Google+Drive


 * G o o g l e Drive **


 * To learn what Google Drive is and how to access it**

// Google Drive is a file storage and synchronization service provided by Google, released on April 24, 2012, which enables user cloud storage file sharing and collaborative editing. Google Drive is now the home of Google Docs, a suite of productivity applications, that offer collaborative editing on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. //

The Fort Dodge Community School District is now part of Google Apps for Education. Basically, this allows the district to offer school gmail accounts and access to Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Sites, and more. Many school districts, as well as colleges and universities, have adopted Google Apps for Education. It is free for the education and non-profit domains, promotes creation and collaboration, and //still allows for monitoring and filtering.//

Google Drive is an important feature of Google Apps for Education. It allows you to store and share your documents and files online (in "the cloud") and access them anywhere you have internet access. How can you use Google Drive? Read on and learn!

Introduction to Google Drive // (5 Minutes) //   ** 1. Watch this video introduction to Google Drive: Go Google: Google Drive **(Students at school, use this link: Educational Video Library) media type="youtube" key="wKJ9KzGQq0w" width="392" height="218"

a. Where are your files and documents stored with Google Drive? b. Where can you access your Google Drive? c. What things on your Google Drive can you share?
 * On your Tech Day Log, write the answers to the following questions: **

// (answers at bottom of page) //

Google Drive at FDCSD // (5-10 Minutes) //  ** 2. Google Drive is not something that has to be used. It is an option that is available for students (5-12) and staff in the FDCSD. As of Spring 2013, we are officially part of Google Apps for Education and are just starting to explore the possibilities. In this activity you are going to log in to your Google Account and go to your Google Drive. **   ** There are many ways to get to Google Drive. For today, you will go through the FDCSD Google Page. This can be accessed by going to the FDCSD website (@http://www.fort-dodge.k12.ia.us), clicking on Our Students, then scrolling down to the Google icon. For right now, you can click here: FDCSD Google Page ** ** //Even if you already have one, YOU WILL NEED TO USE YOUR NEW __SCHOOL__ GOOGLE ACCOUNT//. **   ** Your username is the same as the username you use to log into computers at school. **** A student username looks like srichardson08 Your //gmail address// would be your username plus @fdschools.org (Instead of @gmail.com, our education accounts use @fdschools.org) **
 * Then you will need to type in your password. Your password will be the same as your school password ** EXCEPT ** gmail passwords require at least 8 characters. If your password does not have 8 characters, add one or more 1's at the end so you reach 8 characters. For example, if my password was fdcsd, the password I would use for school gmail would be fdcsd111 If my password was fdcsd05, the password I would use for school gmail would be fdcsd051 Most of you will probably have to add one 1. **


 * //If you cannot log in, try one or more of the following://**
 * Delete and re-type your username and password
 * Make sure your caps lock is not on
 * If you are going through the FDCSD Google Page to log in, make sure you DO NOT type @fdschools.org (it is already there)
 * Make sure there are 8 characters in your password
 * X-out of the browser and double click to re-open it
 * Turn off the computer and start it up again
 * If it still does not work, please have your teacher email your **name, username, and grade** with the subject **//Google account does not work//** to the IT Department (support@list.fort-dodge.k12.ia.us). You will need to work with someone else or do the Alternate Activities.

** Once you sign in, you need to click on the green, blue, and yellow triangle icon for Google Drive, or if you have a black bar at the top of the page, click on the word Drive. **  **Congratulations!** a. What is your school Google Account username? b. What is your school gmail account? c. How many characters does a Google password need?
 * On your Tech Day Log, write the answers to the following questions: **

// (answers at bottom of page) //

Break for a Brief Explanation // (2 Minutes) //
 * 3. Our versions of Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox at school are not new enough to support all of the features of Google Drive (and other Google applications). They still do OK with Documents, so that is what you will be exploring today. By the start of the 2013-2014 school year, Windows will be updated on all computers. This will allow Explorer and Firefox to also be updated. In addition, Chrome will be added. **


 * The browsers you use on your personal devices and at home will most likely support Google Drive fine. **


 * At school, then, the current option for full Google Drive access is to use the computers in the lab of Room 8 (at Senior High). This room is a test for running the new version of Windows, and the computers here have updated Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome. **


 * You will start to see some Chromebooks circulating around. District Chromebooks allow full access to all of the Google Drive features. There may be some desktops with the Chrome browser added. If so, these will also work with Google Drive. **

Documents // (15+ Minutes) //
 * 4. In Google Drive **
 * ** Click on the red //Create// box in the upper right-hand corner **
 * ** Go down and choose //Document//. **
 * **(You may need to go to View/Full Screen)**
 * **Rename your document (upper left-hand corner, click on Untitled document to rename, then click OK)**
 * **Think of a topic (a particular animal, sport, food, etc., i.e.) and center the topic name at the top of your document**
 * **Write a couple of sentences about your topic**
 * **Add an image: Try going to //Insert, Image, Search// A Google search bar will pop up. You will not get as many image results through the document as you would from a browser search. These images are labeled for "commercial reuse with modification," so you can feel comfortable using them.**
 * **Try various formats and tools, etc.**
 * **Share your document with at least one person in the room**
 * **Click on the blue box that says //Share// in the upper right-hand corner.**
 * **At the bottom of the pop-up window, where it says //Add people//, start typing the name of the person. It should appear, and then you can just click it. Add more names, if you wish.**
 * **Click //Share & save//**
 * **To view saved documents, go back to your main Google Drive page and click on //Shared with me//**
 * **When two or more of you are viewing the same document, you can collaborate and work together.**
 * **Try typing on the document**
 * **Try adding a comment**
 * **Try chatting**

**Remember, the content you add can be viewed by others. Watch what you are adding. Follow Internet Safety and Ethics practices. Be appropriate. There are consequences for those who do not display school appropriate behavior.**
 * On your Tech Day Log, write down any problems you had and if you were able to figure them out or not. **

Etc.


 * 5. If you still have time, see if what you can learn by hunting around Google Drive. Share what you find! **


 * On your Tech Day Log, write down something cool you found. **

Alternate Activities: 1. Go to Google Drive and Docs and go through some of the tutorials. (Students at school will not be able to view the video parts within the tutorial. The videos can be accessed through the Educational Video Library--listed and linked below) Getting Started With Drive Uploading and Syncing Files Managing Your Files Sharing and Collaborating

2. Go to Google Documents and go through some of the tutorials, starting with lesson 8 if you have gone through Google Drive and Docs. (Students at school will not be able to view the video parts in the tutorial. The videos for lessons 8 and higher can be accessed through the Educational Video Library--listed and linked below) Getting Started Text Basics Formatting Text and Hyperlinks Using Indents and Tabs Working with Lists [|Headers, Footers, and Page Breaks] Inserting Tables Inserting Images Creating Drawings

3. View Collaborative Digital Presentations Discuss the pros and cons of collaborative learning. Do you think you could learn this way? Why or why not? "Collaborative learning is based on the idea that learning is a naturally social act in which the participants talk among themselves (Gerlach, 1994). It is through the talk that learning occurs."

Answers to questions in 1. a. //Online (in "the cloud")// // b. Anywhere (though you may need Internet access) // // c. Anything (keep everything; share anything) // Answers to questions in 2 //. //  // a. answers will vary, but it is the same as you would use to log in to a computer at school //   // b. answers will vary, but it has @fdschools.org at the end //   // c. 8 //