New Dropbox Feature: File Request

If you're not using an LMS, it can be a challenge to find a way for students to submit documents to you online. In the past, I've used Dropbox teamed up with Drop It To Me to let kids submit work. That works just fine, but Dropbox just launched a feature called file request that takes out the middle man. 

Here's an overview:

The notice I received when I logged onto my DB account online

Dropbox's explanation

I decided to give it a try. If you choose to use it, here's how it will look {I just clicked "create file request" on the screen above}:

Type the name of what you're requesting. For teachers, this may be the name of an assignment or a unit. I just wrote "test." Dropbox then creates a new folder for you, based on the name of whatever you're requesting {although you can change the file destination if you want}. Notice that once the files are turned in, you are the only one who can see them!

Type in older kids' e-mail addresses to send them the link directly from Dropbox. For younger students, I'd copy the link above and shorten it or turn it into a QR code.

That's it! I actually just e-mailed the link to myself to see what that prompt would look like... Here's the e-mail I got:

When I clicked "upload files" in the e-mail, I was taken to a page like this. I would assume this is the page someone would see if you just sent the link -- not an e-mail -- but I haven't tested it to be sure.

From here, the recipient just needs to click the blue "choose files" button, and a pop-up of files from their computer appears. After uploading, the file appears in your folder, and no one but you can see it unless you choose to share the folder. 

Ideas for Using Dropbox's File Request Feature in Education:

1. Students can submit digital assignments to their teacher.
2. Parents can submit pictures from class parties, field trips, etc to the teacher. 
3. Parents can submit permission slips and/or notes {about transportation, tutoring, etc.} to the teacher.
4. Teachers can submit paperwork to administrators. 

Dropbox Adds Commenting Feature

I've written about Dropbox in the past, but their most recent update is pretty cool, so I thought I'd share!

As a reminder, Dropbox is a place for you to securely store files of all kinds on the web and access those files from any device that is connected to the Internet. Two nice bonuses are that you never have to worry about losing or corrupting a flash drive again, and that you can recover recently deleted files fairly easily.

I've advocated for Dropbox over other cloud storage services because I just think the layout is simple and intuitive, but there was a feature I thought was missing...until now. :)

Dropbox now offers the ability for users to comment on any file. Additionally, you can specifically "mention" Dropbox users who have access to your files -- almost like the mentioning feature on Twitter or Instagram. 

Any user who is the owner of that particular folder, was mentioned in the comment by using the @ symbol, or has participated in commenting on that file before will receive an e-mail about any addition to the conversation.

I could see this being a real asset to teaching teams who use shared Dropbox folders. Easily make a comment to give more information about a particular file is, what time or year or part of the Scope and Sequence this file pertains to, changes that need to be made on a lesson plan before next year, etc.

Learn more about Dropbox's new commenting feature by clicking HERE.

Use QR Codes to Display Student Work

Someone recently inquired about #22 on my post on using QR codes in the classroom. Here's what I said on #22:

Hallway decor: use QR codes in hallway decor for Open House or conference nights. You could display students' pictures (or self-portraits) on the bulletin board, and attach a QR code to their latest and greatest achievement right next to each student. Parents could get a "quick response" on what positive things have been happening for that kid lately! This would be easy to update as the year went on, since you'd just change the content of the webpage (not the actual QR code).

{You could use the title, "Students are having a 'scantastic year!' -- borrowed from this picture.}

Short answer: Each student needs to have a page on the web where the URL stays constant throughout the school year, but the content on the page can be changed whenever you want.

Need more info? Below, I'll go into more detail about 4 different options for using QR codes in a bulletin board display to show students' portfolios.

Option #1: Use Weebly.

• Create a free classroom website with Weebly. {Weebly is the best website for making your own website, IMO! It's SO easy to use, and there are lots of options for free.}
• After you create the site, you can start adding pages {these can appear as tabs at the top or side of your site}. You have the option to make all of the pages visible in a tab view, stack them on top of each other {only to be revealed when mousing over}, or make them all invisible. Whatever you choose, make a page for each student in your class. 
• Grab the link to each students' individual page and put it into a QR code. You can add, edit, or delete things on each students' page whenever you want, and the QR code on your bulletin board will always link to the newest version of that page.

Option #2: Use Dropbox.
*Reminder: Dropbox is an option for storage in the cloud. You get 2 GB for free, plus an extra 500 MB for signing up with and/or having someone else sign up with  your referral link. Store files of all types in folders, and organize them very similarly to how you would organize folders on your computer.

• Create a folder for each student in your Dropbox account. {Don't have a Dropbox account? Use my referral link to sign up, and we'll both get extra, free space!} 
• Grab the link to each students' folder and put it into a QR code.
• I haven't tried this option myself, but in theory, it should work. Dropbox annoyingly seems to change the link whenever an individual document is updated, but as long as the name and location of the folder remain the same throughout the entire year, you should be able to edit the content inside the folders without changing the link.

Option #3: Use LiveBinders. 
*Reminder: LiveBinders is a digital 3-ring binder that is fabulous for organization. Free users get tabs and subtabs in which to organize their things. Paid subscribers get tabs, subtabs, and base tabs -- great for even deeper organization. Embed webpages or HTML components, upload any document, type directly onto a page, and/or add a page of mixed media split the way that makes the most sense to you. 

• 3A: Because the space in a free LiveBinder account seems to hold quite a bit of things, you could probably create an entire binder for each student {or have them create their own on their own account, if you don't want to manage it yourself}. Link to the binder in your QR code. The beauty of this is that students can add SO MUCH to their online space.
• 3B: If your LB space is lacking or you simply don't want to create and maintain a binder for each student, create ONE binder, and then create a tab for each student. Students can add and organize things to their tab by creating subtabs underneath. Students can still add lots of items to their space, but not as much as if they were to have their own whole binder.

Option #4: Use Smore. 
*Reminder: Smore is an online tool that creates pretty posters for free. The posters can be e-mailed, shared on social media, printed, or embedded into another website. Users can make 5 Smores before they are asked to pay. Add titles, text, small pictures, large pictures, links, videos, and a few other things into the poster, and finish by customizing the background and theme.

• Each kid needs their own Smore account if you want to keep things free. {If you want all the kids' smores on your account, you'll have to upgrade to the premium version.} 
• Each students needs 1 personal Smore for their portfolio. 
• Put the link to their Smore poster in a QR code. As far as I know, you can make Smore posters infinitely long, so you could keep adding all year long.

Drop It To Me

If you don't have a way to receive and store students' files, a paperless classroom might be difficult. There are a variety of services you can use to store and organize documents, but if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I am partial to Dropbox. Now there is a service called Drop It To Me that allows Dropbox users to set up a special link where others can upload files directly into your Dropbox folder.

Here's the explanation, as provided by the Drop It To Me website:

To register, just click here. {You'll need a Dropbox account in order to use this service, so if you don't already have one of those, click here to register for a free account.}

If you're curious about what it would look like for your students, click here. {This is my Drop It To Me box, and I have to give students the password in order to send things to me.}

It's nice because students don't need an e-mail address in order to send you things, and it goes straight to your Dropbox folder for easy storage and organization!

Sharing Large Files

Have you ever tried to send a really big file to someone, only to have your e-mail client refuse to send it because of its size?

That's happened to me a few times, and it can be really frustrating.

Most "storage in the cloud" websites give you an option to share a link or e-mail a large file for free. There is, however, another program that is only a large-file-sharing service {i.e. The good news is, you don't have to sign up for a storage in the cloud option if you're still hesitant to do so}: Droplr.

Logo from the Droplr website

Droplr is a free service that requires no sign-up or registration before using. All you do is go to the Droplr homepage, click the big green button that says, "select a file to share now,"

and select the file you'd like to share from your computer.

After your file is uploaded to the Droplr website, you'll see a screen like this:

I uploaded a test document, and it will expire in 7 days, so don't waste your time typing in the link :)

Droplr shows you the link, and you can e-mail/embed the link or share it on your favorite social media sites. 

If you don't have a Droplr account, that's totally okay, but you will get a message that your file will be deleted from the Droplr servers in 7 days {if you have an account, they will keep your file forever}.

While I have never used Droplr to send a file to anyone, it was used to send a file to me pretty recently. I ordered a couple of PDF books from a small education agency online. The PDFs were much too large to e-mail, so the agency sent them to me through Droplr. The agency's representative simply included the link to the document inside an e-mail, explaining what to do. All I had to do was click the link and then click "download." It was super fast and easy.

Ways to Use Droplr:

• Need to share a large lesson plan file with another teacher? Upload it to Droplr first. 
• Need to share lots of large pictures with a parent or the yearbook volunteer? Upload to Droplr.

Since I would probably only use Droplr to send large documents or photos, those are the only ideas I have. :) But Droplr would be a great option for you if you still haven't signed up for a storage in the cloud service and need to send something large.

Dropbox

Dropbox is one of the "storage in the cloud" sites I wrote about in this post. While there are lots of "cloud" options, I really like Dropbox.

Logo from the Dropbox website

Features:

• 2 GB of storage for free when you sign up
• Earn 250 MG of extra, free storage for yourself and whomever you invite if they sign up using your referral link
• Free iOS apps for your mobile devices
• Ability to share folders with other Dropbox users {all members of the folder can view/contribute to the folder}
• Ability to share links to a single document with non-Dropbox users {they can view and/or download your document}
• If you install Dropbox on your computer and work from within its folder, Dropbox will save and sync your files instantaneously so you never have to worry about uploading the latest file
• Ability to pay for more storage {100, 200, or 500 GB} if you ever need it {Prices start at $9.99 a month.}

Ideas for Using Dropbox...

...for yourself: 

• Reduce paper stacks and clutter by scanning documents and putting them in your Dropbox.
• Stop e-mailing files to yourself. Stop storing your files on a jump drive that you could misplace at any moment. Stop leaving your files at work and being unable to view/work on them at home. If you upload to Dropbox, your files are on the 'net 24/7 and you can access them from any device that can connect to the Internet or access a data network. {Do this by signing up and then downloading the Dropbox program to your computer.}
• Upload a shopping list to your Dropbox. Access it from your phone while in the store. Never worry about leaving your list at home again. 
• Work from home: access all your lesson plans, components, assessments, templates, etc. from your home computer.
• Upload holiday or vacation photos and share the link with your family -- much more secure and safe than Facebook or a photo-sharing website.  
• Sync your pictures from your smartphone, iPod Touch, or tablet. Dropbox remembers which pictures it's already uploaded so you only get the latest pictures you've taken... and all your pictures are backed up any time you open the free Dropbox app on your device.
• Create a folder for each student. Use a copy machine in the workroom to scan and e-mail copies of work, assessments, etc. Send the paper copy home with the student and keep the digital copy for yourself. No paper to organize or keep track of because it's all digital!

...with colleagues:

• Create "shared" folders with your teammates. Everyone with an invitation can put files into the folder, and all will have access to edit/delete/print/move, etc. {similar to the I:// drive at school}. This is great for sharing lesson plans, lesson plan components, pictures, templates, parent letters, assessments, etc.
• Send a large file -- that's too big to e-mail -- to your teammate by giving them the documents' link in your Dropbox folder.

...with parents:

• Create a class newsletter and store it in your Dropbox account. Share the link with parents. They can view the archive of newsletters any time they want. {Similarly, you could set up a folder for all parent communications, and they could view digital versions of notifications sent home in Wednesday folders.}
• Create folders with class pictures and share the link to the folder with parents. {You could also give parents the ability to add pictures,}
• Create a folder for each student and share that folder with each student's parents. Let that serve as your virtual file or portfolio on that student for the duration of the year. You can upload pictures/scans of great student work or work to make up when a student is sick. Parents can download their student's work and/or upload communication, such as transportation change notes. At the end of the year, pass the folder on to the parent, and he/she can keep it indefinitely while you free up space in your online storage.

...with students: 

• Create a folder for each student and either give the students your login information or ask each student to create their own Dropbox account and "share" the folder with them. Use the folder either as a virtual inbox -- students can turn in work here -- or as a virtual portfolio -- students can showcase their progress throughout the year. The best part? Students can keep their Dropbox account and folder after the year is over and take it with them all the way to high school or beyond!
• Upload documents to your Dropbox and insert a QR code to the file. Instead of printing the document for everyone, print copies of the QR code, have students scan it with an iPad, and allow students to complete paperless work. 

Ready to Get Started?

Click HERE to sign up for Dropbox {That is a referral link, and if you use it, we BOTH get an extra 250 MB of free space!} and get started!

Confused?

I'm working on a series of video tutorials that will show you how to use Dropbox. Below are the videos I've finished so far:

Click HERE to access the videos.

CISD employees: if you are prompted for a password, put in our school's mascot (plural form).  

Storage in the Cloud

"Storage in the cloud" is a hot phrase. But what exactly does it mean, and what are the benefits of using it?

Nope, not this kind of cloud.

"Storage in the cloud" is a fancy way of saying that you are storing information on the Internet. Think of it like a flash drive that is with you at virtually every moment, and you never have to keep up with it. Or think of it like the H:// or I:// drives at school, except you can access it from anywhere with an Internet connection -- not just from school.

Pros: 

1. You can access your information from any computer or device that has an Internet connection. So you pretty much have your files available wherever you go. That means you don't have to worry about leaving a document on your H:// drive and then not being able to access it at home.
2. You can never lose your information. It's stored forever on the 'net.
3. You don't have to keep up with a flash drive anymore. Hello, convenience.

There are lots of options for storage in the cloud systems these days. My top three favorites are as follows:

• Dropbox
• Copy
• Google Drive {formerly known as Google Docs}

Click on the above names to take you to my posts on each system for more information. ...Or just pick the name you like the best and dive in! {There are other options like Box and SugarSync, but I'm not a fan, so I won't be writing a post about them. Feel free to explore them if you'd like some other options, though!}

My Recommendation:

Personally, my favorites are Dropbox and Copy. Actually, let me clarify: Copy is "the new guy" on the block, and he is VERY similar to Dropbox, except he offers way more free space right off the bat. If I wasn't already so invested in Dropbox, I think Copy would be my main squeeze. But since I started my love affair with Dropbox several years ago and have SO MANY FILES already on there, I'm trying to give equal love to DB and Copy. :) 

Since Copy is so new, you might have trouble accessing it at school. {CISD employees: I've already requested that Copy be removed from the "block" list... nothin' yet.} If that happens to you, Dropbox is a fantastic choice!

If you already have a Google account, don't want to sign up for anything else, and/or would like the ability to create presentations, polls, or spreadsheets, Google Drive might be ideal for you.