I have successfully used the email option of transferring files from my desktop to the iPad (and into Pages). However, I do not understand how the Export/Import option of transferring files works. Any answers?
You can import and export files using iTunes. Just connect your iPad and go to its Apps tab in iTunes. Near the bottom you will find a list of installed programs that can import/export. If you click on pages for example, you will see the files you have exported in the Pages App. You can add documents to pages from here too.