Module 1: Your Digital Foundation Lesson 2 of 3 10 to 14 min

Your Essential
Digital Toolkit

The exact tools you need, what each one does, and how to set them all up before Lesson 3 so you are ready to start working digitally from Day 1.

Know the 8 core tools Set up Gmail and Google Drive Understand what each tool is for Save your first file to the cloud
1What Is It?

Your 8-Tool Digital Starter Kit

Open with this
Welcome back. In Lesson 1, you named your digital struggles and set your goals. Today we fix those struggles, one tool at a time.

A toolkit is exactly what it sounds like: a set of tools that work together to help you do a specific job. A carpenter has a hammer, a saw, a drill. A digital professional has a different kind of toolkit. And today I am handing you yours.
The Google Workspace Suite
💾 Storage and Communication
📧
Gmail
Email
Your professional email address and inbox. All Google tools connect through Gmail, making it the anchor of your entire digital life.
Start here
📂
Google Drive
Cloud Storage
Store every file you create in the cloud so you can access it from any device, anytime. No more "I left it on my other laptop."
15GB free
📝
Google Docs
Writing and Documents
Write CVs, proposals, reports, and all your professional documents here. Works like Word but lives in the cloud and is free.
Free
📊
Google Sheets
Spreadsheets and Data
Track budgets, manage client lists, create reports. Every professional who works with data needs to be comfortable here.
Free
📅
Google Calendar
Scheduling
Book meetings, set reminders, manage your time like a professional. Share your calendar so clients can book you directly.
Free
📊
Google Slides
Presentations
Create polished slide decks for pitches, training sessions, or client presentations. Works like PowerPoint, completely free.
Free
Design and AI
🎨
Canva
Visual Design
Create social media graphics, flyers, presentations, and more with drag-and-drop simplicity. No design training needed.
Free plan available
🤖
ChatGPT / Claude
AI Assistants
Your AI co-worker. Use them to write, research, brainstorm, summarise, translate, and solve problems at superhuman speed.
Free to start
💡
Why these 8 tools specifically? These are the tools that appear most often in remote job descriptions, VA work, digital marketing roles, and online business. Master these and you are already ahead of most job applicants.
2Why Do I Need It?

What Happens When You Do Not Have These Tools Set Up

Speak from experience here
Let me tell you what happens when someone applies for a remote job without these tools set up. The interviewer asks for their CV. They say they will email it. The interviewer asks what tools they are comfortable with. They name one or two but admit they have never really used them. The interviewer asks if they can share their portfolio via Google Drive. There is a pause.

This person may be brilliant. They may be hardworking and fast-learning. But the gap in practical tool knowledge costs them the role. Today we close that gap for you.
Without These Tools With These Tools Set Up
Emailing files as attachments constantlySharing Drive links that update in real time
Losing files when a device breaksEvery file safe in the cloud, accessible anywhere
Spending hours on tasks AI can do in minutesUsing AI to write, research, and think faster
Creating amateur-looking graphicsProfessional designs in Canva without design skills
Missing meetings because of no shared calendarClients booking directly on your Google Calendar
Typing out data in a notebookTracking everything in a clean Google Sheet
🌍
Real world application Virtual Assistants, content creators, digital marketers, project managers, and online entrepreneurs all use these exact tools daily. This lesson sets up your professional digital workspace for the first time.
3Show Me

A Walkthrough of Your Toolkit

Screen share or describe this section
I am going to walk you through each tool briefly so you know exactly what you are looking at when you open it. We are not going deep into any tool today. That comes in later lessons. Today is just orientation.
📱 Gmail: Your Digital Headquarters
  1. Go to gmail.com and sign in (or create a new Google account if you do not have one)
  2. Notice the left sidebar: Inbox, Sent, Drafts. This is your email home.
  3. The grid icon (top right) reveals all connected Google tools. One account, everything connected.
  4. Your Gmail address is also your Google account. Every Google tool you use connects here.
📂 Google Drive: Your Digital Filing Cabinet
  1. Go to drive.google.com. You are already logged in through Gmail.
  2. Click "New" to create folders or upload files. You already know how to do this from Lesson 1.
  3. Notice: your Lesson 1 folder should already be here from your first task.
  4. Click on any file to open it. Right-click to share with someone using their email address.
🎨 Canva: Your Visual Design Studio
  1. Go to canva.com and sign up with your Google account (it takes 30 seconds)
  2. Choose a template type: social media post, presentation, flyer, CV, and more
  3. Everything is drag-and-drop. Click on text to change it. Click on images to replace them.
  4. When done, click "Share" then "Download" to save as a PNG, JPG, or PDF.
🤖 ChatGPT or Claude: Your AI Assistant
  1. Go to chat.openai.com or claude.ai and create a free account
  2. In the text box, type what you need. This is called a "prompt." Think of it as talking to a very smart assistant.
  3. Try: "Write me a professional out-of-office email reply in a warm but formal tone."
  4. The AI responds in seconds. You can ask it to change the tone, make it shorter, or improve it.
🧠
The key insight from this lesson These tools do not work in isolation. They form a system. Gmail connects to Drive. Drive connects to Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Canva saves to Drive. AI helps you write better content for all of them. A system beats a single tool every time.
4Let's Do It

Setting Up Your Workspace Right Now

Walk through this with the student
I want you to open your browser right now as you watch this. We are going to set up your digital workspace together, step by step. This is the kind of thing that takes most people weeks to figure out on their own. We are doing it in the next 10 minutes.
  • 1

    Confirm your Google Account. Go to gmail.com. If you do not have an account, create one now. Use a professional email format: firstname.lastname or firstnamelastname. Avoid nicknames, numbers, or funny handles for your professional account.

  • 2

    Open Google Drive. Go to drive.google.com in a new tab. Confirm your Lesson 1 course folder is already there from your previous task.

  • 3

    Create a new Google Doc. Inside Drive, click New, then Google Docs. Type your full name at the top. Save it automatically (Google Docs saves on its own). This is your first cloud document.

  • 4

    Sign up for Canva. Open canva.com in a new tab and sign in with your Google account. You are now a Canva user. Bookmark this page.

  • 5

    Create a free AI account. Open either chat.openai.com or claude.ai in a new tab. Sign up with your Google account. You now have an AI assistant at your fingertips.

  • 6

    Bookmark everything. In your browser, bookmark Gmail, Google Drive, Canva, and your AI tool. Create a folder in your bookmarks called "My Digital Toolkit" and save them all there.

5Now You Try

Your 10-Minute Setup Challenge

Give this as a timed challenge
Pause the video right now. Your challenge is to complete all six steps from the previous section in 10 minutes. Seriously, set a timer. Go.

When you are done, all four tools should be open as tabs in your browser, you should have a bookmarks folder called "My Digital Toolkit," and your Lesson 1 course folder should be visible in your Google Drive.

Press play when you are done.
📧
Gmail
gmail.com
📂
Drive
drive.google.com
🎨
Canva
canva.com
🤖
Claude AI
claude.ai
🤖
ChatGPT
chat.openai.com
6Your Task

Lesson 2 Assignment

📋
Your task for this lesson Complete the Lesson 2 Workbook: fill in your toolkit table rating how comfortable you are with each tool. Then complete the Practical Task: set up all four accounts, create your first Google Doc, and add your first prompt to your AI Prompt Library.
  • 1

    Fill in the Toolkit Comfort Table in your workbook, rating each tool from 1 (never used it) to 5 (comfortable)

  • 2

    Create a new Google Doc called "My AI Prompt Library" and save it in your Module 1 folder on Drive

  • 3

    Add the 3 prompts from this lesson's Prompt Library tab to that document

  • 4

    Screenshot your bookmarks folder showing all 4 tools saved and add it to your Lesson 2 folder on Drive

7What Did You Create?

Your Lesson 2 Outputs

Close the lesson with this
By the end of this lesson, you have set up your professional digital toolkit. This is not a small thing. A lot of people have been using the internet for years without ever properly setting up these tools. You just did it in one lesson.

In Lesson 3, we put all of this to work. We are covering digital communication and online professionalism. See you there.
  • Google account confirmed with a professional email address
  • Google Drive open with my course folder visible
  • First Google Doc created and saved to Drive
  • Canva account created and bookmarked
  • AI account (ChatGPT or Claude) created and bookmarked
  • Bookmarks folder "My Digital Toolkit" created with all 4 tools
  • Lesson 2 Workbook completed and saved to Drive
WWorkbook

Lesson 2 Student Workbook

✏️
Instructions Complete all four parts. Be honest with your ratings. This gives you a clear picture of where to focus first as you work through the rest of the course.
🔧 Part A: My Toolkit Comfort Table

Rate each tool from 1 (never used it) to 5 (use it comfortably). Circle or write your score.

Tool
Gmail
Comfort Score (1 to 5)
 
Tool
Google Drive
Comfort Score (1 to 5)
 
Tool
Google Docs
Comfort Score (1 to 5)
 
Tool
Google Sheets
Comfort Score (1 to 5)
 
Tool
Google Calendar
Comfort Score (1 to 5)
 
Tool
Canva
Comfort Score (1 to 5)
 
Tool
ChatGPT or Claude AI
Comfort Score (1 to 5)
 
🔎 Part B: My Weakest Tool
The tool I am least comfortable with right now:
Why I have avoided it until now:
One specific thing I want to be able to do with it by the end of this course:
⭐ Part C: My Setup Wins
Which tools did I successfully set up today? (tick all that apply)
  • Gmail confirmed with a professional email address
  • Google Drive open and course folder visible
  • Canva account created
  • AI account (ChatGPT or Claude) created
  • Bookmarks folder "My Digital Toolkit" saved in browser
🤔 Part D: Reflection
One thing that surprised me about these tools:
Which tool am I most excited to learn properly?
How did setting up these tools make me feel?
💾
Save this page Save your completed workbook to your Lesson 2 folder in Google Drive. You will fill in a final version at the end of the course to see your growth.
TTask

Set Up Your Digital Workspace

⏱️
Time: 20 to 30 minutes Output: All 4 tools set up, bookmarks folder created, first Google Doc saved, and AI Prompt Library started. This task has four parts.

Part 1: Confirm Your Google Account

  • 1

    Go to gmail.com. Sign in if you already have an account.

  • 2

    If you do not have an account, click "Create account." Use your first name and last name for a professional email (e.g. dorisifeoma@gmail.com or doris.onyia@gmail.com). Avoid numbers or nicknames.

  • 3

    Go to drive.google.com. Confirm your Lesson 1 course folder is visible. If not, recreate it now following the structure from Lesson 1.

Part 2: Create Your First Professional Google Doc

  • 1

    In Google Drive, open your Module 1 folder

  • 2

    Click New, then Google Docs

  • 3

    At the top, click "Untitled document" and rename it to: My AI Prompt Library

  • 4

    Type the heading: Go Digital With Dee: My Personal AI Prompt Library

  • 5

    Below the heading, add a subheading: Lesson 2 Prompts

  • 6

    Copy and paste the 3 prompts from the Prompt Library tab into this document

  • 7

    Google Docs saves automatically. Confirm the document appears inside your Module 1 folder in Drive.

📌
This document matters You will add new prompts every lesson. By the end of the course, you will have a personal AI Prompt Library you can use for life.

Part 3: Set Up Canva and AI

  • 1

    Go to canva.com. Click "Sign up" and choose "Continue with Google." You are now a Canva user. No need to add payment details yet.

  • 2

    Browse the templates for 2 minutes. Notice how many things you can create: posts, CVs, flyers, presentations. This is your design studio.

  • 3

    Go to claude.ai or chat.openai.com. Sign up with your Google account. You now have an AI co-worker.

  • 4

    In the AI chat box, type your first real prompt: "I have just started learning digital skills. What are three habits that will help me stay consistent with my learning?" Read the response.

Part 4: Bookmark Everything

  • 1

    In your browser, create a bookmarks folder called: My Digital Toolkit

  • 2

    Bookmark Gmail, Google Drive, Canva, and your AI tool inside that folder

  • 3

    Take a screenshot of your bookmarks folder open in your browser

  • 4

    Save that screenshot to your Lesson 2 folder in Google Drive

📸
How to take a screenshot On Windows: press Windows key + Shift + S, then drag to select the area. On Mac: press Command + Shift + 4 and drag. On phone: press the power and volume-down buttons together.

Final Checklist Before Moving On

  • Google account confirmed with a professional email address
  • Google Drive open with my course folder structure visible
  • "My AI Prompt Library" Google Doc created and saved to Drive
  • Lesson 2 prompts copied into the Google Doc
  • Canva account created (canva.com)
  • AI account created (claude.ai or chat.openai.com)
  • Bookmarks folder "My Digital Toolkit" created with all 4 tools
  • Screenshot saved to my Lesson 2 folder in Drive
  • Lesson 2 Workbook completed and saved
🛠️
Toolkit: Activated!
Your professional digital workspace is live. When all boxes above are checked, you are ready for Lesson 3: Digital Communication and Online Professionalism.
AIPrompts

Lesson 2 Prompt Library

📖
Add these to your Prompt Library document Copy each prompt into your "My AI Prompt Library" Google Doc under the heading "Lesson 2 Prompts." Replace anything in square brackets with your own information before using them.

Understanding Your Tools

Prompt 1, Explain a tool simply
"Explain [tool name, e.g. Google Sheets] to me as if I have never used it before. What is it for, who uses it, and what would I typically use it to do in a remote work or online business context? Keep it under 200 words."
Use this whenever a tool in this course feels confusing. Swap in any tool name.
Prompt 2, Compare two tools
"What is the difference between [Tool A] and [Tool B]? I am a beginner and I want to know which one to use for [specific task]. Give me a clear, practical comparison."
Use this when you are unsure which tool is right for a task. Example: "What is the difference between Google Docs and Google Slides?"
Prompt 3, Build a learning plan
"I want to become proficient in [tool name] within [number] weeks. I am a complete beginner. Create a simple, step-by-step weekly learning plan for me that focuses on practical skills I can use at work or in my online business. Keep each week's tasks to under 3 hours."
Use this to create a focused self-study plan for any tool you want to master faster.

Productivity and Workspace Setup

Prompt 4, Organise my digital files
"I am setting up my Google Drive for the first time as a [your role or goal, e.g. virtual assistant, freelancer, student]. Suggest a folder structure I should use to keep my files organised professionally. Make it simple and easy to maintain."
Use this to get a tailored folder structure for your specific situation.
Prompt 5, Improve my email setup
"I am setting up a professional Gmail account for the first time. What are the top 5 settings I should configure right away to make my inbox more professional and organised? Walk me through each one briefly."
Use this immediately after setting up your Gmail to make it work for you from day one.
💡
Reminder: paste into your Google Doc Open your "My AI Prompt Library" Google Doc and paste all five prompts there. Add the heading "Lesson 2: Your Digital Toolkit" above them so you can find them quickly later.