Skip to main content

Fast Access to Important Documents: Google Drive Priority Page Workspaces

Google Drive has incorporated a new feature called the Priority Page.  You may have noticed it on the left-hand side above My Drive.  If you have ever been frustrated about the time it takes to navigate to frequently used files, you will want to check this out!


What Does the Google Drive Priority Page Offer?

Section 1:  Quick Access

The Google Drive Priority page has two parts.  The first section is similar to the one you see in Google Drive.  Google AI (artificial intelligence) gives you quick access to the documents it decides you will most likely want to use.  But, there is one valuable addition!

Notice the arrow located to the right.  Clicking that arrow reveals additional files that Google AI has identified, so you can now easily access more documents.

Section 2:  Workspaces 

The real beauty of the Priority Page lies below! 


Google's Workspaces allow you to create and name a Workspace where you add routinely used files.  This does NOT MOVE the item from its location in your file structure!  It only provides you another way to easily access it.  What a great idea!   A few uses:

  • Create a WorkSpace for your classes.  Place your presentation/support materials for the week in a Workspace.  It will be much easier to access them in the classroom.  Remove them and add next week's documents on Friday.  (Thanks to Sue Ravalese for this tip!)
  • Create a WorkSpace to hold all your documents for Evaluation.  Instead of hunting for evidence when it is time to upload (and probably forgetting some), they are all in one place! (Thanks to Sophia Rovitti for this tip!)
  • Create a WorkSpace for curriculum you are developing, tests you are creating with colleagues, or for frequently accessed documents for your Club or Trip you are leading.  

How do I create a Workspace?

Click the Create button to create and name the Workspace.

Click View Workspace to add or remove files from the Workspace. 


Make the Priority Page your landing page for Drive:

Try out the Priority page and see what you think!  If you love it, you can set the Priority Page as your landing page as you enter Google Drive.

Click on the cog located on the top right-hand side and click Settings. 

Under the Suggestions section, check Make Priority my default home page

I hope that his new option proves useful for your workflow!










Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Google Classroom: Why Are Students Seeing Graded Returned Work as Assigned or Late?

Are students giving you feedback that work you returned to them after grading is now showing as 'late' or 'assigned'?   The addition of the Grading module to Google Classroom has impacted this process.  Read on to understand what is happening and how to fix it! What is happening? Let's follow through the typical workflow in Google Classroom where students are submitting work to you.  You create an assignment in Google Classroom and assign the appropriate points to the assignment .   You assign the work to students, which puts the work in status ' Assigned ' in the student view.   After updating the assignment, students turn in or submit work back to you by clicking the Turn In button.   The work status changes to ' Turned in.' After grading, you return work to students.  This is a necessary step to ensure the student owns the document.   The status now changes to ' Returned ' if you placed a grade

Draftback Replays a Google Document's Changes in Video Format!

Student plagiarism can be a problem.  The world we live in makes it easy for students to copy/paste,  using works not their own. Identifying plagiarism and addressing it is a big part of students learning to be good digital citizens.  My last post outlined the new Originality Reports in Google Classroom, which check student submissions for plagiarism and incorrect or missing citations.    Occasionally, you will have a situation that needs a thorough investigation.  The Google Chrome extension Draftback is your superhero in this situation!  (Shout out to the Science Department, who discovered this gem!) Can't I see a document's version history? You may be aware that you can look at the revision history for any Google Doc or Slide.  Click File>Version History>See version history.   You are provided a right sidebar.  You can click on any revision to review the document at that time.  Changes from the previous version are highlighted in green.  The perso

Breakout EDU - Engaging Students Using Escape Room Techniques!

Have you ever heard of or participated in an Escape Room ?  They are tons of fun!  You attend with a group of family or friends.  Your goal is to work together to solve riddles and puzzles to unlock locks.  Eventually, you discover the code to ' Break out ' of the room. Amy Byron, with the support of the Parent Association, purchased both a Breakout Room kit (physical locks) and an account for Breakout Edu Digital (for digital locks).  These Breakout Edu options allow you to construct breakout experiences using YOUR CURRICULUM CONTENT!  It is a fun and engaging way to have students access and use your content. Watch this video to get a better sense of Breakout Edu: How did Amy incorporate Breakout EDU in her classroom? Think back to the first day of school.  You are a student.  What is your experience?  You move from class to class, where each teacher introduces themselves, talks about the course, class expectations, and maybe has a short activity as an