Community Review of Dropbox | Common Sense Education

My Rating

Engagement

Pedagogy

Supports

My Take

Our school uses a Barracuda filter that blocks our access to a number of different websites that have validity in the classroom, especially YouTube. Often times, I discover completely usable and engaging videos on the site with great aspirations to use them in my instruction. Unfortunately, the aforementioned filter denies me access to such great videos on our school's server. This is where Dropbox comes into play.

Using a video converter, by which I can convert a YouTube link into a playable format (i.e. Quicktime or Windows Media Player), I save the video file to my computer. Because the file is commonly too large to send via email, Dropbox does all the work for me. By processing the video file through Dropbox, I can choose to (a) stream the video on my classroom's Smartboard through the Dropbox app or (b) download the video file for use on my computer at school.

For students who produce PowerPoint presentations or large video files that are much too large to send via email, they can use Dropbox in much the same manner. All the app requires is an email account and password for its use.

How I Use It

For my AP Literature class, I am in the habit of finding poetry on YouTube read by pronounced British actors, including Alan Rickman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Steven Fry, Daniel Radcliffe, and the like. Additionally, I extract Shakespearean soliloquies performed by actors like Kenneth Branagh as Iago (from Othello) or Ian McKellen as Macbeth (from the play of the same name) for use in the classroom. Such videos get my students utterly engaged in the close reading of a text. None of this could be possible without the use of Dropbox to manage larger files that I can pull up on my computers with ease.

1 person found this helpful.

More community reviews for Dropbox

Heather R. West Jordan, UT

April 21, 2019

Great for file sharing

My take is pretty much the same as how I use it. It is another way to do what Google Classroom can do, but works better for me because I have iPads and Notability. Without Notability, it would not be nearly as useful.

Andrea C. Gilbert, WV

May 7, 2015

Drop Your Assignment Here!

Dropbox supports learning beyond the product by allowing students to build, utilize, and be accountable for their work. My students not only use it for my class, but have found it useful in other classes as well. I use Dropbox to build assignments and create lesson plans that I can access from home and school. This prevents me from having to carry my computer from place to place or having to worry about losing a USB drive. There is also a Dropbox application for the I-phone that I use. If I find valuable resources or items that I want to share with my students, I can simply snap a pic and place it in my Dropbox. Unfortunately, our school has had to resort to a no cell phone policy so using Dropbox allows me to access items without the use of my phone. In my opinion, Dropbox has changed my classroom. It allows my students and me the opportunity to share, save and record information current as well as later use. I am able to save items in my Dropbox and then post them into my learning management system.

Jeremy B. Teacher Gull Lake Community Schools Richland, MI

November 28, 2014

Must have cloud syncing tool

Dropbox is a must have tool for teachers. It stores your data, allows web access, and is free (for the 2 gigs with options to get more through referrals). I use it daily. Also, by adding services to your Dropbox account such as DropItToMe students can upload files to you form iPads, computers, or home. Absolutely a must have tool for teachers to stay organized, share files, and have access anywhere to their data.

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