The Magic & Danger of Google Drive (and any other form of digital communication that could contain personal or sensitive information)

We are at an interesting crossroads in education and technology. First, the culture of educational professional development has sharply changed with the introduction of social media. Where teachers ideas and lessons use to be under lock and key, more and more educators, students and staff are sharing resources with the world and rightfully so. After all that is what we are wanting from our educators to adopt. Using technology to share, collaborate, and create authentic learning experiences for students. Technology has become an essential tool in allowing students and faculty to connect to the world beyond the classroom walls that has never been so readily available in history. However, we can't control what people do with information outside of those walls. At the same time educators are learning to share more and more, the “IT guys” in charge of keeping your data secure are facing more challenges each day. Tools such as GAFE have revolutionized the way we collaborate and share information. However, because it is so easy, it can also be dangerous.

Do you have any personal or sensitive information that might be shared to the world on Google Drive? Probably yes. How do we keep people excited about great tools such as Google Apps for Education, and at the same time warn them about the dangers of sharing information that may be sensitive in nature?  How do we defend our users from these potential dangers? The answer: Professional Development.

Many have jumped on the Google Drive wagon with purpose and good intentions, but do not understand the features with Google Drive itself. It is important to understand once you hit the magic blue share button, you are essentially publishing the document for everyone. In a way, like a text message, you can’t return it to a private state once it has been sent. As I have told my students in the past, if you wouldn't submit it to have on the bank marque, then it probably has no business being shared. Yes you can change the share settings back to private, you can change collaborators edit/read/write/comment rights. In Google, you can even prevent users from making a copy, kill the copy and paste function, ect. However, it's important to remember never to send or share anything that might contain personal information.

To understand more about access levels in Google Drive, explore Ritka Tiwari's here: