Flawless File Management

​This week, I have been sharing some tips to help teachers start the year well with classroom technology. In this Blog, I share some advice about teaching kids how to manage their files well.
 
So often I hear “I cannot remember where I saved it”. Taking a little time to teach kids how to manage their files well at the start of the school year will prevent their computers being turned into a mess of random files and help them to find what they are looking for more easily. 

• Depending on the service your school uses, whether it be OneDrive, Google Drive or iCloud, get your students using the cloud to save their school files. This makes it easier to share and recover.
• Set up a 2019 folder and then sub-folders for either subjects, terms or semester.
• Teach them to name and rename files – don’t leave things as “Untitled 1” etc…
• Teach students to create a shortcut to their 2019 files and place it on the desktop for easy access.
• Show them how to empty their recycle bin and their downloads folder to clear the clutter.

Building file management into your technology pedagogy is important in ensuring these skills stick. If you start something new in the classroom, spend the last 5 minutes ensuring students save their work to the correct place. I suggest even setting a the name for the file. ​You can check out this past blog, which covers this topic a little more deeply.