Computer Skills

Beginner

60 mins

Teacher/Student led

+80 XP

What you need:
Chromebook/Laptop/PC or iPad/Tablet

Your First Document: Create, Open, Save

Learn how to create, save, close and reopen documents in cloud applications. Understand the difference between Save and Save As, and discover how autosave protects your work.

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1 Introduction
2 Key Concepts
3 Step-by-step Task
4 Common Issues
5 Independent Practice
6 Reflection
7 Lesson Summary
Quiz

1 - Introduction

Welcome

Every Work Experience letter, every Key Assignment write-up, every CV starts with one small action: clicking New and typing a sentence. This lesson is how that happens in cloud apps, and how to make sure you never lose what you write.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Create, save, close and reopen a word-processed document
Explain the difference between Save and Save As
Use autosave and recover a document

Warm-up

Think about a time you were working on something important on a computer and got worried you had lost the work. Maybe a CV, a class assignment, or a long message you had half-written. What did you do to check whether it was saved? Did you get it back, or did you have to start over?

Teacher Notes

Light opener — no need to collect answers. The lost-work memory primes the autosave moment later.

👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

+5 XP

2 - Key Concepts

Four ideas sit behind everything you'll do in today's lesson. Read each row before you start the step-by-step.

Concept	Why it matters	Example
New document — a blank file you create from inside a folder in your cloud drive	Creating from inside the folder means the file saves to the right place from the very first keystroke. There is no separate 'Save to folder' step in online apps.	—
Save vs Save As — Save updates the same file; Save As (or 'Make a copy') creates a brand new file with a new name	Save As lets you keep the old version safe while you edit a new one, so you never overwrite something you might need back	Editing your Work Experience cover letter for a second business: Save As makes {{code:letter_v2}} and leaves the original untouched
Autosave — online apps write your work back to the cloud every few seconds, automatically	You don't have to remember to press Save. If your tab closes or your laptop dies, your work is still there when you log in again.	—
Close and reopen — closing the browser tab does not delete the document; it lives in your cloud drive	You can log in from any device, open the file, and pick up exactly where you left off	Starting a proposal at school this afternoon, finishing it on your phone or a family laptop that evening

Teacher Notes

Encourage students to look at the Example cells — the abstract idea of 'autosave' sticks better when tied to the tab-closing moment.

👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

+10 XP

3 - Step-by-step Task

You'll walk through creating a sample document inside your {{code:03_documents}} folder, watch autosave do its work, make a copy using Save As, close the tab, and reopen the file, all using a short Work Experience sentence as the practice text.

Teacher Notes

The worked file is separate from the portfolio deliverable. Students create {{code:03_worked_example}} here; the actual portfolio file {{code:03_proposal_draft}} comes in Independent Practice.

+15 XP

4 - Common Issues

Common Issues

If something doesn't go the way the instructions say, check this table before asking for help.

Issue	Solution
I can't find the {{code:03_documents}} folder	Go back to your {{code:Digital_Portfolio}} folder in the cloud drive. If {{code:03_documents}} isn't inside it, ask your teacher. It should have been created in an earlier lesson.
The document doesn't show the 'Saved' indicator	Type a few characters and wait 5 seconds. If it still doesn't show, check your internet connection: autosave needs to be online to work.
My file is called 'Document' or 'Untitled document'	Click the name at the top of the document window, type the correct name ({{code:03_worked_example}}), and press {{key:Enter}}. You can rename anytime without losing your work.
I can't find Save a Copy in Word Online	Depending on your build, the option may be labelled {{btn:Save As}} or {{btn:Create a Copy}} instead. Check under {{menu:File -> Save a Copy}}, {{menu:File -> Save As}}, and {{menu:File -> Create a Copy}}. One of them will be there.
I now have two copies and I don't know which is which	That's normal. Save a Copy / Make a copy always leaves the original. You can delete any extra practice files later if they clutter the folder.

Teacher Notes

Point students here if they flag issues during step-by-step rather than answering one-by-one.

+10 XP

5 - Independent Practice

Independent Practice

Your goal: Use the same create / save / close / reopen flow you just practised to start the real proposal document for your own Something Real project, the one you picked in the first ICT lesson. From this point on, every proposal change lands in this file.

Time:~20 minutes

Task: Open your cloud drive and navigate into {{code:Digital_Portfolio}} and then {{code:03_documents}}. From inside {{code:03_documents}}, create a new word-processed document called {{code:03_proposal_draft}}. Type one clear sentence that says what your Something Real project is and why it matters to you. Wait until autosave shows 'Saved', then close the browser tab completely. Reopen {{code:drive.google.com}} or {{code:onedrive.com}} in a fresh tab, navigate back to {{code:03_proposal_draft}}, and confirm your sentence is still there exactly as you typed it.

Success criteria:

A file called {{code:03_proposal_draft}} exists inside the {{code:03_documents}} folder (not loose at the top level of your drive)
The document contains at least one complete sentence about your own real project, in your own words
After you closed the tab and reopened the file, your sentence is still there unchanged, with no retyping needed

Teacher Notes

Watch for students who create the file at the top level of the drive instead of inside {{code:03_documents}}. The close-and-reopen step is the one that proves autosave is working; don't let students skip it.

+15 XP

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Copyright Notice
This lesson is copyright of Coding Ireland 2017 - 2025. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.

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Your First Document: Create, Open, Save

Teacher Class Feed

1 - Introduction

Welcome

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Warm-up

2 - Key Concepts

3 - Step-by-step Task

4 - Common Issues

Common Issues

5 - Independent Practice

Independent Practice

Unlock the Full Learning Experience

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