Sweet fancy Moses! I LOVE DROPBOX!
I know. Too much stuff.
What exactly is Dropbox and how does it allow you to have all of your stuff wherever you need it? Dropbox is basically like having a folder of your work on every computer you work on. Watch the video below for a great explanation.
The reason I decided to give it a try was because I, like everyone else, was doing the USB shuffle every time I wanted to move a file around. I have a computer at my desk and also a computer at the front of my lab that is connected to my ActivBoard.
I have the ActivInspire software at my desk and at the front of the room but before Dropbox if I made a Flipchart at my desk using the software I had to figure out how to get it up to the computer at the front of the room. Not anymore! I just drop it in my Dropbox and it's ready to go.
Now I will admit this all hinges on your internet connection. I no longer keep my everyday Flipcharts on there because there was a day the internet was out and I couldn't get to them! That doesn't happen often at my school but it does happen so those things live on my desktop now. What Dropbox is great for is moving files around and storage. I love it for that and use it everyday, multiple times a day to access things.
Right now I have Dropbox on my iPhone, iPad, laptop, home computer, the computer on my desk, and every computer in my lab! I will be teaching the 8th Graders about it this year - I hear some high schools require the kids to use Dropbox, so I want all of the 8th Graders to know what it is and how it works.
The only other tip I would give is to decide on a file structure and keep it organized when you start using it. Mine is a little out of control because like that junk drawer in your kitchen it's really easy to just dump things in there. Keep it neat:)
Make sure you head over to Teaching Trio to check out other Tech Tips and Tricks with their linky!
It sounds similar to Google Docs as far as saving files online; have your tried both? Any preferences?
ReplyDeleteI'm loving Google Docs right now for posting files for others to see (like my lesson plans) but it's not the same as Dropbox. You can only save files with Dropbox, not create them like you can with Google Docs. I like and use both.
DeleteI love Dropbox for saving my photos, especially because they automatically upload from my phone. I actually started out on Dropbox before I met Google Docs. Melanie--I think they're both easy to learn, but Dropbox doesn't give you the option to create new documents the way Google Docs does--Dropbox only saves documents, files and photos.
ReplyDelete:) Beth
If I used it for photo upload I would run out of space in a week! I use it for keeping files I'm working on.
DeleteI love dropbox too! But, I am a cheap-o. I don't want to take the dive to spend $9.99 a month! Ugh. Maybe I should just do it! thanks for sharing about how you use Dropbox to make your life easier.
ReplyDeleteCassie
Funky in Fourth
I did it because I needed the space, the 2 GB wasn't enough;)
DeleteI am using Dropbox at the moment and haven't yet needed the paid version as I only use it to transfer a file I need from my home computer to my work computer, or vice versa. I am thinking of switching to Google Drive as everyone's talking about how good it is...
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your experience!
Naïma
Mme Gauthier's French Class
That"s how I was using it at first. Then I started using it for everything:)
Delete