Google Drive Refresher

Now that the summer's over and we are back in full school mode, let’s get into gear with becoming familiar with our Google Drive. The best way I can describe Google Drive is an endless filing cabinet.  I love that any Google item you create is stored here. In fact,  you can store pretty much anything, even if it isn't a Google product, love it! I have worked with numerous teachers on cleaning & organizing their Drives. I've found that while most educators go to their Google Drives often, they don't always know how to navigate their Drive effectively. There are so many options to customize Drive and really make it work for you. There is no one way of organizing your Drive. You have to do what works for you.  Below are some tips in understanding the various parts of Drive.

• Understand which View you prefer in Drive. There is no “right” way to view your Drive. The List View allows you to read more of the tiles and folders of your files. The Grid View displays your folders as tiles and shows a preview of your of your file. (Your folders will always be at the top). 

• Decide on using Quick Access. If enabled, you will see a few files at the very top of your Drive (above your folders). You can NOT customize or force files to show up here. You CAN open them up from here. You might prefer NOT seeing Quick Access so you can view more of your Drive. You turn this off in your Settings. ​
  

• The Details/Activity column could be a helpful tool in the Drive. Select a folder or file and learn details about that item. In Activity view, you can see a brief history of the item. In your Drive, click on the “info circle” to turn Details/Activity on/off, then switch between Details and Activity and decide which option you prefer.
  

• Learning about your menu options and short cuts will help you navigate your Drive easily.
  

Hope these tips helped you better understand your Drive. These would be great to share with your students as well. Please book your site Tech TOSA for further support with Google Drive.

Bhavini Patel