Google Drive

By Lain Knieriem

Google Drive is a revolutionary document creator and database that will change your way of thinking about the classroom. Most compare it to its competitor, Microsoft Office, because both programs look and respond the same way, though Google docs has a lot more features.  Google Drive can seem confusing, but if you know how to use Microsoft Office, then you already know how to use Google Drive too!

Here at Perry Central, all of our students have a Google email, which is already linked to their personal Google Drive. The email and drive correspond to each other; one couldn’t work without the other. All of your saving, creating, and sharing is all internet based, and easy to do.

The five default apps that Google Drive has to offer are Documents, Presentation, Spreadsheet, Forms, and Drawing (You can get many more apps for free). The word document, presentation, and spreadsheet are just like Microsoft Office’s versions known as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Docs are more modern and easier to use. The Form is for making tests, or surveys, and the drawing is a design creator, that allows you to create sketches.

On Google docs you can share your work. This is not just emailing a copy to a friend, via google email, students or teachers can work on a document at the same time on their own computer. This can be very helpful and collaborative for group work in classes or meetings. All that you have to do is just use the share tab in Google Drive, type in the friend's email address, and you’re on your way. Along with making and sharing the documents, you have to save your work in Microsoft Office, but in Google Docs, it saves every word that you type to your drive, so when you are finished, just close the window. 

Another part of Google that is sometimes forgotten by the world is Google Calendar. This calendar by Google can make the experience in and out of the classroom at Perry central so much easier, more organized, and more fun. The calendar would make it to where the corporation could create a schedule of the sports games to which people can subscribe, and be alerted to when there is a basketball, or football game. Also teachers can subscribe to a created calendar, which would indicate who has parking lot duty or lunch and recess duty, and so on. Students could subscribe to the teacher's class calendar to see assignments and due dates.

          So with Google Drive already being used in the High School by some and by few in the elementary, we need to put the program back on the map. Also if you would need any help with this just email me at knierieml@pccommodores.org, and watch this video that explains the basics of drive. 

Introduction to Google Drive- 6 minutes long

More in-depth information about Drive- 17 minutes long