Hi everyone, Jamie Keith from Teachers Tek here. Today, I hope everyone's having a great day. I'd like to thank Scott for having me on his channel. I've been coming to Scott's channel for a while to get productivity tips, checking out his Trello content, and I'm glad to be able to work with him on this one.
Today, I'm going to be showcasing some of my favorite reasons to use Google Drive. If you can think of any other reasons, make sure to write them down in the comments below. But let's get started!
Sharing and CollaborationSharing and collaboration are two of the best things about Google Drive. I'm already in my Google Drive here, and I want to show you how powerful this can be.
For example, if I go up to a folder, I can share the entire folder or the contents inside it one at a time. I prefer sharing folders because the permissions apply to all files within the folder. If I right-click on a folder, I can go to "Share" (or use the share icon up top).
I can share this folder with someone, such as another account of mine, and decide whether they can organize, add, and edit, or just view. If you go to the "Advanced" tab, you get more options, like making the folder public on the web. This lets anyone with the link access the folder.
After sharing, I can copy a shareable link and send it to anyone. They can access the folder or document based on the permissions I set.
Document SharingWhen working on a document, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides, you can quickly share it using the "Share" button. You can add people, set permissions (view, comment, or edit), and send notifications. Comments can be added right on the document, and you can assign tasks to collaborators, making it easy to manage group work.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR)OCR is an often-overlooked feature in Google Drive that can save you time. For instance, if you have a PDF, you can right-click on it and open it with Google Docs. Google Docs will convert the text from the PDF into an editable document.
Similarly, for images or scanned documents, you can use OCR to extract text. Just right-click the image or scanned document, open it with Google Docs, and the text will be extracted below the image in the new document.
Sending Large FilesGoogle Drive is great for sending large files. In Gmail, you can attach files up to 25 MB directly, but for larger files, you can use Google Drive. Compose a message, click the Google Drive icon, and select the file. Google Drive will handle sharing and permissions, so your recipient can access the file.
Revision HistoryRevision history is a valuable feature in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. If you need to revert to an earlier version of a document, go to "File" > "Version History." You can view and restore previous versions of your document, which is handy for tracking changes and recovering lost information.
Voice TypingVoice typing in Google Docs is a fantastic tool for speed and convenience. Under "Tools," select "Voice Typing" and click the microphone icon to start speaking. Google Docs will transcribe your speech into text. It supports commands for formatting, making it a powerful feature for dictating documents.
Google FormsGoogle Forms is another great app connected to Google Drive. It's perfect for collecting information, whether for business, quizzes, or feedback. You can start from scratch or use templates to create forms. Customize questions, colors, and settings, then send the form via email, link, or embed it in a website.
So, those are some of the best reasons to use Google Drive. If you have more reasons or features you love about Google Drive, drop them in the comments below.
Thanks for watching! If you found this video helpful, be sure to subscribe to Scott's channel, give this video a thumbs up, and leave a comment. Remember, productivity doesn't need to be difficult—it's actually very simple!
