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Course 54 · Digital course 07

Work Online: Email, Documents, Calendars, and Meetings

Practice email, shared documents, calendars, and video meetings. Learn to pass work to others, choose sharing permissions, and help everyone take part across different apps.

Before you start

Use a free or fictional practice workspace and check what can be shared before inviting anyone.

See everything you’ll need
What you’ll leave with

A mock shared-project packet with a clear email thread, versioned document, calendar invitation, meeting agenda, status update, and permission decision.

Start course Start without an account. Sign in to save lesson progress across devices.

Your project

Start with the practice files. Build your project one lesson at a time.

Practice files are free without an account. Sign in to save your project record in My Proof: a description, checklist, and optional work link. Keep the original files in your own app or notebook; saving a project record does not upload them.

  1. Get your materialsDownload the practice worksheetUse the downloadable worksheet or toolkit alongside the lesson instructions.
  2. Make your projectView the project checklist Work in your own notebook, document, or software. Use the supplied practice examples when you prefer.
  3. Keep a private recordSave a project record Sign in to save a description and checklist, then return to update them.
Optional course overview

Watch an introduction.

This overview from GCFGlobal introduces ideas you’ll practice in the lessons.

Watch directly on YouTube
GCFGlobalGoogle Drive Sharing and CollaboratingYouTube
Course handbook

Know the route before you begin.

Here’s what you’ll need and what you’ll make. You can return to this guide during any lesson.

Who this is for

Learners who need to collaborate in a workplace, school, volunteer project, or remote setting and want a repeatable process that transfers across tools.

Prepare before lesson one
  • Use a free or fictional practice workspace and check what can be shared before inviting anyone.
  • Choose a small project with a clear owner, deadline, document, and meeting purpose.
  • Turn on captions, keyboard navigation, transcripts, or another support before the meeting rather than treating access as an afterthought.
Your final project

Finish with proof you can use.

Build a shared-project packet with a purpose email, versioned document, calendar invite, accessible agenda, status update, handoff checklist, and permission rationale.

Save a project record in My Proof
See project checklist and review criteria
  • A purpose-driven email thread with an action request, deadline, attachment or link note, and follow-up message.
  • A one-page shared-project brief with an outline, two comments, one resolved decision, and a version note.
  • A mock calendar event with agenda, preparation, time-zone check, accessibility note, and follow-up block.
  • A five-minute meeting run-of-show and follow-up note with decisions, owners, deadlines, and access choices.
  • A one-page status and handoff update for a fictional project.
  • A permission-and-accessibility decision log for the shared-project packet.
Three ideas to help you along the way
Three useful ideas

The rules behind the steps.

01

Use the least confusing channel

A channel should match urgency, privacy, detail, and the need for a durable record.

02

Make collaboration reversible

Version history, named owners, clear permissions, and saved decisions reduce accidental loss and rework.

03

Design for participation

Captions, readable documents, agendas, time-zone clarity, and alternate ways to contribute make the workflow stronger for everyone.

What do these words mean?
Key words

Key terms worth knowing.

Version history
A record of changes to a shared file that helps people understand, compare, or restore earlier work.
Permission
The access level that determines whether someone can view, comment, edit, share, or administer a file or event.
Handoff
A transfer of work that names the current state, owner, context, files, risks, and next action.
Time zone
The local time convention used to interpret a scheduled event, deadline, or availability.
Your route

6 lessons.
One useful project.

Work in order the first time. Each lesson makes something the next lesson can use.

  1. 1
    Up next

    Write email that moves work

    Write an email with a clear subject, the right recipients, useful background, an action, and a deadline. Keep replies in the relevant thread.

  2. 2
    30 min

    Collaborate in a shared document

    Set up a shared document with structure, comments, version awareness, and a clear owner.

  3. 3
    20 min

    Schedule calendars and deadlines

    Create a precise invitation with purpose, duration, location, time zone, preparation, and follow-up.

  4. 4
    29 min

    Run an accessible video meeting

    Open, facilitate, and close a short online meeting with participation, privacy, and backup options in mind.

  5. 5
    22 min

    Send a status update and handoff

    Summarize work state, progress, risks, decisions, files, and the next owner without making the reader search.

  6. 6
    26 min

    Choose permissions and accessibility supports

    Set the smallest useful access level and document the supports that help people participate.

Use the tools

Tools to help you practice.

See all tools
Text worksheet

Your course practice worksheet

A text worksheet with this course’s lesson tasks, space for your answers, and a project checklist.

Source transparency

Sources and further study.

Explore the references behind the lessons and take your learning further. Source notes explain access and reuse.

Northstar Digital Literacy — Assessment categories
UNESCO — Digital literacy and competence framework
Google Workspace Learning Center
Ready when you are

Start with the first useful move.

You’ll always know what to do, what to make, and where to go next.

Start lesson one