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How to Share Google Slides with Your Students

August 15, 2020 13 Comments
Check out this quick tutorial to learn how to share Google Slides with students!

Google Slidesโ„ข activities are one of my top go-to technology tools for the classroom. I love that they save automatically as students work and that they live in the cloud. My students love them for their interactive features as well as being able to easily collaborate with other students.

Google Slides are especially handy to use if you are doing virtual teaching, work in a 1:1 classroom, or are a homeschooler.

So how do you share Google Slides with students? Read on for a quick tutorial!

Sharing Options for Google Slides

However you share the slides, you have to first decide what permissions to allow. There are three sharing options:

  • students will view your file
  • students will view and edit your file
  • students will get their own copies of the file

I choose view-only if it’s something my students don’t need to edit or work in. The second option is great if you want students to work on a collaborative class project. If you want to assess each student’s work, you’ll probably want to pick the last option.

Assign Slides through Google Classroom

Sharing slides right in Google Classroom is my preferred method.

One way to share Google Slides is to share it via Google Classroom.
  1. Open Google Classroom.
  2. Click the Classwork tab at the top.
  3. Click Create and then Assignment.*
  4. Type the title.
  5. Click Add and then Google Drive. Select the Google Slides file you want to assign. Click Insert.
  6. Choose how you want to share the file (view, edit, or make a copy).
  7. Add any additional information (like a due date, number of points, rubric, or selecting particular students).
  8. Click Assign and then Assign or Schedule.
One way to share a copy of a Google Slideshow is by creating a new assignment in Google Classroom.

*When you click Create, you can choose Material instead of Assignment if you want to share slides without assigning them to students.

Email a Link

  1. Open the file.
  2. Click Share.
  3. Type individual names or the name of a group. Click the Editor tab and select the role (viewer, commenter, or editor).
  4. Click Send.
One way to share Google Slides is to share a link right in Google Slides.

Alternatively, you can just grab a link to copy and paste:

  1. Open the file.
  2. Click Share.
  3. In the Get Link tab, choose how you want to share the file (view, edit, or make a copy).
  4. Click Copy Link.
  5. Paste the link in an email or other secure environment.

Email Google Slides as an Attachment

Another option is to send the Google Slides as an email attachment.

One way to share Google Slides is to send it as an email attachment.
  1. Click File and then Email. Click Email as attachment.
  2. Type the name(s).
  3. Click Send.

Quick Tips

  • If you have slides you don’t want to share with students (like teacher directions, answer keys, or content you haven’t taught yet), just move or delete those slides before sharing the file.
  • I recommend making a copy of your original file and sharing that one with students, especially if you want to make modifications to it.
  • If you assign a file through Google Classroom, filling out the Topic will help keep your stream organized.
  • Many LMSs (like Canvas and Schoology) allow you to share Google Slides as well. Just change the permissions and share the links and you’re good to go!
  • Students can share their Slides back with you for assessment and easy feedback!

I hope this quick tutorial gives you an idea of how to share Google Slides activities with your students! What else do you want to know about using Google Slides in the classroom? Let me know in the comments!

13 Comments

  • Kerin November 1, 2020 at 10:07 pm

    If you make a choice board and link a google slide interactive activity, then for the choice board select make one for all students… will the link also be made for all students so that they have their own?

    • Jace September 28, 2021 at 6:38 pm

      At the end of the link you post in the choice board, change the end of the url address from /edit to /copy and it will require the student to make a copy that is their own. It will not automatically share it with you though, they will have to do that.

  • Christine Stefaniak March 1, 2021 at 1:15 pm

    Hello,
    I would like the kiddos to be able to look at each others slide shows. How can they view completed slide shows? We have 28 third graders and would like to give them the option to view and assess 3-5 individual slide shows. I would like to be able to do this within google classroom.

    • Alyssa March 1, 2021 at 8:17 pm

      Hi Christine! They can share their slideshows using the same processes outlined in this post. If you assign groups, they can just enter those students’ names in the sharing window. They should pop up easily since you are all in the same organization. I’d just remind them to not change the settings to edit. Another option is for them to share their work back with you and for you to send out the links, but that’s more work. I hope that helps!

  • Jean-Paul March 31, 2021 at 4:58 am

    Hi Alyssa,
    thank you so much for your great tuto.
    I created a Google slide to make my students learn.
    So I created Classwork an a new Assignment.*
    Then a went to my Google Drive to select the Google Slides file I want to assign.
    Click Insert.
    I choose ‘make a copy for each student’ because I want to share the file and I want every single student to work on the slide. So I can see if everyone is doing well.
    I wonder if that is the proper way to do.
    Kind regards from Luxembourg
    Jean-Paul

    • Alyssa March 31, 2021 at 3:29 pm

      That’s right! And then they can share their Slides back with you. ๐Ÿ™‚ I hope they enjoy it!

  • Christina Stringfield April 28, 2021 at 10:04 pm

    Is there anyway to share Google Slides that students can do work on in Outschool? Iโ€™m trying to figure out how to do that without Google Classroom.. Thanks for your help!

    • Alyssa April 30, 2021 at 2:46 pm

      I’m afraid I don’t have any experience using Outschool. If you have students’ email addresses, you can share a link with them. Another option would be to create a force-copy code and then use a URL shortener, and send them that link. Good luck!

  • Trish Gardner May 10, 2021 at 1:04 pm

    Make a copy is not showing up as a choice, only view or edit. What do I do?

    • Alyssa May 10, 2021 at 3:30 pm

      Hi Trish! Are you in GC or sharing straight from slides? If you’re sharing right in Slides, they’ve changed it a bit since I wrote this post. You can copy the link and then change the end of the link to /copy (delete /edit and everything after it). I hope that helps!

    • N.ac. May 18, 2021 at 7:00 pm

      This happens to me sometimes, but it’s a problem with G Classroom I think. What I do is delete the assignment and create it again. It usually works and shows me the three options the second time around.

  • Devienne January 2, 2023 at 3:12 pm

    Hi there. I assigned Google Slides as outlined above with each student getting their own copy. They are showing up very small and hard to see. Is there a way to make the screen where they can add their own text big enough to actually read without it blurring?

    • Alyssa January 3, 2023 at 11:26 am

      Hi there! I’m not sure what might be going on, as it depends on your device. Google Slides does have a zoom option and I hope that can help!

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