Chapter 4: Sharing and Publishing Maps & Folders (My School)

Overview

Share securely and organize across the school.

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Goal of this pinboard

This pinboard explains how admins can share maps and folders effectively and how the My School area can be used.
After this pinboard, you will know:
- when a sharing link is enough
- when classes, groups, or individual users are better
- what read permission and edit permission mean
- how password protection is used
- how “My School” works as an internal school portal
- which sharing method fits which situation
Basic idea: Not everything should be distributed via open links. For internal school content, targeted sharing is often better.
⚙ start

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Share or publish?

Two different actions that are often confused:
Share = grant access specifically to certain people, classes, or via link. The content otherwise remains private.
Publish = the content appears under “My School” and is visible to everyone at the school.
Important: A folder shared via link is not yet published. Only “My School” makes it visible school-wide.

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The three most important questions before sharing

Before sharing a map or folder, clarify three questions:
1. Who should get access?
- public
- teaching staff
- individual class
- individual teacher
- student group
2. What should these people be allowed to do?
- view only
- edit
- add content
3. How sensitive is the content?
- publicly harmless
- internal to the school
- personal data
- only for certain people
The answers determine the right sharing method.

4

Comparison of sharing methods

Situation	Recommendation
Public material	Read link
Material for teaching staff	Share to group or “My School”
Material for a class	Share to class
Collaborative editing	targeted edit permission
Sensitive content	account requirement, targeted sharing, if needed password
School-wide information	“My School”

Rule of thumb: The more sensitive the content, the more targeted the sharing should be.

5

Typical admin tasks

Admins often support schools with these tasks:
- creating folders for subject conferences
- providing a school-wide map for a project day
- sharing collections of materials for teachers
- sharing folders for staff groups for collaboration
- giving students access to teaching materials
- setting password protection for special content
- structuring “My School”
This pinboard shows the basic logic behind it.

Sharing via link

Fast, but not always suitable.

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Read link

A read link allows other people to view a map or folder.
Suitable for:
- public material
- parent information without sensitive data
- sample maps
- freely accessible teaching materials
- quick sharing with external people
Important: Anyone who knows the link can access the content (even anonymously). Therefore, do not use read links for sensitive or personal content.

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Edit link

An edit link allows other people to change content.
Suitable for:
- short collaborative work phases
- workshops
- temporary collections
- working groups without fixed accounts
Caution: An edit link is powerful. Anyone with the link can edit content. Use it consciously and not for permanently sensitive school areas.

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When links make sense

Links make sense when:
- access should be quick
- no account assignment is needed
- content is public or non-critical
- external people are involved
- material should only be read
Links are less suitable when:
- only certain people should have access
- editing permissions are granted permanently
- personal data is included
- the school wants to use clear user groups

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Check link shares regularly

Admins should occasionally check which maps or folders are accessible via link.
Questions to check:
- Is the link still needed?
- Is the content still current?
- Is the public link still harmless?
- Are there edit links that are no longer needed?
- Should it instead be shared specifically with users?
Tip: For permanent internal school materials, “My School” is often better than an individual link.
If access to a map whose link has already been publicly shared should be prevented, go to the map settings and click “Regenerate map link” under “Protect”. New links will then be generated for this map, and the old links will no longer be valid.

Sharing with accounts

Targeted access for users, classes, and groups.

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Share with individual users

You can share maps or folders specifically with individual users.
Suitable for:
- collaboration with a specific teacher
- sharing with the school admin or subject lead
- targeted feedback
- more confidential content
Advantage: Access is tied to the account and not just to a link that can be forwarded.

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Share with classes

If students are organized into classes, content can be shared directly with a class.
Suitable for:
- teaching materials
- weekly plan
- project map
- homework overview
- learning paths
Advantage: New or existing students in the class receive the appropriate access through their class assignment.

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Share with groups or project groups

In addition to classes, groups or project groups can also be used.
Suitable for:
- clubs
- project weeks
- subject groups
- support groups
- staff working groups
- temporary course groups
Tip: Groups are helpful when participants do not correspond exactly to one class.

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Notifications and findability

When content is shared specifically with users, they should be able to find it again later.
Make sure to:
- use understandable map titles
- name folders meaningfully
- not share too many individual maps without structure
- collect important content in suitable folders
- use “My School” for school-wide content
Rule of thumb: Sharing is not just access, but also orientation.

Reading or editing

Set permissions consciously.

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Read permission

With read permission, users can view content but not change it.
Suitable for:
- finished teaching materials
- information for students
- parent information
- school-wide notices
- collections of materials
Recommendation: If people do not need to change anything, only grant read permission.

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Edit permission

With edit permissions, users can change content.
Suitable for:
- joint planning
- subject conference material
- collaborative collections
- project work
- staff folders
Caution: Edit permissions should be granted specifically. Too many editors quickly lead to unwanted changes.

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Typical permission mistakes

Common mistakes:
- sending an edit link instead of a read link
- sharing a map publicly even though it should only be internal
- too many people have edit permissions
- old edit permissions remain active
- content is copied multiple times instead of being maintained together
Tip: If there are problems, first check: Who has access and with which permission?

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Permissions matrix

Need	Suitable permission
View only	Read permission
Maintain content together	Edit permissions
Students should see tasks	Read permission or targeted task function
Teaching staff should add material	Edit permission for teachers or group
Show a public example	Read link
Collect together briefly	temporary edit link

Principle: As much access as necessary, as little edit permission as possible.

My School

Provide school-wide content centrally.

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What is `My School`?

My School is a school-wide area in which important content can be provided for the school.
Suitable for:
- information for the teaching staff
- school-wide collections of materials
- subject conference folders
- project days
- training documents
- internal organization
Advantage: Content is not scattered across individual accounts, but stored in one central place.

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Difference from your own area

Your own area belongs to an individual user.
The My School page belongs to the school structure.

Own area	My School
personal maps and folders	school-wide content
organized by the user	organized for the school
good for your own preparation	good for teaching staff and school organization
not automatically a school portal	central shared area

Recommendation: Permanent school materials belong more in “My School” than in private folders of individual teachers.

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Publish content in “My School”

Typical process:
1. Prepare the folder or map
2. Give the title a clear name
3. Check the content
4. Set publication for “My School” (in the map/folder settings)
5. Test access from a teacher's perspective
6. Inform the teaching staff
Tip: Use clear folder names such as Subject Conferences, Project Days, Training, School Organization.

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Editing in `My School`

For some content, teachers should only read; for other content, they should collaborate.
Examples:
- School information: usually read-only
- Subject conference folder: edit permission for the subject group
- Project day: edit permission for the planning team
- Collection of materials: edit permission for teaching staff or group
Important: Grant edit permissions accurately by group and person, and review them regularly.

Password protection and security

Additional safeguarding.

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When password protection makes sense

A password can be an additional layer of protection.
Useful for:
- time-limited work areas
- externally shared content
- more sensitive materials
- training documents only for participants
- maps that should not be freely forwarded
Important: Password protection does not replace proper permission management for personal or internal school data.

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Password protection for maps and folders

If a map or folder should be protected, a password can be set.
Recommendations:
- do not use a trivial password
- share the password separately from the link
- change the password later if needed
- remove protection when it is no longer needed
- for sensitive content, additionally use account-based sharing
Rule of thumb: Link plus password is better than just a link, but targeted account sharing is often even cleaner.

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Sensitive content

For sensitive content, admins should be especially careful.
This includes, for example:
- personal student data
- internal minutes
- non-public school documents
- materials with confidential comments
- content intended only for certain groups
Recommendation: If possible, do not work with open links for such content.

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Regular permission review

At least at the beginning of the school year and after larger projects, the following should be checked:
- Which folders are public?
- Where are there edit links?
- Who has edit permissions?
- Are old project groups still authorized?
- Is school-wide content in the correct area?
- Are there private folders that actually belong in “My School”?
Tip: Permission maintenance is part of the admin routine.

Practical examples

Concrete scenarios for schools.

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Example: German subject conference

Goal: The German department collects materials and minutes.
Recommended structure:
- Create folder German Subject Conference
- In the folder settings, set “Publish” to “My School”, so all students and teachers have read access to the folder
- German teachers should receive edit permissions; for this, a separate folder share via “Share to group” is necessary (choose edit permissions there). Create the group “German Subject Conference Teachers” beforehand.
- Within the folder, subfolders can be created for year levels or additional topics
- Do not issue open edit links.
Benefit: The materials remain easy to find school-wide and are not tied to a single teacher.

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Example: Project day

Goal: Collect information and work progress for a project day.
Possible structure:
- Map Project Day 2026
- Columns for organization, groups, material, process
- Edit permission for the planning team
- Read permission for the teaching staff
- later publication for students or parents under “My School” only with reviewed content
Tip: Work internally during planning, then share a cleaned-up read-only version afterwards.

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Example: Staff portal

Goal: Use “My School” as the central start page for teachers.
Possible areas:
- Current information
- Subject conferences
- Training
- School organization
- Templates
- Media and devices
- Help with Edumaps
Recommendation: A few clear main folders are better than many small individual maps.

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Checklist before sharing

Before each share, briefly check:
- ☐ Who should receive access?
- ☐ Is read permission enough?
- ☐ Is edit permission really necessary?
- ☐ Does it contain personal data?
- ☐ Is a link secure enough?
- ☐ Should the map be shared instead with a class, group, or user?
- ☐ Does the content belong in “My School”?
- ☐ Is a password needed?
Rule of thumb: First clarify the target group, then set the sharing method.

FAQ and next step

Short answers to typical questions.

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Which is more secure: link or account sharing?

For public or non-critical content, a link is practical.
For internal school or more sensitive content, account sharing is better because access is tied to specific users, classes, or groups.
Recommendation: Public material via link, internal content via targeted sharing.

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Can teachers collaborate in “My School”?

Yes, if they receive suitable edit permissions.
If you selected “My School” under “Publish”, you will find a checkbox “Teachers may edit map”. If this is activated, all teachers have edit permissions for this map. Students, however, only have read permissions.
It should be clear:
- Who may read?
- Who may edit?
- Who is responsible for the structure?
- Which content is binding?
Tip: For large areas, assign clear responsibilities, for example subject lead or project team.

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What is the next step?

After permissions management and “My School”, the next topic is:
Chapter 5: Folder Structure for Schools