Dropbox – Always have your files
For the first review here on EduTech Tools, I can think of no better tool to talk about than Dropbox.
Available from http://getdropbox.com, the service allows you to keep any files you drag into the Dropbox folder in-sync across all your computers. Files are also available via the Dropbox website, so if you are away from your own computer, you can download a file, work on it and upload it again.
Getting Started with Dropbox
Dropbox is more than just a Web site. The best user experience comes from installing the Dropbox application. When the app first launches it creates a folder inside My Documents on Windows and in the Home directory on a Mac. The app then monitors that folder for new files which get uploaded to the Dropbox site as soon as they are added.
If you have more than one computer, you can install the Dropbox app on each and all your files are kept up to date on all your computers. Great for people with a desktop and a laptop.
Dropbox is ideal for students and teams
One of Dropbox’s strongest features is its ability to share files. Here is how it works:
- Create a folder inside your Dropbox folder and give it a good name – something that will remind you who it is shared with.
- Right-click on the folder and select Sharing Options from the contextual menu. This will take you to the Dropbox website.
- In the right column of the website, you will see a box for “Invite more people” – type in one or more email addresses for the folks you want to share the folder with and click the invite button.
- Each invitee is sent an eMail inviting them to the shared folder.
Now everyone who is shared on that folder, assuming that they have the Dropbox app installed, will have the files on their computer. If you are on a team for a class project, you could use this as a central source to store your team files. Unlike emailing documents around, you don’t really have to think about the sharing. Open the file, make your changes and save it. It is automatically sent to all your teammates. If you and a teammate work on the same file at the same time, Dropbox will notice the conflict and will save both files so that you can resolve the conflict. Finally, if you delete a file, Dropbox keeps a copy for 30 days, so you can get back to it if you need to.
Dollars and Cents
Signing up for Dropbox will get you 2GB of space for free. This allows you to try the tool and use it in real world situations. The company even has a referral program – refer a friend to Dropbox and you both get 250MB extra space. It took me about three weeks to reach the maximum 5GB of free space, sharing it with my friends and colleagues.
If you really use it, you are going to want more space. The company sells two plans – a 50GB plan for $100 a year or 100GB for $200 a year. There are also monthly payment plans for a little bit more.
