Google docs accidental sharing

[JohnRMoore]

Hi, our students use google docs with a subdomain of 'student'.

If staff also wish to use google docs, but for content NOT to be shared to students, what would be the best approach to allow staff to collaborate on google docs but minimize or eliminate the change of accidental sharing of content with students?

PS if there is a more appropriate forum, apologies, please let me know

PPS my current thinking is to create a staff subdomain, or for staff to use main domain (which could be confusing as they already use outlook email). It may be that neither would help, and we should ALL just use the main domain for neatness! Just so you know the ill-informed mess going on in my head...

[FN-GM]

"If staff also wish to use google docs, but for content NOT to be shared to students, what would be the best approach to allow staff to collaborate on google docs but minimize or eliminate the change of accidental sharing of content with students?"

 

Proper training would be the key here.

[JohnRMoore]

Excellent point. But I am looking for ways in which there is less chance that a well trained individual would accidentally share a document with a student. I know it will warn you if you attempt to share to a different domain, but as we only have one sub-domain, I am unsure what would happen if you attempted to share to a different subdomain, or perhaps to the main domain. If that would also warn, I think that would be sufficient safeguard, assuming, as you say, staff are properly trained. I need to demonstrate a risk assessment and I don't feel training is sufficient mitigation on its own, especially since Google is designed around sharing!

[mjk]

If staff also wish to use google docs, but for content NOT to be shared to students, what would be the best approach to allow staff to collaborate on google docs but minimize or eliminate the change of accidental sharing of content with students?

 

A team drive might work here.

[JohnRMoore]

That looks good. So a simple rule could be only share via team drive, do not add users explicitly.

[mjk]

I think that might work, but it does rather limit the functionality of drive. Collaboration with students is its most useful feature.

[JohnRMoore]

Yes, and when sharing with students, any methods will be fine (I currently share with google classrooms). But the rule of thumb could be that to collaborate on staff docs, put it on the staff shared drive. This will provide some degree of logical separation.

[pete]

Someone on here was looking into identifying students vs staff on Google not so long ago. I can't remember the poster but IIRC their solution was to display a profile image / thumbnail / text label(?) for all student accounts so it was really easy to tell "Mr Joe Bloggs" from "Joe Bloggs 7B"

[JohnRMoore]

That's a great idea, I can sense a policy emerging...

[mjk]

Someone on here was looking into identifying students vs staff on Google not so long ago. I can't remember the poster but IIRC their solution was to display a profile image / thumbnail / text label(?) for all student accounts so it was really easy to tell "Mr Joe Bloggs" from "Joe Bloggs 7B"

 

The user profile photos are publicly available, without logging in - so this would only be a strategy if you don't mind putting all the faces of your students onto the internet.

I recall that you can batch download them using an api./ It might be a better idea to have the staff photo set and leave the student one.

[pete]

The user profile photos are publicly available, without logging in - so this would only be a strategy if you don't mind putting all the faces of your students onto the internet.

I recall that you can batch download them using an api./ It might be a better idea to have the staff photo set and leave the student one.

 

I think (can't find the thread) it was a generic title / thumbnail applied to all kids, rather than individual photos. Say school badge = kid.

[IrritableTech]

We both set a profile picture for our pupil accounts - the school logo with School Name and Pupil written across it. We also add "School Initials Student" to the first name field of the account. For example... KHS Student Joe Bloggs would appear in the contact list.

 

The profile picture is easily set for all members of a group using GAM.

[mjk]

I think (can't find the thread) it was a generic title / thumbnail applied to all kids, rather than individual photos. Say school badge = kid.

 

thats a good idea