This one is for the trees.....

I am wearing my Environmentalist hat again. We talked about using folders in Google Drive as assignment “inboxes”. We also talked about using the comment feature to provide feedback. So far we haven’t HAD to print anything out, right? Let me paraphrase Shakespeare, “To print or not to print, that is the question”. Using Google Drive won’t completely eliminate printing (some of us are just paper trained and need that tangible student project and that is ok) but Google Drive will give us a paperless OPTION.

Teachers generate a lot of paper “stuff” throughout the nine months of school. But, Google Drive could change that as well. Teachers mean well, they don’t set out to deplete rainforests one ream of colored paper at a time they simply want their students to have ALL of the information they need to be successful. So, what if teachers used Google Drive to share all of that information? Imagine never hearing “You didn’t give me one” ever again. Students would have access to presentations, links, study guides, templates, rubrics, or even reading assignments all within a folder. This information would even be available offline. Oh my goodness, this could possibly mean no more phone calls requesting just one more copy or reduced last minute sprints to the copy machine down the hall to make copies. Parents would be able to see the notes that students don’t copy from the board. This may not only be environmentally sound but could be one step closer to world peace.

Let’s create a Class Handout Folder.

This would be a folder where you can put any documents you want your students to have access to, but not be able to change. To make a handout folder, do the following:

• Create a folder.

• Name it something that will make sense to both you and your students. A good format might be “year-period-teacher-handouts”, such as “2013-14-Practical Writing-Handouts”.

• Click on the Share icon. (Person with a plus) • Add your students to the “Add people” section at the bottom, and give them only “Can view” rights.

• Your students will receive an email with a link to the shared folder.

• Your students will need to login to their email and find the email from you, their teacher.

(In my district we provided our students with Gmail accounts – more on that later) • Students click the “shared folder” link in their email.

• Once they click on the link to the shared folder, there will be a blue box/button in the top right hand corner that says “Add to Drive”

• Clicking on “Add to Drive” add the handout folder to their list of folders in their Google Drive folder on their desktop.

• Now anything you add to the folder will automatically be available to the students in the shared handout folder.

Do you have files that you share with other teachers in your department or grade level? You could create a shared folder for them as well just like you did for students.

Don’t forget to iron your super hero capes this weekend – you may be well on your way to saving the planet.

--- IT Girl