File Management
Your File Management and The Server System
While working at McCrae, you can store your computer files in MANY locations:
Your MY DOCUMENTS folder (This is referred to as the network's P: Drive)
Your GOOGLEDOCS account on the Internet ("the cloud")
Your GOOGLE CLASSROOM account (which is actually part of Google Docs)
The internal HARD DRIVE of whatever computer you happen to be sitting at (the network's D: drive)
A USB THUMB DRIVE that you keep with you
Any way you store them - it's critical that you learn and practice keeping your files organized so that you can find them when you need them. Here are some basic rules you need to follow:
RULE #1: Keep your work in LOGICAL, NAMED FOLDERS - ie
You can easily create a NEW FOLDER using a right mouseclick. Name and Use folders to logically organize your work by class and topic.
Putting a NUMBER at the start of the folder name allows you to SORT the folders in any way you want
RULE #2: Always name your files appropriately, especially for submission for marks
Lastname_Firstname_Description.Ext
(ie. Smith_John_Logodesign.psd)
These are File Naming Rules or "Naming Conventions"
Your Lastname should be at the start of every file you plan to hand in - that way, your instructor can find it very easily. It's as important as putting your name at the top of an assignment or test.
The "Ext" stands for "Extension" - the last three letters of the filename USUALLY provided by the program that makes the file. There's a specific extension for every application used in the course:
DOC for MS Office
HTM for webpages
JPG, GIF or PNG for web-based graphic files
WARNING - Be sure NOT to alter the "file extension" - it will conceal the original program used, and disable it from being opened again.
FOLDERS: If your work is made up of multiple files, store them in a FOLDER that uses the naming convention: Lastname_Firstname_Description
(ie. Smith_John_Summative)
RULE #3: Never use forbidden characters in your file names
Characters like !@#$%^&*() should NEVER be used in your filenames. They can be confused by the operating system and cause errors with your files.
Stick to "ALPHANUMERIC" characters - A-Z and 0-9 only
Avoid using a "space" to separate words - use an "underscore" instead. ie. "My Files.doc" is bad, but "My_Files.doc" is good
RULE #4: Save all your work in the "MY DOCUMENTS" (the "P: Drive") BEFORE handing it in
"My Documents" is your workspace on our school's server system - it's the easiest place where you'll store your work when you log on to the school computers.
"My Computer" gives you additional areas to store or retrieve files from:
The "LOCAL DRIVE" (D:) when you create large files like video projects
"John McCrae Documents" (X:) lets you get to our HANDINS and HANDOUTS folders the long way - but we'll set up some shortcuts to make this easier
Your STUDENT FILES server likely has your GRADE and the start of your last NAME labelling it.
We'll sometimes refer to this as YOUR STUDENT SERVER SPACE (P:Drive)
About your Server Space:
You have 5GB of individual academic storage space on the school's server. If you use up your limit, you will receive an error message.
Check your server space from time to time - Drag a copy of the FOLDERSIZE app to your computer's D: drive and it should work as shown in this video
BACK UP your work on a thumbdrive or burnable CD before you run out of server space
NEVER "share" accounts with other students.
Your USERID and PASSWORD is confidential - Keep this information to yourself - you are responsible for any use (or misuse) of your account.
Your server space is for ACADEMIC purposes only - it is NOT private, and can be accessed (read-only) by any teacher or administrator.
RULE# 5: GET files from the appropriate HANDOUTS folder
The HANDOUTS Folder
Resource files and applications can be found in appropriate TEACHERS handouts folders - ie. Look in X://John McCrae Documents/Handouts/May/
You CAN drag files from the HANDOUTS back to your P: drive
You can NOT save, rename or delete any files in the HANDOUT drive
RULE #6:SUBMIT work to the appropriate HANDINS folder
The HANDINS Folder
To hand an assignment in electronically, drag or copy it to the appropriate course folder found in X://John McCrae Documents/Handins/
Submitted files become invisible to you and other students once submitted
NEVER attempt to save directly into the handins folder - the result is usually a corrupt file
If you try, you will likely get a corrupt file with a 0kb size - always save to your P: drive first, then drag the file over to handins
If you have to RESUBMIT a file, add a "v2" to the end of the filename (but before the extension)
ie Smith_John_essay_v2.odt
Care & Feeding of Your Files
As they are a critical source for your ongoing evaluation, part of your evaluation and responsibilities in this course is to effectively manage and protect your files:
Save Your Files Often - Whenever you've made an accomplishment, SAVE!
Save your work every 10 minutes, and you're guaranteed that all you've lost if your computer ever crashes is 10 minutes of work.
Back Up Your Files by using SAVE AS - number your progress sequentially (ie. Logo01.psd, Logo02.psd etc) on a daily basis.
If for some reason, a file becomes corrupt, you can always "revert" back to the previous working version. Delete older backups as they become unecessary.
EXERCISE #1: Folder Management
Create Folders on your student server (P: Drive) for EACH of your classes this semester
In a separate window, Open the class HANDOUTS folder (we'll just call this the "Class HANDOUTS" folder from now on)
Locate a picture of YOU in the appropriate Handouts folder, and copy it (and ONLY it) to your own P: drive folder
If there are any file shortcuts (but not folders), drag and COPY them from your class HANDOUTS into your appropriate P: drive folder
From now on, use these shortcuts to navigate to the appropriate HANDINS or HANDOUTS folders!