I’m supposed to be looking over our districts new health and safety plan, watching videos about bloodborne pathogens, and leafing through the teacher manual of our brand new math curriculum. So naturally, I am going to find something to organize and avoid doing all that fun stuff. Sorry, not sorry.
One of my favorite things to organize is my Google Drive. I’m not sure if it’s because I can customize the colors to make it look pretty or easily share things with my teammates, but I genuinely enjoy it! Here are some of my favorite tips to make your Google files prettier and more easily accessible.
1. Change the Colors
This is the quickest, easiest way to make your Google files a bit more efficient and prettier to look at. In the settings you are able to change folders from the default gray into multiple different colors. I like to color code mine by subject, but depending on your preference color coding by month or period can also work.
To change the color, right-click on the folder (ctrl-click for Mac!) and find the Change Color tab. Then just choose the one you want.
2. Organize by Subject
If you are reading this, you are most likely a kindergarten teacher or teach elementary. So that means multiple subjects at once! I like to create umbrella folders for each major subject – phonics, reading, math, etc.
Within each folder I create smaller sub folders for specific topics within each subject – for example my ELA folder contains subfolders for alphabet activities, guided reading (which is broken down even more!), handwriting, and so on.
**Keeping things broken down into subfolders makes things so much easier to find!
3. Starred Items
If there is a folder that you use often or might need to find in a hurry, use the star function. This is where I keep things like…
⭐ class roster
⭐ gradebook
⭐ lesson plans
⭐ daily slides
To add something to your Starred Folder, right click (or ctrl click for Mac users) and choose Add to Starred from the drop down menu.
4. Specific Names
One thing I would really suggest is naming your file something specific so you know exactly what it is without really having to open it. For example the title “CVC Worksheet” is pretty broad and you’re going to have to open it up in order to see what it is. Something like “CVC Worksheet – Short A Words” or “Halloween CVC Word Worksheet” is going to save you time when you are searching for a particular file.
5. Order Folders
By default, Google organizes things in alphabetical order. If you prefer yours ordered in a different way – perhaps you want your holidays folders organized in the order that they are celebrated – there is a workaround. If you put a number in front of the folder names it will organize them numerically instead.
I hope you have found some tips on how to make your Google Drive more functional for you whether you teach kindergarten or freshman English!
Do you have any other fun tips or tricks on customizing your Google Drive? I’d love to hear!