Google tools can help you practise specific tasks: finding a source, reviewing text with another person or preparing a meeting. This guide suggests using test files and checking the result, rather than enabling many features at once.
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1. Search with a defined question
Choose a topic and compare a general search with one using quotation marks for an exact phrase, a minus sign to exclude a word or site: to limit the domain. Google documents these operators. Do not put a space after site:.
Exercise: find an official museum page and note who publishes it and when it was updated. A search result does not guarantee accurate or current information. Open the source and check the detail you need.
2. Review a paragraph in Docs
Create a short test document and share it with a specific person. Distinguish viewer, commenter and editor permissions. Suggesting mode lets someone propose changes without directly replacing the original wording; suggestions can then be accepted or rejected.
Exercise: request one suggestion that clarifies a sentence and one comment containing a question. Decide which change to keep. Avoid personal documents or client information for a practice task.
3. Organise files without confusing sync and backup
Create a folder with understandable names and check who has access. The previous article incorrectly claimed that Drive guaranteed files could not be lost. Google explains that when Drive for desktop mirrors or streams files, moving a file to the bin also moves it there across the synced locations.
A synced copy is not, by itself, a strategy for independent backups. Practise with a disposable file, check its location and do not empty the bin as part of the exercise.
4. Make a short Keep list
Google Keep lets you create, edit and share notes. Make a list of materials for a meeting and check it before leaving. The aim is a useful reference; you do not need AI-generated content or to share it with the whole team.
5. Prepare a Classroom assignment
If you teach at an institution using Classroom, try saving an assignment as a draft with instructions, material and submission criteria. The official guide distinguishes publishing, scheduling and saving a draft. Follow your institution’s rules and use authorised accounts before involving student data.
6. Rehearse a Meet call
Check the microphone, screen sharing and an invited participant’s access. Meet limits and features depend on the account and settings, so verify what the host can use. For a more structured activity, see our guide to online team sessions.
Check what the exercise achieved
Finish with one small, verifiable result: an identified source, a reviewed change or a usable list. If a feature is missing, consult that application’s help and your organisation’s settings before assuming all accounts behave alike.
Sources and review
Reviewed on 23 September 2026.
