Google Drive icon

What is Google Drive? Drive is a storage space, like a virtual file cabinet where all your Docs and files live, accessible from any device that can access the internet.

Start arrow New to this Google tool?

Check out our "Basics" section for resources to get you started off on the right foot.

Compass Ready to learn more about this Google tool and go further?

Take a look at our "Tips & Tricks" section to get ideas and suggestions, including organization.

Open padlock Not sure if your students have access to this Google tool?

The "Who can use" section outlines which grade levels have access to this tool.

Group of people Looking for information about protecting files and sharing safely?

Our "Best practices when sharing files" section houses our guidance & resources about sharing safely.

Google Drive basics

You can access Google Drive from:

Resources:

Webinar recordings & decks:

Google Drive tips & tricks

Organizing Drive

Some simple organizational tricks in Drive:

  • Naming conventions - use numbers at the beginning of the name to put folders and/or files in the order you want them to be
  • Emojis - add emojis to the names of folders or files to make them stick out visually
  • Color coding - change the color of a folder to make it stand out
  • Use the search to find stuff - the search bar in Drive is so powerful that you don't have to organize anything if you don't want to

Resources: 

Sharing files

Other teacher tricks for Drive

Who can use Google Drive?

Google Drive access and permissions

All staff and students in SFUSD have access to Drive to both create and share folders & files.

If you have any questions, please submit a Help Desk ticket.

⭐️ Best practices when sharing files

Why are sharing settings important?

All staff in SFUSD have some access to student information & data, and educators are legally and ethically required to keep that information safe. It's important to have the correct sharing permissions in place to prevent the oversharing of confidential information.

The most common oversharing mistake is to make a file available to "Anyone at SFUSD with the link", which makes it available to anyone with an SFUSD email, including all students and staff at other sites. When in doubt, it's better to have more conservative sharing settings and share a file by entering the email addresses of the specific people who should have access to it.

If you have any questions or need advice on the appropriate sharing settings for a file, please submit a Help Desk ticket.

Resources

This page was last updated on November 18, 2022