Google Drive is a free way to keep all of your files backed up and easy to reach from any phone tablet or computer. It boasts unlimited storage, support for individual files up to 5TB in size and automatic encryption. Ben Schrom, the project manager for the G Suite, says "every file uploaded to Google Drive is encrypted, not only from your device to Google and in transit between Google data centers, but also at rest on Google servers." For educators, this is quite reassuring. Google drive not only lets you store your data securely but activities like sharing, editing etc has also been made easy.
As the coordinator for the district's Student Review Team, I use Google Drive to share confidential files pertaining to the student we are discussing i.e. student transcripts, legal documents, custody records, etc. These documents that used to be emailed are necessary for each member to review prior to making decisions about the student's placement in an alternative setting. With these documents now in one place called a shared drive, my colleagues are able to search much easier for them with easy access. However, no matter the level of encryption Google promotes, our team still truncates the students' names in order to maintain confidentiality based on FERPA regulations should the records fall in the wrong hands.
One of my favorite features is the Live Edit ability. Google Drive can create documents, spreadsheets, presentations etc. and all of these can be edited online. This provides a real-time working experience for all who have access to the document. It also saves the changes made on the document at the same time. For my colleagues, this has made life so much easier in that we don't have to worry about who emailed the latest draft of a working document. The latest version and the history of edits are easy to see with multiple people viewing it at the same time. At the beginning of the school year, my supervisor decided to use Google Drive to share our meeting agendas. While we are in the meeting, her team, including me, can make additions to the agenda and add notes that everyone can see via our laptops.
Advantages of Google Drive for Leaders in Education
- Allows you to share files without the use of email.
- May serve as a shared drive that multiple people can access at anytime.
- Upload multiple files in subfolders creating opportunities for better organization.
- Access to files via internet since it is in a cloud.
- Provides device independency. There is no specific platform for use of the files uploaded on the Google Drive. Any device can be used to access files.
- Easy solution for online back up of data.
- Google holds the authority to index your data stored on Google drive. So in some cases, keyword matches with any title of your document, some text in your document etc. could float in the search result.
- Internet based service means full dependency on internet to access the data. When the internet is not functioning, access to your data in such situation becomes impossible.
Since its inception, the G Suite for educators has increased efficiency, facilitated collaboration, and improved engagement. Google Drive, just one of many of the suite's offerings, has not only reduced me and my colleagues use of paper, but also, our time spent searching for documents now that everything we need is at our fingertips. For those my readers who are reticent to try the G Suite, I encourage you to check out their free online training. Remember this G is for you, too!
References
Bell, K. (2016, October 4). Google Apps is Now G Suite | And Other Google Updates You Should Know. Retrieved October 29, 2016, from http://www.edtechupdate.com/2016/edtech/google/
