U-M Google Updates

U-M Google Team Drives go live October 25

10/10/2017

Starting Wednesday, October 25, you will be able to request Google Team Drives through the Google at U-M Website or the ITS Service Center.

Team Drives is a new feature of Google Drive, where teams of colleagues can access, create, store, search, and collaborate with their team-owned files. This team-based ownership model helps reduce the potential for data or access loss when individuals leave a team or even the University of Michigan. For more information, see our Google Team Drives Overview and training webinar.

Individuals can move files from their own My Drive into a Google Team Drive. Entire folders or folder structures cannot currently be migrated, due to issues uncovered during pilot testing. (Please see our Google Team Drives Pilot Update for more information.)

As with My Drive, there are several options for file management, sharing, and access levels for Team Drive members. We are currently documenting best practices in preparation for the rollout of Team Drives. You can also see how:

Here are a few important differences to note:

  • Team members can move individual files from My Drive into a Team Drive.
  • Once a file is moved from My Drive into a Team Drive, the file is removed from My Drive.
  • Team members with Full Access can move files and folders from a Team Drive into their own personal My Drive, and take ownership of them.
  • Files can be shared outside of the Team Drive with those who not part of the team. Folders within a Team Drive cannot be shared.
  • Team Drive files shared with non-team members will appear in their “Shared with me” list. Those files cannot be added to their own personal My Drive.

The ITS Collaboration Team will continue to communicate about Team Drives to campus over the next several weeks.

Create Custom Headers and Footers in Google Sheets

10/9/2017

Google is rolling out a new feature that allows you to customize the headers and footers in your Google Sheets with whatever text you choose. In addition, you can choose from pre-defined options (date, time, etc.) and move those elements around within your header and footer. To add custom headers and footers, choose EDIT CUSTOM FIELDS from the Print settings menu to get started.

Google is also introducing saved print settings with this feature. Modify your settings once, and they will be retained the next time you—or a collaborator—opens the spreadsheet.

U-M Google September Summary

9/29/2017

The monthly U-M Google Summaries inform campus of Google releases for Core Apps as well as the Non-Core Apps (those that are not part of the G Suite for Education agreement). We communicate important information on Core Apps throughout the month. Core and Non-Core Apps are listed on the G Suite website.

Core Apps

Previously Communicated

Note: Keep in mind that even when non-core apps are found in a core app (like Google Drive), they are not covered by the G Suite for Education agreement.

Google Docs Newest Features Help Team Collaboration

9/27/2017

Working collaboratively on Docs, Sheets, and Slides can be difficult sometimes. Keeping track of all the changes and suggestions that your teammates make can become overwhelming. That’s why Google has created powerful real-time editing tools to help you work together better.

New Ways To Track Changes:

  • Name versions of a Doc, Sheet, or Slide on the web.
    You can organize and track your team’s changes in one place under “Version history” (formerly known as “Revision history”) on the web. Select File > Version history > Name current version. For even quicker recall, there’s an option to select “Only show named versions” in Docs, Sheets, or Slides..
  • Preview “clean versions” of Docs on the web to see what your Doc looks like without comments or suggested edits.
    Select Tools > Review suggested edits > Preview accept all or Preview reject all.
  • Accept or reject all edit suggestions at once in your Doc so your team doesn’t have to review every single punctuation mark or formatting update.
    Select Tools > Review suggested edits > Accept all or Reject all.
  • Suggest changes in a Doc from an Android, iPhone, or iPad device.
    Click the menu in the top right of your Doc screen to suggest edits on the go. Turn on the “Suggest changes” toggle and start typing.

New Ways To Use Templates:

Google has introduced new templates with built-in add-ons and the ability to create your own, so templates not only look good—but they make sure the work gets done. You can find five examples of these new templates in the general template gallery. In addition, you can create your own template with built-in add-on customized to your needs.

Embed Websites into the New Google Sites

9/21/2017

Google continues to add features to the new Sites app. One that was available in Classic Sites is the ability to embed another website in a Google Site. Based on feedback, Google has now added the ability to embed an entire webpage as an iframe in a new Google Site. This allows you to pull in content from other websites and Google tools like Apps Script and Data Studio. Select Embed URL from the Insert menu.

Note: This only works if that webpage allows it to be embedded. Otherwise, only a link to the webpage is inserted.