INTRODUCTION
The files and folders on your computer are like the files and folders in a typical filing cabinet. Your computer is the filing cabinet, and it contains folders that contain individual files. Extensions are typically identified with specific types of files. For example, Microsoft Word documents have a .doc extension. Whenever you see a file ending in .doc, you know it's a Word document. Word 2007 files have a .docx extension and cannot be opened on previous versions of MSWord. For that reason, EVERY FILE YOU SAVE SHOULD BE SAVED AS .RTF NOT .docx or .doc.
All of your files for this class must be saved with last name + first initial plus WK#. [Example: BowmanLWK3]
Your files/documents are grouped into the My Documents folder. You will want to create subfolders in My Documents for each course you take. You can organize the My Documents folder by creating new folders within My Documents to organize your files. I have created folders for each class I teach to hold the files for those students. The example below shows how folders would look when created in My Documents.
MAKING A NEW FOLDER
To make a new folder, look on the left side menu bar and click on "Make a new folder" and type in the name of the new folder. You should create a folder for each class you take, for example ENG100, IT201, HIS211, etc. In each of those folders, you should set up additional folders, such as APA, Writing, Week 1, Week 2, Grading Rubrics, etc.
RENAMING A FOLDER
You can also rename folders. To do this, Click the folder to select it. Then click the folder a second time, but not so soon that you are double-clicking it (which is two clicks very close together). Type the new name and press Enter.
SAVING FILES
To save a document while it is open in your MS Word program:
*On the File menu, click Save As.
*You will get a pop up box that includes all your folders and files in MSWord. This is called My Documents.
*In the File name box, enter a new name for the file.
NOTE: DO NOT type punctuation or leave spaces or put in underscores [ _ ] in file names.
*NOTE: The file name must be your last name, first initial, plus WK# [Example: BowmanLWK4] Do not use any other format for file names.
*IMPORTANT -- go to File Type and choose RTF from the pull-down menu. ALWAYS save files in RTF.
*Choose the folder in which you want to save the file (this should be your course folder in My Documents).
*Click Save.
RENAMING FILES
To rename a document, open the document and follow the steps above. In Step 2, you can change the file name if you choose. You will then have TWO of the same document in your folder, each with a different name. In order to keep from getting confused, you may wish to delete the old file.
MANAGING FOLDERS
When you open My Documents, you can see all the folders that contain Word document files by clicking on the Folders icon in the Tool Bar. The folder names will then be on the left and the files within the folders are on the right. If you look on the left menu under My Documents, you can click on any of those folders to display the files within on the right side of the screen.
MANAGING FILES
If you open your course folder in My Documents, you can view the Word documents you have previously saved. To obtain this view of files within your course folder:
*Click on the course folder on the left in the view above to display your files
*Then click on the Folder icon in the toolbar.
*This will display only the files in your Course folder as in the screenshot below.
*All your files for your course should be named according to the expected file naming conventions [last name, first initial, wk#.
MOVING FILES TO OTHER FOLDERS
If you have not yet set up folders for your various courses and you have a LONG list of application files, then you will first need to create a folder for each course you have taken. Once you have done this, open My Documents to this view with the folders on the left and the files on the right. In this example, the picture files on the right can be dragged and dropped into the picture folder on the left.
