Google Drive: Update Your File Versions

With a Google Doc, Slide, Form, Sheet, or Drawing in Drive, it is easy to go in and make changes - even if you have already shared the link with someone.  The links you share out take the user to the live document - meaning they automatically see any updates or changes you might make.  That's fantastic!  However, what do you do if you need to update a PDF, image, video, or audio file after you've shared the link?  Google has a solution for that too!

If you need to update a video, audio, image, or PDF file in Google Drive - but you want to maintain the same link for the file because you've already sent it out, just right click on the file in your Google Drive and choose "Manage versions" from the list. 

Now you have several options.  You can see all the versions of your file as well as a button to upload a new file.  If you click on the three dots menu for each version, you have the ability to delete, download, or keep forever.  Generally, versions older than 30 days will delete automatically.  If you want to keep an old version for some reason, be sure to go in and tell it to 'keep forever'.  

Now you can upload a new version of your file, or even a brand new file if you wanted, and keep the same URL link.  This can come in very handy if you noticed a mistake in a file you have already shared out, or if you need to update your file with new or updated information.  

Student Made eBooks with Google Slides

Google Slides is not just for presentations - it does so many things!  One thing you might not expect to be able to do with Google Slides is make eBooks.  Guess what?  You can!  The best part is that it's very easy for you and your students to create beautiful looking eBooks using Slides.

eBooks can be a great activity for many purposes at any time of the year, but can often come in handy as an end of the year review project.  With Google Slides, students can be creative with their images, fonts, and even embed videos or other web links into their eBooks. When students are finished creating the books, they can embed the Slides files in a digital portfolio or other class website.  They can even download the Slides file as a PDF and now they have a book anyone can read on any device!

Here are a few very simple templates I made using Google Slides that you and your students are welcome to use.  They can add to them and get as creative as they would like.  Click on the links below to view the templates.  To use the template as your own, click the blue "Use Template" button in the upper right.

eBook Dark - Landscape
eBook Light - Landscape
eBook Dark - Portrait
eBook Light - Portrait 

eBook Activity Ideas:

• Creative Writing/Fiction - example embedded below
• Historical Fiction 
• Informational Pamphlet
• Non-Fiction Book (Great for science and Social Studies topics, reviewing animals, space, chemical and physical reactions, historical events, places, and people, etc.)
• A book of story problems complete with answer key
• Poetry

Creative Writing/Fiction eBook Example

Be sure to check out a few of my other posts about creative ways to use Google Slides!

• Student "Blogs"
• Animations
• Faux Instagram Feed
• Faux Twitter Posts
• Learning Journals
• Choose Your Own Adventure Stories

Instagram Template with Google Slides

*Update - See the new updated Instagram Template here.

For better or for worse, students are all over Social Media - so why not give them a little of what they love mixed in with the learning?  My friend Ryan O'Donnell, (@creativeedtech), is quite talented with creating templates and he made an Instagram post template in Google Slides that caught my eye and sparked my imagination.  There are so many fun ways to use this in the classroom!  You can get a copy of his template by clicking the link I provide at the end of this post.  You can also find my updated templates for 2019 and 2022. Here is a glance at what he created:

How could you use this in the classroom, you ask?  Here are a few examples:

Summarizing chapters or sections of a book:
It takes quite a bit of skill to boil a summary down to a few sentences that truly capture the main ideas of a chapter.  Students can create a Slides file from the template where each slide becomes the summary for each section of text you assign.  They will need to choose a screen handle and profile picture that are appropriate for the character they are impersonating.  They will also choose a picture and some text for their "post".  This is an example for Chapter 1 of Charlotte's Web.

Baby pig photo from Michael Kappel

Responding to a historical event:

Students will need to choose a screen handle and picture appropriate for the historical person they are impersonating.  They will find a profile picture and "post" some text. This can be used to summarize an event or show their understanding of an event and/or its importance. 

Animal Study:

Students will take on the perspective of the animal and make posts to show their knowledge of that animal's life, habits, habitat, and diet, etc.  Think of something like "If an iguana had Instagram".  I'll tell you what, I learned quite a bit about Iguanas while creating these "posts" for this example!

Wild Plum photo from Forest and Kim Starr

Some other ideas are:

• Highlight a scientific discovery or invention
• Make a post that a book character would make about a certain event from the story if they had an Instagram account and lived in our day and age
• Make a post to show their knowledge of why a noteworthy person is well known
• Assume the role of Social Media manager for a specific state and make multiple posts showing the important things about your state, including all the things you might include in a state report

There are so many ways to utilize this type of template.  I'd love to hear how you decide to use it, and so would Ryan!  Feel free to tweet it out and tag us both (@TeachingTechNix and @creativeedtech).

You can get a copy of Ryan's original Instagram template by clicking here and view my 2019 template here.  I've recently updated the template with a new 2022 version, which you can view here. On the page that opens up, click the blue "Use Template" button in the upper right corner.

Check out Ryan's website for more amazing templates for all sorts of fun things.

*If you liked this Instagram template, you might also like my Fake Tweet Template.

Google Drive Search Tip

When you are hunting for a file in Google Drive and you type into the search bar, it searches your entire Google Drive - including files that have been shared with you.  This often creates a very long list and makes it more difficult for you to find your file.  If you are looking for a file you created, type "owner:me" into the search bar (do not include the quotes) and then type your text.  For instance, if you are looking for an English Essay file you made, and you don't want the 120 English Essays your students wrote to show up, type the following into the search bar:

owner:me English Essay

Your results will only include files that you created.  This helps narrow the results significantly and helps you find your files faster.

For more Google Drive tips check out these posts I made:

Google Drive Search Tips
Google Drive Organization Tips

Stop by again soon for more handy tech tips!

Google Drive Search Tips

If you are like me, you have quite a few files in your Google Drive.  Eventually, it can become challenging to quickly find files you need.  I've got folders, and I've got color coding, all that is wonderful, but sometimes I need a file quickly and I just don't remember where I stored it.  If you'd like to learn how to create folders and use color coding in your Google Drive, see my post about Google Drive Organization Tips.

The little search bar in your Google Drive can be pretty awesome when you know how to harness its power.  You can just type in a word and hit search, and most times you will find what you are looking for, but I want to share some tips to help you search more effectively.

The first tip is to use the drop down menu.  Many people don't even know it is there.  Type in what you are looking for and then click the little arrow at the very right side of the search bar.

*Update: There are now even more options in this drop down menu!  Try it on your Google Drive to see all the new additions.  This post will be updated in the near future to reflect the changes.

You then have three search options - File type, Opens with, and Ownership.  You don't have to use all three, but you can if you need to.  When you click on the "File type" drop down, it will give you several options for what type of file you are searching for.

When you choose the "Opens with" drop down, it gives you options depending on what apps you have installed in your Chrome browser.  Yours will be different than mine, but all the basic Google Apps will be there.

When you choose the "Ownership" drop down, you get three choices.  Owned by anyone means you don't care who created the document.  Owned by me means you created the document.  Not owned by me means you did not create the document.  This last option is helpful if you are searching for something you know you didn't create. 

Once you make your choices, you can click the blue magnifying glass button to start the search.  Let's say I wanted to search for a document, that opens in Google Sheets, that is owned by me.  This is what it would look like:

Once I click the blue button, I'll have my results!

You might notice that as you choose from the drop down menus, it changes the text in your search bar.  This is because you can also tell Drive what you are looking for by using specific typed commands.  Here are some of the advanced search options you might find helpful:

Option	Purpose	Example
Quotes	Put quotes around something to search for that exact phrase.	“right angles”
OR	You can use the word OR to find a document that has at least one of those words. This is helpful if you can’t remember the exact verbiage you used in your file.	drawing OR illustration
Minus sign	If you want a file that has a certain word but not another word.	geometry -triangle
owner:	You can use this to specify the owner of a document.	owner:bob@teachingtechnix.com
from:	You can use this to specify who shared a document with you.	from:bob@teachingtechnix.com
to:	You can use this to specify who you shared an item with.	to:bob@teachingtechnix.com
type	You can use this to specify the type of file you are searching for: document, folder, spreadsheet, presentation, PDF, image, video, drawing, form, script, or table.	type:PDF
after: before:	You can use these to specify a date range. You can use them together, or individually (use the date format yyyy/mm/dd).	after:2014/12/15 before:2015/01/03
title:	You can use this if you know the exact title.  Use it in combination with quotes if your title is more than one word.	title:“Right Angles”
app:	You can use this if you are searching for an item that can be opened by a specific app.  Use it in combination with quotes if your app is more than one word.	app:“Google Docs”
All of this information came from the Google Support site.  You can see the page I used by clicking here.

I know these search options have been extremely helpful to me when I need to find a file quickly, especially if I'm not exactly sure where I stored it in my Drive.  I hope you find them just as helpful.

Thank you for stopping by the TeachingTechNix blog.  Stop by again soon for more handy tech tips!

How to Get Columns in a Google Doc

I can't possibly be the only one who is waiting anxiously for Google to add in the option for making columns into a Google Doc.  The good news is that there is a work around until that joyous day comes along (I really hope it comes along).

When you get to a spot in your document where you would like to use columns, insert a table instead.  A one row, two column table, or however many columns you would like to have.  To do this, click "Insert" across the top of your document and then when you mouse over "Table" you will be able to choose the desired size for your table.

Once you have inserted your table and typed your text into the columns, right click on the table and choose "Table properties" from the menu.

Then a window will pop up that gives you a few different options including line color, line size, cell color, column width, etc.  The one you want to click on is "Table border" which has a default of black.  If you click on the little drop down next to the black square under "Table border", a color panel will appear and you can change the color to white.

After you have selected white, the color panel will disappear and you can click "OK" at the bottom of the window.

Ta da!  Columns!  You may now commence your happy dance. 

Once I figured out this trick, I've never made another document using Microsoft Word.  This was the last option for me that I needed on a regular basis that Google Docs was missing.  Hopefully that option will be added in at some point, but until then tables are my go to.  

Thank you for stopping by the TeachingTechNix blog.  I hope this little tip was helpful!  Stop by again soon for more handy tech tips!

Organization Tip for Drive - File Names with Numbers

As a teacher, I tend to have many file or folder names that require numbers.  I save all my weekly plans and number them all, week 1, week 2, etc.  In my Google Drive, I have a folder with all my weekly math plans in it.  With the way Drive puts numbered files in order, this is how it looked:

I was a bit frustrated that it didn't put them all in the correct order.  Then I discovered how to solve the problem.  I went through and renamed all my single digit weeks with a 0 in front of the single digit. 

To rename your file or folder, click on the name to select the file and then click on the "More actions" button.  That is the one with the three vertical dots.  Then choose "Rename".

Rename your file so that it has two digits, the 0 being in front of your single digit.  Then press "OK".

Once you do that with all your single digit files, you will have them all in order the way they should be.  

I hope you found this tip helpful.  Thank you for stopping by the TeachingTechNix blog!  Stop by again soon for more handy tech tips.

Google Docs Quick Create

"I have too much time on my hands!" said no teacher ever.  Educators are busy people - always teaching, always learning.  Today I want to share a great little tool that will streamline a process you go through multiple times each day.  Do you use Google Apps?  If you do, you are going to love this!

I've told you before, and I'll tell you again - I highly recommend using Google Chrome as your internet browser.  Why?  There are a hundred reasons why.  I'll tell you about one of them today - extensions.  Extensions are little utilities you install within the Chrome browser.  Because you log in to Google Chrome, these extensions will follow you wherever you log in.  You log in at home, your extensions are there.  You log in at work, your extensions are there.  You get the idea.  Just so you know, Chrome extensions will not work when you are logged in on an iPhone or iPad.  These extensions can be accessed through the Google Chrome Store.  You can click on my link, or just search "Chrome Store" and it will probably be the first thing that comes up.

Once you are in the Chrome Web Store, you want to search for the extension you wish to install.  The extension I want to share with you today is called Google Docs Quick Create.  This will open a new Google Doc, Spreadsheet, Presentation, Form, or Drawing from whatever tab you are currently browsing in.  You no longer have to navigate to drive.google.com in order to create a new Google Doc.

When you type "quick create" into the search bar, there are two types of utilities that will come up - apps and extensions.  Apps come up at the top of the list, and extensions will come up at the bottom.  Apps are separate programs or shortcuts to websites that you can log into and use.  Extensions are utilities that work within the Chrome browser.

Under extensions, you will see Google Drive Quick Create and Google Docs Quick Create.  I prefer the Docs one over the Drive one because the Drive one doesn't have a shortcut for Forms, and I use Forms quite often.

Click on the blue "Free" next to the Docs extension.  You will get a little pop up that asks if you are sure you want to add the extension.  Click "Add".

Now you will have a little Google Drive symbol to the right of your Omnibox (the place where you type web addresses).  There will also be a little green banner across the extension in the store window, showing it is now added.

Ta da!  Now, no matter what you are working on, or what webpage you are currently browsing, you can click on your little drive extension and open a new Google Doc.  Productivity streamlined.

I'd like to thank @coach_sv for sharing this awesome tool with me.

Thank you for stopping by the TeachingTechNix blog.  I hope this tip has been helpful.  Stop by again soon for more handy tech tips!  

Google Drive Organization Tips

Do you use Google Drive?  I know when I first started using it, my files were just all in the drive and I hadn't given much thought to organizing them.  Once I started using it often, it became necessary to be more organized.  Yes, Google Drive has an awesome search feature and you can find most any file with just a few keystrokes, but for my sanity I need some order.  I have three tips for you today:  creating folders, coloring the folders, and using those little stars in a handy way.

Creating Folders

Did you know you can create folders within your drive?  You can create them the same way you create everything else, by clicking on the red "New" button at the top left of the page.  Then choose "Folder".  This will create a folder in whatever location you happen to be in when you click the "New" button.  So if you want to create a folder within a folder, you just go into that folder and then hit the "New" button.

 

After you click "Folder", it will bring up a little window and prompt you to name your folder.  Type in whatever you want the name to be and click the blue "Create" button.

To add files or folders inside the folder, you can do a few things.  If you go into your folder, and then click "New", the new item will be stored in that folder.  To move an existing item or items into the new folder, select the item you wish to move by clicking on it once.  Then you have three options.  The easiest is to click on one of the items and drag it/them into the folder you created in the navigation bar on the left.  Note:  If your folders don't show in the navigation bar, click on the tiny gray arrow next to "My Drive" so that it is pointing down instead of to the right.  This will show the list of folders you have created within your drive.  If you have a folder inside a folder, you may have to click the tiny gray arrow next to other folders to see the folders within.

If you like things simple, that is all you need to know about moving files and folders.  If you like to know all your options - check out the rest of this section.  

Another option is to right click on your file and choose "Move to...".  It will pop up a window for you to choose which folder you want to move the file into.  (You may have to click the tiny gray arrows to expand your folders just like I explained above.)  Once you have selected the folder you want to move your file into, you can click the blue "Move" button at the bottom of the window.  You can also create a new folder from this window.  

             

The last way is to click on the file and then click the "three dots" button on the upper right hand corner of your screen.  Then choose "Move to...".  This will bring up the Move to window just like before.  

Folder Color

Another great organization tip is to change the color of your folders.  I tend to choose a color for each subject.  For example, all my Language Arts folders are orange, tech stuff is green, and Math is blue.  It just helps me find things faster.  You can use whatever classification you like.

To change the color of a folder, right click on the folder and mouse over the "Change color" option to get a list of colors.  Click on the color you want your folder to become.  Your folder will then change colors.  Fun!

  

Stars

Every file and folder in Drive can be starred.  This is supposed to be so you can select the "Starred" option in the navigation bar on the left and see all the files you have starred.  I don't have much use for this, so I use the star in a different way.  When I have a folder full of student projects, either to grade or to print, I use the star as a way to check off that I've graded and/or printed that file already.  To star a file, simply right click on the file and choose "Add star".  You can right click on an item that is starred and click "Remove star" if needed.  This has helped me not to have to filter through all of my printed documents to see which ones I still need to do, or search my desk for the sticky note I wrote the list on.

Well, I hope you found at least one of these tips to be helpful!  Check back soon for more handy tech tips.  Thanks for visiting TeachingTechNix!