App of the Week: Google Drive
Price: Free
I can't believe that we haven't reviewed the app that I use the most in my iOS classroom/curriciulm. That app is Google Drive. One of the best things about Google Drive and its related products is that Google doesn't wait until it has perfected its products to release it. Google is alway incrementally updating its Google Drive app. Because of this, it is IMPORTANT to make sure to update Google Drive often. Some of the recent upgrades to Google Drive are improved sharing, uploading and sharing of photos, use of camera to save right to Google Drive, and the ability to create and add columns to Google spreadsheets. For me as a teacher, the most important recent upgrade is ability for me to add comments right from my iOS device on student work.
My history classroom is a BYOD, 1 to 1 environment. My goal for last year was to create a paperless classroom. I largely succeeded, mostly due to Google Drive and its incredible ability to allow collaboration between students and students, and teachers and students. Another get point for Google Drive is that it is, for the most part, device neutral which is incredibly important in BYOD environment.
Here is a short list of some of the things that we use Google Drive for in my classroom.
We have had Google Drive for Education at my school site for the last four years. If your school or district hasn't adopted Google Drive for Education, I would strongly encourage you to advocate for it for your classroom.
Any questions, feel free to contact our group using the form at the bottom of this page, or me personally,
[email protected]
I can't believe that we haven't reviewed the app that I use the most in my iOS classroom/curriciulm. That app is Google Drive. One of the best things about Google Drive and its related products is that Google doesn't wait until it has perfected its products to release it. Google is alway incrementally updating its Google Drive app. Because of this, it is IMPORTANT to make sure to update Google Drive often. Some of the recent upgrades to Google Drive are improved sharing, uploading and sharing of photos, use of camera to save right to Google Drive, and the ability to create and add columns to Google spreadsheets. For me as a teacher, the most important recent upgrade is ability for me to add comments right from my iOS device on student work.
My history classroom is a BYOD, 1 to 1 environment. My goal for last year was to create a paperless classroom. I largely succeeded, mostly due to Google Drive and its incredible ability to allow collaboration between students and students, and teachers and students. Another get point for Google Drive is that it is, for the most part, device neutral which is incredibly important in BYOD environment.
Here is a short list of some of the things that we use Google Drive for in my classroom.
- All class notes are now taken in Google Drive. No more spiral notebooks. No more lugging boxes of spiral notebooks home to grade at the end of the trimester. To check notebooks I just open my iPad and I can check notebook anytime.
- Using Google Drive for Document Based Questions (DBQ). With the adoption of Common Core Curriculum, we are are all looking at new ways of delivering instruction. One of the solutions I like for my history curriculum is to adopt much of my curriculum to DBQ using Google Drive as the delivery tool. I upload the DBQ document as a template to Google Drive and the students download and share the document with me. That's it. I can monitor student work in real time, offer help or advise, also in real time. At any one time on my classroom we may have a mix of six or seven different platforms all using Google Drive in real time. (Here is a good example of DBQ courtesy of http://www.stanwichschool.org/ http://tinyurl.com/lmgshs4
- Google Drive App integrates with many other Apps. Many other apps also allow users to upload from their app right into a students Google Drive. This makes it a convenient place for student to safely save their work to. Some of my favorites apps that offer integration are,
- Nearpod
- Evernote
- Ebackpack
- Notability
- Explain Everything
- Educreations
- And many more allow students the ability to save work to Google Drive
- Portfolios. In addition from the iOS Google Drive students can directly upload photos and video work to their drive. The ability to snap a photo and upload it directly into a students Google Drive makes it easy to keep portfolio work all in one place, in their Google Drive
We have had Google Drive for Education at my school site for the last four years. If your school or district hasn't adopted Google Drive for Education, I would strongly encourage you to advocate for it for your classroom.
Any questions, feel free to contact our group using the form at the bottom of this page, or me personally,
[email protected]
