Episode #21 - Google Drive Organization Tips

SHOW NOTES:

Google Drive:  https://drive.google.com/ 

Keyboard Shortcuts for Google Drive (on the web): https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2563044?hl=en 

Google Drive Help Center: https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2375091?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en 

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TRANSCRIPT:  (full transcript link)

Hello and welcome to episode number twenty-one of the one-five. I am your podcast hostess - Tricia Louis - the self-designated tech goddess and I will be coming to you weekly in this audio podcast format with great edtech tools, tips, and tricks.

In this week’s episode, I will be talking about some Google Drive organizational tips that have helped me for the over 13 years I have used Google Drive. In this podcast, I am going to share tips around three main areas of Google Drive:: 

• Folder First-File Second
• Naming Convention
• Starred

Then at the end I will also have a few random drive organizational tips.

First up is Folder First-File Second. It has been my experience that if you create a folder first and then create the document inside of that folder, you are going to be better organized! If you don't create the folder first, be sure when you are renaming the new doc/slide/sheet, that you utilize the ORGANIZE function right away to put it in the correct folder. I always start from drive instead of the individual sites of the docs creation - then I have my organization structure at the ready. Also, use sub-folders. They are great for getting things organized!

Next we have naming convention - The most important thing is pick a naming convention and stay with it! I tend to make my file & folder names pretty wordy, because it will help when I use search in Google Drive. You can also utilize special characters in the beginning of your name to prioritize it to the top of your google drive. Another tip is that you can use emoji in your file/folder names to give a visual cue (hint - don't put them at the beginning of the name - it seems to take forever for drive to load when emojis are first in the name - so just put them at the end) You might also want to think about a "color convention" as well -- what do the folder colors mean to you?

In our final main area I am going to talk about starred folders/files. Starred folders/files are a great way to organize documents, but come up with a HARD LIMIT for yourself of how many things you are going to star...because if you star everything it is not going to help you at all! I keep my hard limit under 25 - then I know that the files/folders in this area are truly special and it is a great way to get quick access to them with the starred category on the left file menu of drive.

Here are some other random drive tips:

• Purge frequently - get on a schedule to keep your drive tidy and purge those files/folders that are no longer needed. Remember, once you put a file or folder into the trash it will automatically be deleted after 30 days!
• Don't duplicate files to put in multiple folders -- add a SHORTCUT instead! Use SHIFT+Z on your keyboard to make a drive shortcut and then put those shortcuts in MULTIPLE PLACES.
• Search for files in the omnibox of google chrome as well as right in drive.
• Speaking of search - use drive ADVANCED search - in the search bar, click the drop down arrow and then you can refine your search by owner, file type, date, and so many other filters very quickly!
• Worried about that "Shared with Me" area - just don't sweat it - it is an aggregation of files - they are not YOUR files. If you start deleting, you might cause problems for others, so just don't worry about it.
• And finally, make keyboard shortcuts your friend! Check out the show notes for a link to a list of google drive shortcuts to get “under your fingers.”

 

Do you want to learn more about edtech in your learning environment? Check out my website - tricialouis.com. There you can explore my resources, subscribe to my weekly email newsletter, and contact me. And if you like this podcast, consider supporting it by going to buymeacoffee.com/talouis and pledging your contribution to the one-five.

Keep in mind the information shared on this podcast may take additional clearances from your tech department to work properly in your district, school, or classroom. I have vetted all of the information shared on this podcast and it is available and/or correct on the date the podcast is originally published. But, remember that services, sites, or products can change or become unavailable without a lot of notice. 

Thanks for listening and join me next week for another episode of the one five!