The GENIUS of Drive Linking in Google Classroom

The genius of drive linking in google classroom
The GENIUS of Drive Linking in Google Classroom

A tough paradigm shift when you use Google Classroom is understanding that there are NO ATTACHMENTS. There are only links from Google Drive. If you upload something to Classroom, look more carefully, it actually says you are uploading to Google Drive. Classroom automatically organizes files in Google Drive.

One Place to Find Things

What this means is that I do not have to remember what class, what assignment has the file I need to update. I can go to Google Drive and search for the file. I can open it from Google Drive. I can edit it and have full confidence that it updates in ALL my Google Classroom classes.

Teaching 6 periods of Algebra 1 means a lot of files that are exactly the same in 6 different places.

Copies Are the Devil

Let’s say I am in my 1st period class. I use the Create button in an assignment to make a directions document. Obviously I need this same directions document in my other 6 classes. One option is to assign to multiple classes. Most likely I forget to do this or I need to schedule the assignment for a specific time in the other classes and currently Google Classroom does not allow you to do that. So I go to my 2nd period class and use the Create button on the Classwork tab to “Reuse post.” It will ask me, do I want to make copies of the attachments? NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!

99.9% chance I have a typo on whatever I made.

[Tweet]The only reason to want to make a copy of something to another class is because it is COLLABORATIVE and each class needs to edit their own copy. [/tweet]

Each copy is a copy in Google Drive…. with the same name. What a mess!!!

Always Collaborating

I am ALWAYS collaborating, even if it just with myself. Copies kill collaboration. Now you have a copy… which one should be edited? Nightmare. If I want to update the document in 1st period… I also want it updated in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc…

For this reason, I use a Google Doc/Slides NOT the description in a Google Classroom assignment to leave directions. That way when I update the directions on the Google Doc it updates in ALL my classes.

Find it In Drive

If I need to make edits, I do not go to Google Classroom (well, sometimes I do… if I already have it open), I go to Google Drive.

TIP: Star all your documents

If you click the star icon next to the document title when you make it you can filter Google Drive for documents that are starred. This makes all the student work go away when you search (and select starred documents). If the document is anything you might want to look at again, star it.

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