Sharing Items not in Google Classroom

Google classroom is great for organizing and sharing google items (docs, sheets, slides, etc.). But not everything that we want our kids to share has to be an assignment in Google Classroom. Many teachers are giving students the choice* to do certain assignments with paper/pencil or on a doc. If they do, they have to share each and every one, and then they will show up in your "Shared with me" folder unorganized. The following steps will help your students share all documents with you, and in an ORGANIZED way.

1) Have them create a folder in their Google Drive and name it "Last, First- Class Period." For example "Oris, Alex- LA 1/2." While they are creating that folder, you are going to want to create a folder in your drive named something like "Class Period Students" (LA 1/2 Students).

2) Have them share their newly created folder with you. To do this, they have to right click their folder and select "Share." Then they will enter your name and click "Done." Any item students put in that folder will automatically be shared with you.

3) Once the students have shared that folder with you, go to your "Shared with me" folder, select all of those incoming folders (holding the Ctrl button will allow you to select multiple folders at once), right click and select "Add to My Drive." Find your newly created "Class Period Students" folder, and select "Move."

Now any document a student put in that folder will be shared with you. It would still appear in your "Shared with me" folder, but it will also be organized in your "Class Period Students" folder.

*Quick side note. Research shows that student choice is VERY powerful. Most of the time an the choice students have for an assignment is to do it or not. But if the choice becomes do it Monday or Tuesday, or to do it paper/pencil or on a Google Doc, you might be surprised that more students do it.