forth or even using a flash drive. With Google Drive, your files are in your online account on any device you log into. Drive allows multiple people to access and edit documents in real-time. Document/file owners can determine who they want to be able to view or edit files. And, of course, you can have your own personal files and folders that don't need to be shared at all.

How do you get into Drive?

Accessing Google Drive, as with all Google Apps, is as easy as typing drive.google.com in the Omnibox search bar. (For example for Google Calendar type calendar.google.com and so on)

You can also easily access Google Apps through the apps chooser arrays located within your internet browser.

    

 

Check out Alice Keeler's tips for those who are new to Google Drive below:

11 Tips When You're New to Google Apps for Education https://t.co/71UQyGhV8q pic.twitter.com/qe90oM2Kub

— Alice Keeler (@alicekeeler) May 21, 2016

DCPS Staff Eager for More?

Check out the resources through Atomic Learning for more great videos, tutorials, and tips in becoming Google Drive savvy. 

Slack for Chemists: How about teachers too?

Recently DC's own Chemical & Engineering News wrote about how the messenger app, Slack, has improved communication inside the inner workings of a chemistry lab at the University of Michigan. Students and advisors alike mentioned how the app improved workflow as email had become cumbersome amongst colleagues.

Slack allows colleagues to interact within chat groups based on topic and group members. Different projects can have their own channel - this allows a running thread of conversation rather than a continuous back and forth through tons of reply-alls in the email setting.

This got me thinking that this sort of flow of conversation could be amazing in an educational setting, especially amongst co-teachers. As projects are planned, lessons are designed or everyday tasks are delineated amongst co-teachers a platform to carry on these constant conversations could be very beneficial. Slack allows for a number of integrations such as Google Drive and Calendar and lets users share pdf files, images, documents etc. This integration could create an ease in co-teacher planning across the school and amongst a co-teaching team or grade level. Time is precious and sitting down to plan multiple subjects with multiple people can at times prove to be impossible, however, with Slack, groups could stay connected as ideas are shared digitally. And with the organization of conversations by class period, projects, subjects - however, the team deems applicable - teams may gain back valuable time!

How about you? Are you already using Slack in an education setting? Read the C&EN article below to see how labs teams have already benefited.

Slack creates more connection without being more intrusive.
—T. Ben Britton, materials scientist, Imperial College London

ICYMI: How #Slack is helping chemists manage their labs https://t.co/7Yt3LhOtoB pic.twitter.com/8JM3HntM2q

— C&EN (@cenmag) July 19, 2016

3 Ways to Collect Digital Student Work

Of course many teachers would want their students to have Google Drive accounts or Microsoft 365 accounts, but this is surprisingly not the case in many school districts. While some teachers may use LMS systems to solve this issue, today, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite ways to collect digital student work. To often teachers will shy away from student digital creation, as it becomes cumbersome to "collect" or view. I am here to tell you that it doesn't have to be this way.

Without further adieu here are 3 Ways to Collect Digital Student Work 

1. Seesaw

Seesaw is a digital portfolio system that allows students to show what they know. With a free teacher account, students can be tied to a class and are able to login with a QR code or Google account. Teachers can provide assignments or students can create and link their projects to the teacher and/or other students. Check out more about uses as a digital collection tool here.

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2. Google Forms

Google forms have been around for awhile and no doubt we have all filled out a form that someone was using for survey purposes. Well, with a Drive account, you can just as easily sent up a Google Form (survey) as a place to collect digital project links. For example if your class all created Adobe Spark Videos (formally Adobe Voice), it is important to set up a way for students to turn in their final project links. It isn't helpful for all their projects to be stuck on individual iPads. Consider setting up a Google Form to collect student name and their project URL. For easy access make your Google Form link into a tinyurl or bookmark it for younger students. 

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3. dropittome

dropittome is a great resource as anyone can send documents to your Dropbox, Drive or OneDrive without needing an account themselves. As you account holder you decide where you want the files to be "delivered" You create your own account and provide the URL and password to those people from whom you want to receive files. It is easy to set up and collecting digital assignments can start right away!

How about you? What are some of your favorite ways to collect digital student work?

Movenote

ECE classes here is the Movenote tutorial I mentioned I would add to the blog!

Here is an example of a Movenote. It is me (Ms. Davenport) as the presenter, discussing the Google Presentation I created about Adding Movenote to Google Drive.

Google Forms & Grading

Google forms can be very helpful for collecting data, gathering student created materials, surveys or assessing students (to name a few). I recently met with some of the 4th/5th grade teachers who wanted to utilize Google Forms with their reteach plans. Yay!

It is awesome to collect data through a form. Did you know that you can run an add-on through Google Drive to help with the data you collected?

Two scenarios:

One

You created a Google Form and have all these responses in a Google Spreadsheet and you really wish you could have each response on a separate page...
Well you can!  Introducing the add-on "Save As Doc"

To use Save As Doc:

1) In a Google Spreadsheet, choose Add-Ons from the menu bar and select Get Add-Ons in the drop down menu
2) In the search box, type in Save As Doc
3) Install the add-on, then return to your spreadsheet
4) Select all data in the spreadsheet (or, alternatively, select just those entries you want to turn into docs)
5) Again, go to Add-Ons, but this time choose Save As Doc, which should appear in the drop down menu
6) From here, it should be fairly straightforward. You will be asked to name the new doc you are creating (I chose the same name as my spreadsheet, but with 'readable' tacked onto the file name), choose a setting preferences, and the new file will be generated and saved automatically in your Drive! 
(Thank you: @MsJennyKirsch)

Two

You created a Google Form and have all the student responses (many of which are multiple choice responses) and you really wish you could have help with the grading process...
Well you can as well! Meet Flubaroo

Check it out!