These skills will help you stay ahead of the game...

There are a number of technology skills that you are expected to have acquired, if possible, by the time you reach Year 11. These skills will be utilised during your senior studies but will also be valuable in further study, employment and in life. 

How many of the following items can you already do?

• Save a document as a PDF and understand why and when documents should be saved as a PDF.
• Recognise and work with various document file types such as docx, xls, txt, pdf, pptx, html and so on.
• Zip (compress) and unzip a file on a Mac or PC. CHEC computer labs utilise the free utility 7-Zip for this purpose.
• Attach a file to email. In most cases document sharing at the College is performed online via Moodle or Stile, but you should still know how to work with email attachments.
• Organise files into folders and subfolders. It's best to create a folder per subject studied at the College, plus any extra folders you may need. You might like to have subfolders for assessment tasks, homework, class notes, helpful links, readings and syllabus documents. An organised folder system will make searching for documents and backing up much easier.
• Name and rename files and folders using appropriate filenames. Some teachers may stipulate exactly how they would like files named for assessment tasks submitted electronically. Always read assessment task sheets carefully. It's good practice to include your name and the task name in anything you plan to submit.
• Take a screenshot on a Mac or Windows PC.

• Copy/paste text, images and hyperlinks (URLs) within and between documents and websites.
• Copy/cut/move/paste multiple and individual files and folders. Ctrl or Shift + click are your friends.
• Effectively use search engines such as Google to find appropriate and valid information.
• Utilise a thesaurus, word count and spelling and grammar check.
• Download from and submit a file to Moodle or Stile.
• Avoid viruses, malware, scams, spam and inappropriate sites.
• Practice 'netiquette' in all online and electronic communication.
• Know the difference between 'research' and 'procrastination'!