What I Wish I Would Have Known... Part 2

This is the second post in a series of posts dedicated to the challenges and solutions of an iPad model classroom.  This post focuses on the use of Dropbox in an instructional setting.

Part 2:  Dropbox

Handouts, readings, worksheets, notebook paper…

Sometimes it feels as though I spend most of my mornings at the copy machine.  Seventy-five copies here, one-hundred copies there, only to hear from students, “I can’t find it!” as the days and weeks go by.  I think all teachers can relate to the headaches and green guilt we feel as we run another master through the machine.  The most difficult challenge in organizing a classroom is getting our students and their papers organized.  I get lost in the piles on my desk and have to admit that on more than one occasion, I couldn’t even find the handout a student requested! 

Enter: Dropbox

Dropbox solves most of the copying nightmares for teachers.  It is a website/app that easily stores documents on its cloud and can be accessed at anytime.  It is very easy to set-up an account and to upload documents directly to it.  It updates each device as uploading happens.  Many of the documents I need my students to read on their iPad are on my school’s server.  Not a problem.  Dropbox automatically adds a folder on my desktop into which I can easily drag and drop documents.  Students can open a Dropbox document and send it Pages to edit.  They can even save their edited documents back into Dropbox for me to grade!  The possibilities are simply endless. 

There are so many possibilities that I haven’t taken advantage of yet.  If there’s something you do with Dropbox that could help my classes, let me know in the comments!

What I Wish I Would Have Known

1)   Storage is limited.  Free accounts have a limit, but more storage can be added by sending referrals, linking accounts, and grabbing other “bonuses” Dropbox offers.  Cleaning up folders often helps to keep space available.

2) Anyone who has the username and password can delete files.  When we first started using Dropbox, I decided to set up a classroom account.  All of the students logged-in with a username and password I provided.  Before students understood the app well, files were accidentally deleted. Be prepared for this by always keeping a master document (digitally) close by.

3)  PDFs can take forever to load!  Larger files on Dropbox can take a few minutes to load.  This, in teacher time, seems like an eternity.  To prepare for this, have students open the file BEFORE introducing the task/assignment.  This buys you a few minutes and allows the file to load.

4) Saving files back into Dropbox takes time.  As students start working on assignments, the goal is to have them save back into Dropbox.  It can be done rather easily, but the time it takes to upload needs to be taken into consideration.  I think having almost thirty student upload at the same time eats up most of the server’s attention.  An easy fix is to have a select group of students upload at once.

5)  If you have a classroom folder, students can access each other’s work.  Since my classroom isn’t 1:1 (for iPads) yet, students see each other’s work not only in Dropbox, but in all apps.  Take the time to discuss responsibility and integrity.  Mistakes happen.  Files get deleted.  Keeping an open dialogue about individual work keeps students honest and assignments authentic. 

6) Allow students to download or access Dropbox at home.  Many of my students have downloaded Dropbox on their smartphones or home devices and can complete reading assignments whenever it’s convenient for them.  Many of my students have done their homework on the bus or on-the-go, and it’s been really easy for students to access what they need.

Would I Do It Differently Next Time?

Looking back, I don’t think I would change my use of Dropbox.  Students have responded really well to it, and it’s a perfect addition to “going green” in the classroom.  I’m looking into apps that have a direct link to Dropbox such as iAnnotate PDF.  This would allow students to actually write on a document and then send it back for assessment.  It is quite costly at $9.99, but the ease of use and potential benefits outweigh the cost.  If you have any suggestions about Dropbox or other annotating apps, let me know!

Next Time:  What I Wish I Would Have Known About… iMovie!