SpacesEDU offers multiple ways for students and staff to upload content from Google Drive.

The options vary depending on the type of device you're using, and whether you want updates to be accessible from your post in SpacesEDU.

Share and Link URLs

If you want any future updates in Google Drive or Google Docs to be visible from your post, you'll need to review your sharing settings, copy the link, and attach the URL.

1. Open your document in Google Drive or Docs
2. Click the Share button at the top right
3. Review your sharing settings: either add teacher(s) and other users who should be able to view the content, or update the General access setting from Restricted to allow others within your organization, or anyone with the link to view.
4. Click Copy Link
5. Open your SpacesEDU account and the class where you want to post
6. Click Create to add a post, or open Activities and start an activity
7. Select the URL option under Media
8. Paste in the link you copied (CTRL-V or right-click on Enter URL and Paste), then click the checkmark
9. Complete your post

This will add a direct link to your Google Drive so others can see the content with any updates made after the post was created. This is also the only way to include a Google Doc, Sheet, or Slides in a post without modifying the format.

Convert and Attach

• Other media options can also be used to select files from Google Drive when creating posts or activity submissions. These options will create a static copy of the file that no longer reflects any later changes made in your Drive.
• When adding from a Web browser, Google Docs will be converted automatically to a PDF file, so that they can be viewed in a Web browser or the SpacesEDU app without needing to adjust the sharing settings.
• In the iOS and Android apps for SpacesEDU, you'll need to convert Google Docs files into a supported format first before adding them as a file.

Add from Google Drive - Web Browser

In a Web browser on desktop or mobile devices, you'll see an option to connect with Drive:

1. Clicking this option will prompt you to select and/or log in to your Google account - ensure you select the correct account where your content is saved.
2. Next, you'll see a screen where you can select a file to add from your Drive. Here, you can search by filename or filter by type:
3. After clicking a file, click the blue Select button at the bottom left. You can also select multiple files at once by clicking them while holding down the CTRL or CMD key.
4. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are selectable on this screen and automatically converted into PDF format.
5. Other files stored in your Google Drive which are directly supported in SpacesEDU are uploaded in their original format without conversion.
6. To upload Google Docs in a different format (e.g. as a .docx or .xlsx file), you'll need to open them first in Google Drive, then click File > Download, and select the desired format. You can then upload this directly with the File option.

Add from Google Drive - Android / iOS

When using the Android or iOS SpacesEDU app, you can also upload files from your Google Drive, but you'll need to have the Drive app installed, and convert them into a supported format first (if necessary).

Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides cannot be selected or directly attached to posts in the app. Before trying to post one of these files, you'll need to follow the steps below.

Converting Google Docs

On iOS (iPhone/iPad):

• Install the Google Drive and Google Docs apps from the App Store
• Log in to your account and open the file you want to post in the Google Docs app
• Tap the menu button (three dots) at the top right, then Share & export
• Choose 'Save as Word (.docx)'

On Android:

• Install the Google Drive and Google Docs apps from the Play Store
• Log in to your account and open the file you want to post in the Google Docs app
• Tap the menu button (three dots), then Share & export
• Choose 'Save As', then select Word (.docx) or PDF Document (.pdf)

• For simpler automatic conversion of Google Docs to PDF, you can use the Web interface on a mobile device by logging in through your browser at ca.spacesedu.com (Canada/International) or app.spacesedu.com (US).

Attaching Files from Drive

To access Google Drive content within the Android and iOS apps, tap the File attachment option when creating a post or activity submission.

• On Android, press the menu button (three lines) near the top left, then look for a Drive option.
• On iOS, look for a Drive option under Locations on the left. If you don't see it, ensure the Drive app is installed, and tap the menu button (three dots) near the top right, and Edit Sidebar. Turn on Drive as a location.
• After selecting your Drive, you can select and upload any files in supported formats, including those converted with the steps above.
• Note that Google Docs are visible in this screen launched from the app, but greyed out and cannot be selected, as they are not directly attachable to posts. To upload Docs, Slides, or Sheets, you'll need to follow the steps above to convert the file first, or use the web interface for SpacesEDU.

Updated on: 03/12/2025