Just Google It

Google. It's like magic.  You type something in and abracadabra, an abundant list of resources appear as if out of thin air.  But beyond its search engine capabilities, are middle and high school students taking advantage of the many other services Google offers?  I'm sure many have Gmail and YouTube accounts and even more use Google+, but more than likely these tools are being used in a social manner rather than an educational one.  One aspect of Google that perhaps gets overlooked by students, and offers many educational benefits, is Google Drive. 

Google Drive is a service that lets you store and create files in a safe, secure and sharable way wherever you install it.  In other words, Google Drive is a backup place to store important information in case anything ever happens to your computer or tablet, and unlike other online storage sites it lets you create documents, presentations and spreadsheets, similar to Microsoft Office, for personal use or to share with others. 

The most simplest and basic way students can use Google Drive to their advantage is by the fact that it eliminates USB flash drives for them.  We've all had moments of panic 5 minutes before class on the day we're presenting a project and we can't find our flash drive anywhere, it's nerve wrecking.  By saving schoolwork onto Google Drive, students take away the stress and worry of having to keep their flash drive safe throughout the day because everything is already stored and access to it is just as easy.  Teachers also won't have to hear "I forgot it at home" or "I saved the wrong copy" when their students are getting ready to present.    

Google Drive is also a great writing and editing tool for students that work on the high school newspaper.  By writing drafts using Google Docs, students can share their work with teachers and student editors for review before publication.  It's easy to make comments and corrections, and once students are done with their final drafts the page editor can have immediate access to all the stories to begin the layout process.  No emails have to be sent back and forth and there is no confusion about which draft to publish. 

Google Docs is also a great way for English teachers to get their students to write collaborative stories.  The teacher can start by picking a certain topic or central theme that has been discussed in class and begin the story by creating a new document with an introduction.  Each student thereafter reads what has been written and adds a paragraph.  What might usually be an in class exercise where students pass around a piece of paper to write a story, can become a more elaborate project for students to practice their writing skills and use their creativity.

Whether it's for personal school organization or for student use, Google Drive is easy and quick to learn and in my opinion the essential tool for teachers to use.