File Boss — Digital Futures

🎯 Learning Objectives

✓Organise, rename and export files using correct conventions
✓Use version history to recover from mistakes
✓Choose the right file format for different purposes

📚 Key Vocabulary

Version history

A record of every change made to a file — you can roll back to any point

Export

Saving a file in a different format (e.g. .docx → .pdf)

Backup

A copy of your file in a second location in case the first is lost

Compression

Making a file smaller so it's faster to share (e.g. zip files)

⏱️ Lesson Timing (50 mins)

🪝

Hook

5 mins

"Has anyone ever lost a piece of homework?" Show a dramatic story of a student losing a whole essay. Then show version history saving the day — teacher demo on a Word Online.

👨‍🏫

Teach

10 mins

•File types: .docx (editable), .pdf (locked/professional), .jpg/.png (images), .csv (data)
•Version history in OneDrive: every autosave is tracked
•Renaming files in bulk using the right-click menu
•Sharing settings: view, comment, edit — why this matters
•Downloading vs. exporting: same outcome, different names in different apps

🛠️

Create

40 mins

Students are given a "messy starter pack" folder (shared via class link) with 10 badly named files. Task 1: rename and sort them all using correct convention. Task 2: open the document, make a deliberate mistake, then use version history to undo it. Task 3: export one document as PDF and one spreadsheet as CSV. Save everything to their portfolio.

Tools:

OneDriveWord OnlineExcel Online

📢

5 mins

Exit ticket: name ONE thing you'll do differently with your files from now on. Say it to a partner, partner types it into the shared class Teams.

🔧 Tools & Resources

OneDrive

✅ Free

https://onedrive.live.com

Teams / PowerPoint Online Q&A

✅ Free

https://teams.microsoft.com

🤖 AI Angle

Files and version history are especially important when using AI — you need to track what YOU wrote vs. what AI helped with.

📝 Evidence of Learning

Reorganised folder with correctly named files + PDF and CSV exports

📚 Homework

Sort the downloads/desktop folder on your home device. Take a before and after screenshot. Save to portfolio.

⏱️ 15 mins

♿ Differentiation

Support (for students who need help)

Starter pack pre-sorted into wrong subfolders so students just need to rename, not sort

Extension (for advanced learners)

Research what a "version control" system like GitHub does and why developers use it. Write 3 bullet points.

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