Unit 3: Google Drive
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Unit Objective
This unit examines Google Drive, a cloud-based collaboration tool that allows students and teachers to create and share documents, presentations and spreadsheets. Through careful reading and your participation in the learning activity, you will work towards building a deeper understanding of how Google Drive works and what it can do for your class(es). Click here to access Google Drive's website.
At the end of this unit, students will be able to:
- Understand and explain the benefits of Google Drive
- Demonstrate the creation and sharing of documents with others
Lesson 1: What is Google Drive and how do I use it?
What is Google Drive?
Google Drive is a cloud-based application that allows you to create and share documents, presentations and spreadsheets with others. Google Drive also has a collaboration feature that allows up to 50 people to simultaneously edit a document, and up to 500 people to simultaneously view a document. Using Google Drive's collaboration feature, group work can take place from anywhere in the world (with Internet access).
Click here to watch a video about Google Drive.
What makes Google Drive a great tool?
There are a number of reasons why Google Drive is a great collaborative tool for classes. Here are some of them:
- Using Google Drive, students are able to co-create learning artifacts with their peers, and as a result, there is a built-in peer revision system. This allows students to express their ideas, and get immediate feedback from other students. This helps students take responsibility for their learning because students "create their own research questions after identifying gaps in their understanding, through discussion with peers and facilitators" (Rowe, Bozalek, & Frantz, 2013, p. 602). Rather than have teachers tell students what to look for, students can derive their research questions and other ideas from each other.
- While students are working on Google Drive, the changes they make to their documents are automatically saved. There's no need to worry about a power failure or a hard drive crash. Student's can have peace of mind in knowing that they won't lose countless hours of their work in the event of a computer malfunction. As an added bonus, Google Drive comes with a revision history feature, so if students make changes they don't like, they can revert to previous versions of their documents with just a few clicks!
- In traditional collaboration, students would email files back and forth to their group members. With Google Drive, that's no longer necessary. One group member can share one document with the entire group, and everyone can make changes. That means students won't have to worry about tracking down the latest version of their document, or how multiple people are going to contribute. With logistics out of the way, students can focus on the task at hand.
How do I create a Google Drive Account?
Google Drive is available for free with a Google account. If you already have a Gmail account, you already have access to Google Drive! To create a Google account, go to www.google.com in any web browser and click "Sign In" in the upper-right corner of the window. You can sign in using an existing account, or create a new one! If you're using a personal Google account, you'll have 15GB of free storage, but if you're using a Google Apps for Education account, you have unlimited storage space.
Once you're in Google Drive, you can click the "Create" button to get started. From the list, you can choose to create a document, presentation, spreadsheet, form and more. Once you've created a document, you can change the title in the upper-left corner of the window, and to start composing your document, simply start typing in the document the way you would in Microsoft Word.
Once you have multiple documents in your Drive, you can create folders and click-and-drag documents into them to keep all of your work organized.
How do I create and share a document on Google Drive?
Creating and sharing Google Drive documents couldn't be easier. Once you're signed into your Google account, simply click the Google Apps menu in the upper-right corner of your screen and choose "Drive."
Once you have created a document (or folder), you can share it by clicking the share button in the upper-right corner of the window. Next, enter the names or email addresses for the people you'd like to share your document with. You can choose from the following permissions:
- Viewers of a document have read-only access to the document.
- Commenters can read documents and leave comments.
- Editors can read and comment on documents as well as make changes to the document itself.
- Owners have full access to the document which allows them to view, comment, edit and delete the document entirely.
Click here to view a Google Drive help document I created.
Lesson 2: Exploring Potential Uses for Google Drive
Although Google Drive is designed as a collaboration tool, it can be used in a number of different ways. The following are some examples of how Google Drive can be implemented in higher education:
- Any course that requires students to work on a group presentation can use Google Drive. After creating a document on Google Drive, multiple students can edit the presentation at once and work from anywhere in the world. The revision history will also tell the instructor which students contributed to the presentation, so proactive students can be rewarded for their efforts.
- Google Drive allows students to write all of their essays on Google Drive and keep them in a separate folder that they can share with their instructor. Once the instructor has access to either comment on or edit the documents, he/she can provide comments and feedback to students and see the student's progression without having to print multiple drafts and hand back handwritten feedback.
- Students who are interested in displaying writing samples on online portfolios can write these artifacts on Google Drive and link to them on their online portfolio. Since the link references the document, any changes made to the document will automatically be reflected in the link itself, so there won't be a need to update content in multiple places.
Activity
Read
Read the following article about Google Drive as an approach to authentic learning, and think about the possible implication for your class(es):
- Using Google Drive to Facilitate a Blended Approach to Authentic Learning (Please note: When accessing this article, click "Get PDF" on the right under "Article Tools." On the next page, click the thumbnail of the article to read it without having to pay for it.)
Write
Based on the article provided above, please post your answers to the following questions in a well-written discussion board post. Be sure to include any relevant information from your personal or professional experiences to enhance this activity. Take this activity as an opportunity to reflect on your current teaching practices and think about how Google Drive can be used to enhance your class(es). To access the discussion board, please click the Discussion tab at the top of this window.
- What, if any, are the benefits of Google Drive?
- How does synchronous collaboration help improve learning?
- Thinking about your current class', can Google Drive improve your students' experience?
- If so, how?
- What are your thoughts on Google Drive? Do you see utility in Google Drive?
Do
Now that you have an understanding of what Google Drive can do, it's time to put that knowledge to practice. Please sign up for a FREE Google account (or you can use an existing Google account if applicable) and create a Google Drive document. Then, share that Google Drive document with a colleague and work simultaneously on the document. Be sure to adhere to the following items:
- Add a title to your document.
- Use as many features as you can. These can include various text, lists, tables and more.
Reflect
Having created a Google Drive document and shared it with a colleague, think about your experiences and how these translate to your course. Think about the following questions and the implications it can have for your class:
- How easy is it to create and share a document on Google Drive? Is this something my students can do?
- What learning activities do my students do now that can be improved using Google Drive?
- What limitations do you find with Google Drive? Will these limitations adversely affect your course?
What's Next
Now that you have an understanding of how Google Drive works and what it can do, let's move onto the next unit!
Please note that Unit 2 through Unit 5 can be completed in any sequence. Click the link below to access the following unit of your choice:
If you have completed Unit 1 through Unit 5 (in any order), click here to access Unit 6: Implement and Evaluate.
Click here to go back to the Course Homepage.
References
Rowe, M., Bozalek, V., & Frantz, J. (2013). Using Google Drive to facilitate a blended approach to authentic learning. British Journal of Education Technology, 44(4), 594-606.