Lesson Plan
Google Drive II
Lord of the Files
A student who has gone through the Computer Basics series and already has an introduction to Google Drive
learns more about the features available to them.
Learning Objectives
At the end of the class, the student will:
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Know how to share files and folders in their Google Drive.
Be able to adjust the converting settings for files uploaded to Google Drive.
Know how to use folders and stars to organize files saved in Google Drive.
Lesson Prep Work
(30 min, at a minimum, prior to student arrival)
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get in early to test for technology failure, because it will happen :-)
pre-sign into accounts
Save all files from J:\Google Drive to the desktop on each classroom computer
print handouts
Create any dummy accounts you may need for students who don’t already have accounts.
Create a dummy “Test Google Drive” document in your Drive.
Lesson Prerequisites
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Computer Basics: Google Drive I or equivalent skills
Lesson Outline
The lesson is completed in one (90) minute class session.
(5) Introduction
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Introduce instructor.
Let students know it’s okay to take phone calls, but ask them to put their phone on vibrate and answer
calls outside the classroom.
Inform students that they can sit back and watch if the class is too advanced.
Inform students they can go to the bathroom, they don’t need permission.
Show order in which class will happen. Explain scope of class.
Ask students to sign into their accounts as they enter the classroom.
WARM UP ACTIVITY: Ask students:
o How have you been using Google Drive up to this point?
o Is there any area you have questions or confusions in Google Drive?
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(15) Review from Google Drive I
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What is Google Drive?
o Have students answer, write their answers on the board.
o Storage - use it like an online flash drive
o Create and manage documents
o Share and collaborate on files
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Review the interface
o Folder navigation
o Views
o Documents and Folders
o Organize by title, owner, last modified…
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Start a New Document
o Explanation
 One of the major features of Google Drive is document creation.
o Activity: Create a new document and title it “Awesome Fake Resume”
 Step 1 – Click on New.
 Step 2 – Click on Google Document.
 Step 3 – Click on Untitled Document.
 Step 4 – Type “Awesome Fake Resume”.
 Step 5 – Click OK.
 Step 6 – Review some basic word processing by having students type in their names,
increase the font size, make it bold, and change it to Verdana.
o Activity: Navigate back to Google Drive.
 Point out that this document opened in a new tab.
 You can get back to your Google Drive by clicking on the “My Drive” tab in your browser.
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Downloading Files
o Explanation
 You might need to save a file from your Google Drive to your computer.
 Ask students: Why might you want to download a file?
 Ex: If you keep your resume in Google Drive, you would need to download it
before uploading it to a job search website.
o Activity: Download Boxer.jpg to the Downloads folder.
 Step 1 – Right click on the Boxer.jpg file.
 Step 2 – Select Download.
 Step 3 – Open the Downloads folder from Windows Explorer.
(15) Organizing Files
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Search for Files
o Explanation
 As you use Google Drive, you’ll create more and more files.
 The easiest way to find files in your Google Drive is to search for it.
o Activity: Search for the Awesome Fake Resume file.
 Step 1 – Click in the Search field.
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Step 2 – Type in Resume.
Step 3 – Press Enter.
 Teacher’s Tip: If students have used Google Drive in the past, they likely already
have a copy of their real resume saved here. You can point out that this search
will bring up any file that uses the word “resume” in it.
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Folders
o Explanation
 To make it easier to find and organize important content, you can create folders to hold
your documents.
o Activity: Create a “Computer Classes” folder.
 Step 1 – Click on New.
 Step 2 – Click on Folder.
 Step 3 – Title the Folder “Computer Classes”.
 Step 4 – Click Create.
o Activity: Move files into the Computer Classes folder.
 Step 1 – Click and drag the Boxer.jpg file to the Computer Classes folder.
 Step 2 – Click and drag the Awesome Fake Resume file to the Computer Classes folder.
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Stars
o Explanation
 Some files you create may be more important than others; for example, your resume.
 Super important files can be organized using stars.
o Activity: Add a star to the Awesome Fake Resume file.
 Step 1 – Find the Awesome Fake Resume file.
 Step 2 – Right click on the file.
 Step 3 - Click on Add Star.
 Point out the star that appears to the right of the file name.
o Activity: Find files in the Starred folder.
 Step 1 – Click on the Starred folder in the navigation pane to the left.
 Point out that the Awesome Fake Resume lives in both the Starred folder and in
the Computer Classes folder.
 Ask: What are some real life examples of documents or folders you’d want to star or
color?
(10) Collaborating
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Sharing files
o Explanation
 Up to this point, we’ve only been looking at the tools that we can use independently. But
the true power of working on files online is the ability to share and collaborate.
 Instead of sending a file over email and having each person make their comments on a
separate copy of the file and send them back to you, you can all work together on a
single document.
Doc
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Activity: Share Awesome Fake Resume.
 Step 1 – Open Awesome Fake Resume.
 Step 2 – Click on the Share button.
 Step 3 – Ask students to type in the instructor’s email address in the TO field.
 Step 4 – Type a small note explaining what you’re sharing.
 This allows the person you are sharing the file with to know what you are sharing
with them and why. Provide some context!
 Step 5 – Set Sharing Settings.
 Can Edit: Allows the person you’re sharing with to make any changes to the
document. They have full permissions and access. Good for full collaborative
efforts.
 Can Comment: People you share with can make comments on the side of the
document, but they can’t make any actual changes. Good for soliciting feedback,
but limiting access.
 Can View: People you share with can see the document, but that’s it. No editing,
no commenting, no participating. Good for sharing with a wider scope of people,
like if you’re posting it to a public webpage.
 Step 6 - Click on Done.
 Teacher’s Tip: I don’t have the students share with each other in class because I
have privacy concerns. If your students all know each other, use your discretion.
Activity: Explore benefits of sharing.
 Point out that all shared documents automatically live in the Shared with me folder.
 Instructor opens one of the documents one of the students have shared.
 Ask the student to type in some text. Feel free to suggest text, something like “Yard Sale
Inventory”
 Point out to the class that as the student is typing, the changes they make are appearing
on your screen.
 Instructor makes some text bold.
 Point out that sharing can allow for simultaneous editing.
Activity: Finding Shared files.
 Students will not be able to follow along unless you choose to share files with each of
them.
 Demo: find files by searching for either the creator of the file or by the file title.
 Demo: drag and drop file in Shared with me folder into My Drive.
 Ask: What are some real world examples of documents you want to share?
Revision History
o Explanation
 When you share a document with people, they could make changes that you don’t like.
Since you don’t have an undo button for stuff they did when you didn’t have the
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document open, you can revert back to an older version of the document using Revision
History.
Activity: Look at Revision History.
 Step 1 – Click on the File menu and select See revision history.
 Step 2 – Click on an earlier iteration of the document.
 Step 3 – Click on Restore this revision to bring back an older version.
Sharing Folders
o Explanation
 You can share folders just like you can share files.
 Folders allow you to automatically share any file moved into the folder. That way, you
don’t have to share each file individually.
 The only problem is, when you share files in a folder, if someone deletes them or moves
them out of the folder, they remove the file for everyone.
 Before you share a folder with a group of people, make sure they understand that any
file management they do will be reflected in EVERYONE’s folder.
o Activity: Create and share a Drive Training folder.
 Step 1 – Click on New and select Folder.
 Step 2 – Give the folder a title like Drive Training and click Create.
 Step 3 – Right click on the folder and select Share.
 Step 4 – Ask students to type in instructor’s email address.
 Step 5 – Click on Done.
 Instructor moves the Test Google Drive into a few student’s folders. Ask the students to
report in when they can see the file in their own folder.
 Instructor keeps the folder of one of the students open and asks that student to delete
the file. Point out how the file disappears for the instructor as well.
o Comprehension Check: POP QUIZ!
 When would you want to share a file with someone?
 When would you share a folder with someone?
 What are the benefits of sharing a folder?
 What do you need to be wary about when sharing folders?
(10) Converting
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Uploading Documents
o Explanation
 We’ve already looked at reviewing uploading documents, but let’s take a little more
detailed look at some of the features of uploading.
 By default, when you upload a Microsoft Word document into Google Drive, it is
automatically converted into a Google Doc format. Periodically, you might want a file to
be kept in Word format.
o Activity: Upload the NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK file from the desktop.
 Step 1 – Minimize all the windows you have open and double click the NEW KIDS ON
THE BLOCK file on the desktop. Allow students a moment to peruse the content. Close
the file when done.
 Step 2 – Open up your web browser and Google Drive again.
 Step 3 – Click on New and File Upload.
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Step 4 – Find and select the NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK file on the desktop.
Step 5 – Once the file has uploaded, open it from Google Drive. Point out that all the
content was uploaded exactly. It’s lovely! But it’s a Google Doc. If we want this to stay a
Word file, we need to look at a slightly different process.
Changing Converting Settings
o Activity: Upload the NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK file as a Word document.
 Step 1 – Click on the Settings Cog in Google Drive and select Settings.
 Step 2 – Uncheck the box to Convert Uploads and click Done.
 Step 3 – Click on New and File Upload.
 Step 4 – Find and select the NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK file on the desktop.
 Step 5 – Once the file has uploaded, open it from Google Drive. Point out that we get a
preview of the file, but we don’t actually get to edit it. It is still saved as a Word
document.
o Activity: Reset converting settings.
 Step 1 – Click on the Settings Cog in Google Drive and select Settings.
 Step 2 – Check the box to Convert Uploads and click Done.
o Activity: Discuss when you might want to keep things as a Word doc instead of as a Google
Doc.
 Heavily formatted
 Uses fonts not accessible in Google Docs
(15) Syncing Folder
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Installing
o Before you begin
 Ask students if they have their own computers at home.
 If most students don’t have their own computers, skip this section.
o Explanation
 There is a problem with uploading documents that you need to keep in Word, Excel, etc.
format. Whenever you need to make a change, you need to download the document,
use Word to edit it, then re-upload the file. This causes excessive document duplication
and can lead to you using the wrong version of a document in the future.
v. 1
v. 3
Download
Upload
v. 2
Make Edits
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If you have your own computer, you have the option of installing a syncing folder on your
computer. This allows you to save files as Word documents just like you would to any
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other folder on your computer. This folder however, will automatically sync with your
Google Drive.
 Basically, you have an exact duplication of the files in your syncing folder in your Google
Drive. That way you can download them or access them from any computer that has
internet, but you are limited to only using the Google Docs software.
Activity: Download and install the Google Drive syncing folder.
 Step 1 – Click on the Settings cog in Google Drive and select Download Drive.
 Step 2 – Follow the appropriate links on the webpage that opens up until you have
downloaded the install file.
 Step 3 – Find the file in your Downloads folder and double click it.
 Now Google Drive is installed, but it still needs to be set up.
 Step 4 – Click on the Start menu and find the Google Drive folder.
 Step 5 – Click on the Google Drive application in the folder.
 Step 6 – Sign into your Google Drive account using your Gmail login.
 Step 7 – Click all the appropriate Nexts, Yeses, and I Agrees that come up in the dialog
box after that.
Using
o Explanation
 Now the software is installed on your computer. You can see it running in the
background by looking in your system tray (the lot of icons by the clock in the lower right
corner).
 You can actually access your Google Drive syncing folder using Windows Explorer and
save files directly to this folder using your Save As dialog box.
 Your Google Drive syncing folder will only sync files in your My Drive. If someone shared
a file with you that you want in your syncing folder, you need to move it to My Drive.
o Activity: Open the Word version of NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK.
 Step 1 – Click on the Windows Explorer icon in the task bar.
 Step 2 – Click on Google Drive in the left hand navigation pane.
 Step 3 – Double click on the NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK file with a Word icon next to it.
 Teachers Tips:
 The icons next to the NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK files tell us what kind of file it
is.
o Blue square with lines = Google Doc
o Word icon = Word Doc
 The check icon over the top of the file type tells you the file is fully synced with
Google Drive.
 If you save changes, you will see a circle icon. This means it is still syncing.
When it is done syncing, this will change into a check icon.
 Step 4 – Move the text in the NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK document down several lines
by pressing Enter. Give the document the title “New Kids on the Block”. Save and close
the file.
 Point out how the check mark turned to a circle icon.
 Step 5 – Open your Google Drive in your web browser.
 Step 6 – Open the NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK Word document in the web browser.
 Point out that the document is still uneditable in the browser, but the changes we
made were saved to it. We are still able to use Word to edit our documents.
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(15) Mobile App
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Installing
o Before you begin
 Ask how many students have smartphones or tablets. Only cover this section if most of
your students have a mobile device.
 Many students have smartphones, but don’t know that’s what they’re called. It might
behoove you to have them pull out their phones and show you what they have so you
can help them identify it correctly.
o Explanation
 Most Android devices come with the Google Drive app already installed. But, if you have
an iPhone or it just isn’t on your device, it is in every app store.
o Activity: Install the Google Drive app.
 Step 1 – Open your app store.
 Step 2 – Search for Google Drive.
 Step 3 – Tap on install.
 Step 4 – Wait for it to install.
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Using
o Explanation
 The first time you use this app, there is going to be a little bit of setup. Once the setup is
done, it’s pretty intuitive.
o Activity: Open the NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK Google Doc using the Google Drive app.
 Step 1 – Tap on the Google Drive app icon.
 Step 2 – Search for and open NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK.
 Step 3 – Tap on the document to edit it.
 The first time you try to edit a Google Doc, you will be prompted to install more
software to EDIT the doc. The Drive app just allows you to SEE your files.
 Step 4 – Install the Google Doc software by following all the prompts.
 Step 5 – Go back to Google Drive, find NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, tap on the
document and edit it so that you have suddenly become Joey McIntyre’s longtime beau.
(5) Conclusion
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Go over handout, review material, and emphasize contact info & further resources on handout.
Any questions? Final comments?
Remind patrons to practice; assign take-home-practice - remind them they can ask for help
Remind to take survey.
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Appendix
What This Lesson Does Not Cover
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Google Drive basics. If students need to review that, we teach a Computer Basics: Google Drive I class
they can attend that will walk them through the basic uses.
Key Decisions
1. We teach this class using the Google Chrome web browser.
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