Google Classroom: Find the Google Drive Folder

Google Classroom is Google Drive management. When you log into Google Classroom for the first time a folder is created in your Google Drive called “Classroom.” Within that folder is a folder created per class.

Class Folder

Each teacher and each student has their own Classroom folder in Google Drive and their own class folder in Google Drive. These are not shared. Teachers do not have access to the student class folder. Students do not have access to the teacher class folder.

Not File Sharing

Adding files to the class folder does not share the file. The class folder in Google Drive is a regular folder in Google Drive. It is private. For the student, any assignments in Google Classroom, “the attachments” are automatically placed in both the student’s class folder and the teacher’s class folder. Same file, different folders. If the student creates a document in the class folder, the teacher does not have access to the file unless the student adds that file to a Google Classroom assignment. If the teacher creates class resources in the class folder, the students are not able to access that file unless the teacher adds it as a resource in Google Classroom.

Finding the Class Folder

Obviously, you can find the class folder in Google Drive. Locate the Classroom folder in Drive and there is a subfolder within the Classroom folder that contains the class folder.

Within Classroom, both students and teachers can find their individual folder for that class as a folder icon on the class tiles page. In the bottom right hand corner of each class tile is the Google Drive folder icon.

Classwork Page

Both students and teachers are able to locate their Google Drive folder for a particular class by going to the Classwork page. Above the assignments on the Classwork page on the right hand side is the icon for Google Calendar and the icon for Google Drive.

Students Find Their Work

All student work for a particular class is in Google Drive in the class folder. Encourage students to click on the folder icon to see a virtual notebook of all of their documents. Students can sort the folder by “Last modified” to see documents that the teacher has provided feedback on recently. Using the Google Drive folder icon is an efficient way to find work they have been working on quickly. For example, an ongoing journal can be quickly accessed through Google Drive.

Assignment Folders

For teachers only, there is a folder per assignment. Each folder contains the work of each student for that assignment. The documents are the exact same document that each student has in their drive.

Paradigm shift, Google Classroom does not make copies of documents, instead, it shares the same document. The student and the teacher have equal access to the document in real time. However, the student does not have access to the teacher’s assignment folder… obviously, the student should not have access to the other students work.