Digital skills
Everyday computing, files and cloud storage, online safety, email and collaboration, spreadsheets, presentations and the basics of reading data.
- Everyday computing. Apps, settings, updates, shortcuts and accessibility.
- Files and cloud storage. Saving, organising, sharing, syncing and backing up.
- Online safety and privacy. Passwords, two-step sign-in, scams and privacy settings.
- Email and collaboration. Clear email, shared documents and online meetings.
- Spreadsheets. Cells, formulas, references, filters and charts.
- Presentations. Slides that are clear, accessible and easy to follow.
- Data literacy basics. Percentages, averages, charts and figures that mislead.
Everyday computing
- Updates are repairs. Updates close security holes and fix bugs. Turn on automatic updates so your device mends itself overnight.
- Shortcuts save time. Ctrl+C copies, Ctrl+V pastes and Ctrl+Z undoes. On a Mac, use Cmd instead of Ctrl.
- Make it readable. Settings can enlarge text, raise contrast or read the screen aloud. Accessibility features help everyone, not just a few.
- Stuck? Restart. Save your work, then restart. It clears the memory and fixes many small glitches before you try anything harder.
Files and cloud storage
- Folders are drawers. Group files by project or by year, so anything is two or three clicks away.
- Names that sort themselves. Start with the date, then say what it is: 2026-09 electricity bill. Files line up in order.
- Sync is not a backup. Sync copies every change everywhere, deletions too. A backup is a separate copy you can go back to.
- The 3-2-1 rule. Keep three copies of what matters, on two kinds of storage, with one kept somewhere else, such as the cloud.
- Share a link, not a copy. A link keeps one version for everyone. Choose who can view and who can edit.
Online safety and privacy
- Three random words. A strong passphrase is three random words, like kettle orbit meadow: long, easy to remember, hard to guess.
- One site, one password. Reuse means one leak unlocks everything. A password manager remembers a different password for every site.
- Two-step sign-in. A code or a tap on your phone, as well as your password. A stolen password alone is no longer enough.
- Pause before you click. Urgent messages asking you to click, pay or sign in are the classic scam. Go to the site yourself instead.
Email and collaboration
- Say it in the subject. 'Invoice due Friday' beats 'Quick question'. A clear subject gets read, and found again later.
- To, Cc or Bcc? To: who needs to act. Cc: who should know. Bcc hides everyone's address, useful for a big group.
- Comment, don't copy. In a shared document, add comments or suggestions. Everyone works on one version, with its history kept.
- Meet well online. Mute when you are not speaking, share one window rather than your whole screen, and check the link before joining.
Spreadsheets
- Every cell has an address. A cell is named by its column and row, like B3. Formulas use these addresses to do the maths.
- Formulas start with =. =SUM(B2:B9) adds up a column. Change any number and the total updates by itself.
- Pin it with $. Copy a formula and its references move. $B$1 stays put, handy for one rate used everywhere.
- Filter, don't delete. A filter hides the rows you don't need without deleting them. Clear it and everything comes back.
Presentations
- One idea per slide. Give each slide one message and a headline that says it. People read the headline first.
- Big and bold. Large text in strong contrast, dark on light or light on dark, so the back row can read it.
- Describe your pictures. Alt text tells screen reader users what an image shows. Write what matters, in a sentence.
- Slides support you. Put less on the slide and say the rest. Slides are there to help your talk, not to be read out.
Data literacy basics
- Mean or median? One huge value drags the mean. The median, the middle value, stays steady, so it suits things like pay.
- Check the axis. An axis that doesn't start at zero can make a small change look huge. Read the numbers, not the bars.
- Points or per cent? From 10% to 12% is up 2 percentage points, or 20 per cent. Check which one is meant.
- Together is not cause. Ice cream sales and sunburn rise together because of sunshine. Moving together does not prove one causes the other.
Free practice with a starting check, an explanation after every answer and a final check.