first look: team drive

John R. Sowash | ElectricEducator.com

First Look: Team DriveJohn Sowash |

@jrsowash ElectricEducator.com


Why do we need Team

Drive?

While sharing files with a individuals or small groups through Google Drive is simple and effective, managing a large collection of resources with a medium to large team can be challenging.

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Common Issues:

Files get “lost” in shared with me.

Files get removed from shared folders.

Shared files are accidentally edited.



The Biggest Issue

The biggest issue with traditional drive sharing is related to document ownership. If the owner of an important document leaves the company or school, their files will be removed if their account is deleted.



Key Features of Team Drives

Located in a separate area from personal documents

Does not clutter up “shared with me”

Files owned by team (not an individual)

Simple access management



First LookNote: At this time, Team Drive is only available Google

domains that are in the EAP (Early Adopter Program). A full launch is expected in early 2017.

Last Update: 12/8/2016


Creating a Team DriveTeam Drives appear in your personal Google Drive account. Visually, it gives the impression of two separate disk-drives (like your old c:// and a:// drives)


Creating a Team DriveCreating a Team Drive is similar to creating a new folder, or a new class in Google Classroom. The material design styling of a Team Drive is quite different from the typical folder in Google Drive.


Setting up your Team DriveOnce you have created your Team Drive, you will see a brand new interface that stands in stark contrast to the simple folder-based structure of Google Drive.

Educators will feel comfortable with this “Google Classroom-esque” design. At this time the colors and background image of your Team Drive can not be customized and are assigned randomly.


Click to add members to your team


Set Access SettingsLike traditional sharing in Drive, group managers can set the access settings for new team members.


Team ManagersIndividuals with “Full Access” should be considered team managers as they can modify team membership settings. Set “edit access” to remove team membership capabilities.


Group MembershipTeam Drive supports sharing with individual users and Google Groups. Sharing with a group is an easy way to give manage group membership on a larger scale.

Group Membership


Manage MembersMembers can be removed at any time. Editing access rights can also be adjusted, just like in traditional Drive.


Managing Team Drive ContentAdd and manage content in your Team Drive just like you would in Google Drive. Notice that the “owner” column is no longer needed as the team is the owner of these resources.


Drive ContentAll standard Drive file types are supported by Team Drive. File and Folder upload are supported as well. Connected Drive Apps are NOT supported at this time.


Team Drive on MobileOne of the best features of Team Drive might be the simplicity of accessing it on your mobile device. No more searching through folders or the shared with me section of Drive.

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Team Drive on MobileQuickly find, manage, and open documents from your team.

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Ideas, Thoughts, and Issues


Moving Content into Team DriveTeam Drive is in early release. Bugs and missing features are to be expected. At this time, you can not move content from your personal Google Drive into a Team Drive. You must create content IN your Team Drive.


Use Case - Curriculum DepartmentsOne easy application for Team Drive is curriculum planning and documentation in schools. Each department (Math, Science, Language Arts, etc) should create a team drive to store curriculum maps, pacing guides, lesson plan templates, etc.


Use Case - Special EducationSpecial Education departments can use a Team Drive to track IEP data, share common document templates and share common evaluation tools.


Use Case - School AdministratorsSchool administrators can use Team Drives to collect budget information, share departmental reports, and safely store district-wide templates and resources. Use Case - School BoardsSchool Administrators and board members can use Team Drive to share board reports, minutes, and budgets.


Use Case - Group ProjectsStudents working together in small groups can use Team Drive to share and store group work without impacting or cluttering up their personal drives. Speculation: The launch of team drive would suggest the ability for Google Classroom to add a group project feature at some point in the future.


Team Drive Management


Admin ControlsThe Google Drive settings from within the G Suite admin console have been updated to include Team Drive.


Admin ControlsThere is also a new setting that can prevent users from trying out Team Drives. This setting can be applied to specific OUs.

© Sowash Ventures, LLC

Permissions & AcknowledgementsI have worked hard to create quality content for educators. I am happy to share my work but ask that you contact me for permission.

© Sowash Ventures, LLCContact Information: John R. Sowash, [email protected]: @jrsowashwww.SowashVentures.com

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first look: team drive

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