Learn Google Drive
Introduction
Google Drive is an on-line folder that stores the files and folders you create and which are shared with you by others. To access your drive from different devices, you need to sign in to your Google Account (which is created when you open your Gmail account).
Basic information
| ICT Competency | Google Drive is a application for accessing and publishing resources. |
| Educational application and relevance | You can store all your data here by uploading existing file, folders and also can create new files and folders. And you can share your data with your peers to view, edit and comment. |
| Version | Version - Not Applicable |
| Configuration | No specific configuration requirements but Internet connection is needed to use this application. |
| Other similar applications | Nextcloud Dropbox |
| The application on mobiles and tablets | Android phones will have inbuilt Google Drive option. You need to switch on the synchronizing option to get all your mobile camera photos to upload to your google drive photos automatically. This enable all your important event photos will be saved safely in Google Drive. |
| Development and community help |
Overview of Features
- Google allows 15GB of free Google online storage space on cloud, this includes your photos (Google photos), emails (Gmail), stories, drawings, recordings, video (Drive files).
- Your files in Drive can be reached from any smart phone, tablet, or computer.
- You can invite others to view, download, and collaborate on all the files you want–no email attachment needed.
Installation
It is a web based application, there is no installation process. To access google drive, you have to sign in to www.drive.google.com site by using your google login details.
Working with the application
Accessing Google Drive
- Opening Google Drive
Opening a browser
Login to Gmail account
Google Apps, select Drive
Google Drive main page
- The above images show you how to access Google Drive. You need to access a browser (Mozilla Firefox) for this. On your computer with Ubuntu custom distribution, to open web browser go to (Applications → Internet→ Firefox web browser), as shown in the first image. And then type www.gmail.com in address bar to enter to Gmail page.
- you have to sign in to www.drive.google.com site by using your Gmail user ID and password.
- The google drive page will open and will look like the above image (last image).
Creating / uploading and sharing files
- Creating/Uploading and Sharing file
New files
Sharing files
Access permission
- To Upload your local Folders to or Files to Google Drive , Click on “New” icon on left side of the screen.
- If you want to create a folder, click on “Folder” --> Give folder name --> Click on “Create”.
- You can create new files here, you can create documents, spreadsheet, slides. Google Drive has Open Document Format (odt, odp, ods) viewer and can open any .odf files, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx supported files.
- To upload a file: Click on File Upload -> select file ->click open. Google drive will allow you to upload any kind of files like images, audio’s, videos, text files deb files etc..
- Sharing files: Select any file -> Right Click and click Share or open your file, go to right corner and click on SHARE it will open popup window, here click on get shareable link option on the top right side of the window copy this link and share with other using different platforms like gmail, whats app, telegram, also in moodle paste this link.
- Once you click on the share icon, choose access permission under anyone with this link option.
Examples : If you want to give access to edit , select “can edit” option. same like you can select other options like "comment" and only "view".
Saving the files and formats
When you start working on Google Drive documents, it will save automatically with given file name. Or else it will save as "Untitled" file.
Advanced features
- You can create simple drawings on "Google Drawing Page".
- You can allow others to access your documents ('sharing' documents with them) and give their comments and feedback.
Ideas for resource creation
All the documents like photos , important files and text resources can be save in drive. You can use share these resources with your peers to view, edit and comment to make it more effective.
References
Google Drive Tutorial