"G Suite Hacks" to blow your mind.

My favorite thing to do as a Google Certified Trainer is to blow minds. Yes, sometimes that means imagining a totally transformed classroom where students are sharing, collaborating, submitting and weaving seamlessly between all the apps G Suite has to offer.

But, sometimes...a lot of times...ok, maybe most of the time, what blows minds is much simpler than that. It is the tiny tweak that makes a giant impact. It's the things you can't believe you never thought of before.

So here are 5 "G Suite Hacks" guaranteed to make you say, "What?! I didn't know I could do that! This is going to make my life so much easier."

5. Tag users in comment in Google Docs

G Suite is amazing for collaboration. The ability to have multiple people working on one Google Doc is incredible, but there's another trick that takes it to the next level. Using the comment feature, you can tag specific people and even assign tasks. Just type the @ symbol and then an email address and you can tag a specific user in your comment. If you want to assign a task you just check the box. That user will get an email and you can keep track of who is in charge of what!

4. Color code folders in Google Drive

I am a folder fanatic. I like to keep my Google Drive organized and individual files safely tucked away in a folder. Of course, this means I have a thousand folders in my Drive, most of which I rarely access. An easy way to find the few folders I use regularly is to color code them. Google Drive has a fun feature that let's you change the color of a folder icon to make it stand out. Or if you're even more organized than I am, you can have fun with a whole new digital color coding system!

3. Drive Advanced search

"It's in here. I know it's in here!" G Suite makes it so easy to create new docs, sheets, and presentations, but, I'll admit it. Sometimes that means I don't properly and meticulously save my docs with a descriptive title and place it one of my perfectly color coded folders. Now what? The search bar has far more power than you may have realized. Clicking "more search tools" opens up a more advanced search tool that let's you search by owner, location, date modified, who you shared it with, and it will even search the document itself for key words and phrases.

Don't remember what you named it, but you are sure you made it last week...no problem! This just might be a good trick to share with your students too!

2. Image Search options

This super search isn't just in Google Drive. The Google search engine has this power as well. A huge pet peeve of mine is projects turned in with grainy images. The image search tools in Google let you sort the results by size, color, type and even usage rights. You can show students how to find images that are the right size AND copyright free. It's like magic.

1. Force Copy

This is the one. No matter how many times I teach this trick, this is the one that changes the life of at least one person in the room. No more explaining to students why they can't write on the Google doc. No more showing students the steps to make a copy. Well, less, let's be honest.

The first thing you need to do is make sure your document has the right share settings. Then you simply change the word "edit" in the URL to "copy". That's it! Now copy this URL and paste, hyperlink, or send it in an email to force users to make a copy.

And there you have 5 G Suite tricks. I hope there is a tip in here that will blow your mind!