It is Sunday night and I just realize that I need to edit my slides for my presentation Monday morning. I already have a hectic morning schedule, dogs, kids; I am a general slowpoke, etc. I left my laptop at school so now I need to leave earlier so I can get to school and update my plans. Errr…if only I had brought my laptop home with me, I could be done with this now and not make my Monday crazier.
If this is a scenario you have had, then it is time to open Office 365 online and start using OneDrive! For those of you who speak Google, OneDrive is Google Drive Office version. You can create, upload, share and sync your files via OneDrive. Signing into Office from home allows you then to access any files you have created or uploaded onto OneDrive. Students in grades 3-12 have access to Office from home as well, so this opens up a lot of possibilities for sharing work, creating assignments and directing them to work in OneDrive, not to mention the compatibility with OneNote and Class Notebook!
You can log into your Office 365 account with your district email and network password. Choose from the available apps or open the OneDrive app to create directly from there. You can organize with folders and subfolders and upload desktop or network files. Opening uploaded files online allows for easy editing in the online version of the app.
Ready for the next level? Consider making desktop shortcuts to your most used folders! You can then work directly from your desktop and sync files and folders back to your OneDrive with a click of “sync.” Here is more information on Syncing your OneDrive. Then to create shortcuts for your desktop open your File Explorer, navigate to eh OneDrive account you have linked to your computer. You should see folders available from your OneDrive. Right-click on the folder you would like to make a shortcut for and choose “Create shortcut.” A new folder with an arrow icon will appear. Drag this to your desktop and you now have a shortcut to your folders. Again, you can check the sync status and the green checkmark indicates you are synced. Clouds indicate folders only available on Office 365.
Open your File Explorer and navigate to OneDrive (once you have connected it) to view your synced folders.
Here is a synced folder! Notice the blue arrow which indicates it is speaking to my OneDrive.
Now reimagine that Sunday night scenario with Office 365 and OneDrive! Log in, fix your slides, and then enjoy the rest of your evening. Monday can just be normal crazy, but you got to sleep in a little more.
