Author: Sioned Llywelyn [sil12]

DigiTip 18 – Express yourself with Emojis with the hidden keyboard shortcut 🥳🤩💖

Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] Digital communication, collaboration and participation, DigiTips Leave a comment

Emojis have become an essential part of how we communicate, and they can be fantastic for expressing our emotions with just a single character 🥰🤣🙄🤯😴 

Most of us will be more familiar with using emojis on our mobile phones 📱, but there will be times when we’ll want to include emojis when using our laptops or computers 💻. Instead of googling for the emoji you need, why not access it directly from your keyboard!? 

On both Windows and Mac, you can access your emoji keyboard in seconds by selecting: 

  • Windows – Windows Key + “.” (period button/full stop) 
  • Mac – Command Key + Control + Spacebar 

Watch the video below to see how this shortcut works on a Windows device. 

To follow our DigiTips, subscribe to our Digital Skills Blog. Or alternatively, you can bookmark this webpage, where a new DigiTip will be added each week!

14 February ’24: Meet with other new teaching staff and IS colleagues

Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] IS Digital Essentials for Teaching Leave a comment

In September 2023, we launched the IS Digital Essentials for teaching, a new Blackboard Learn Ultra site designed to support new teaching staff at Aberystwyth University. Please read our previous blogpost for further information.

As part of the launch of this new site, we have arranged an opportunity on Wednesday 14 February ’24 (2-3pm) for new teaching staff to join us for a cup of tea or coffee in E3, Hugh Owen. This will be an opportunity for new teaching staff to meet each other and to meet colleagues from Information Services. **Please register for the event here**

If you have any questions about the event or the Blackboard site, please contact the Digital Skills Team (digi@aber.ac.uk). 

Come to our Digital Skills Drop-ins throughout Semester 2

Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] Other, Training, Weekly Digital Skills drop-ins 1 Comment

A member of the team will be available each week to support both students and staff at one of our weekly Digital Skills drop-ins.

We can help you with:

  • Finding resources that you can use to develop your digital skills
  • Providing basic support for using Microsoft software (e.g. PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Teams and Outlook)
  • Giving general advice about developing your digital skills
  • Discussing your Digital Discovery Tool report 

📍 We’ll be at the Skills Hub (indicated by the star on the image below) on Level D of the Hugh Owen library on the below Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11:00-12:00 throughout Semester 2. If you have any questions, please email digi@aber.ac.uk.

Tuesday
⏰ 11:00-12:00		Wednesday
⏰ 11:00-12:00
16 January ’2424 January ’24
30 January ’247 February ’24
13 February ’2421 February ’24
27 February ’246 March ’24
12 March ’2420 March ’24
No drop-in sessions over EasterNo drop-in sessions over Easter
16 April ’2424 April ’24
30 April ’248 May ’24

Merry Christmas from the Digital Skills Team! 🎄✨

Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] Other Leave a comment

It has been a very busy year for us all at the Digital Skills Team! Over the past year we’ve created a range of new resources and events, including:

We hope that some of the resources above have been useful in supporting you to develop your own digital skills, and we’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and we look forward to continuing to support you in the new year!

Introducing the new AI coaching chatbot in LinkedIn Learning 🤖

Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] LinkedIn Learning Leave a comment

Do you have particular skills that you want to develop, but not sure where to start? LinkedIn Learning, an online learning platform which all students and staff at AU have free access to, have just released a new coaching chatbot which may help solve this issue!

What does the coaching chatbot do?

Their new AI-powered coaching chatbot provides personalised advice and resources, pulled directly from the expert-taught content within LinkedIn Learning.

You can ask for advice on challenges you’re facing, or recommendations on how to develop specific skills, and the chatbot will ask you follow-up questions to ensure that you receive the best recommendations.

Top Tip: To get an even better response, link your LinkedIn Learning account with your personal LinkedIn account (how do I do that?) and the chatbot will take your job title or level of study into consideration before providing you with recommendations.

How do I access the coaching chatbot?

You can access the chatbot in two places, either from the main menu (on the left-hand side), or from the homepage.

Further questions?

If you have any questions about this new feature, or about LinkedIn Learning in general, please contact the Digital Skills Team (digi@aber.ac.uk).

We’re halfway through our Christmas Learning Challenge! 🎄

Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] LinkedIn Learning, LinkedIn Learning Challenge Leave a comment

We’re halfway through our Christmas Learning Challenge, but don’t worry it’s not too late to join us!

The challenge provides staff and students with an opportunity to develop a range of skills, from tips to boost productivity, keyboard shortcuts in Outlook to developing better sleep habits, by watching 12 short videos from LinkedIn Learning over 12 days.

How do I join the challenge?

The first step will be to activate your LinkedIn Learning account. After doing so, there are two ways for you to join the challenge:

  • You can either follow the links on each day of the challenge from the calendar below
  • Or you can follow our Christmas Learning Challenge Learning Path (which will also display at the top of the LinkedIn Learning homepage when you login).
Calendar-Her-Dysgur-Nadolig_Christmas-Learning-Challenge-Calendar1-1-2Download

If you have any questions about the challenge, or about LinkedIn Learning in general, please email the Digital Skills Team (digi@aber.ac.uk), and we hope you enjoy your 12 days of learning!

Join our Christmas Learning Challenge! 🎄

Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] Digital learning and development, LinkedIn Learning, LinkedIn Learning Challenge Leave a comment

Our Christmas Learning Challenge begins tomorrow, Wednesday 6 December! We have put together 12 short videos from LinkedIn Learning for you to watch and learn from over the next 12 work days. This content ranges from 1-8 minutes and will help you to develop a range of skills – from tips to boost productivity, keyboard shortcuts in Outlook to developing better sleep habits.

How do I join the challenge?

The first step will be to activate your LinkedIn Learning account. After doing so, there are two ways for you to join the challenge:

  • You can either follow the links on each day of the challenge from the calendar below
  • Or you can follow our Christmas Learning Challenge Learning Path (which will also display at the top of the LinkedIn Learning homepage when you login).

Calendar-Her-Dysgur-Nadolig_Christmas-Learning-Challenge-Calendar1-1Download

If you have any questions about the challenge, or about LinkedIn Learning in general, please email the Digital Skills Team (digi@aber.ac.uk), and we hope you enjoy your 12 days of learning!

DigiTip 12 – Getting Microsoft Word to Read Aloud to you 🔊

Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] Digital proficiency and productivity, DigiTips Leave a comment

Do you find it easier to proofread a document or an email when you can hear what you’ve written? Luckily, there’s a useful function called Read Aloud that will play back written text as spoken words, and this is available in several Microsoft 365 apps, including Word and Outlook. It can read both Welsh and English text, in addition to several other languages. Watch the video below or follow these instructions: 

  • The first step is to ensure that your text is in the correct proofing language. Highlight the text and select Review 
  • Select Language, and then Set Proofing Language 
  • Select your chosen language and then click OK 
  • Navigate your cursor to the start of the passage you want to read aloud 
  • Select Review and then Read Aloud 
  • You can change the language and the voice of the playback 

To follow our DigiTips, subscribe to our Digital Skills Blog. Or alternatively, you can bookmark this webpage, where a new DigiTip will be added each week!  

DigiTip 10 – Brainstorm new ideas using the whiteboard in MS Teams 💡

Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] Digital communication, collaboration and participation, DigiTips Leave a comment

Do you need to brainstorm new ideas with your peers for a group assignment? Or perhaps you have a work project that you want to discuss new ideas for with colleagues? The whiteboard in Microsoft Teams is a fantastic tool for this and provides you with a range of templates to choose from.  

Watch the video below to learn how to get started, or please click on this link if you wish to view the below video with closed captions.

We’ll also be showing how to use the whiteboard during our Mastering group work with online tools and strategies session this afternoon (7 November, 15:00-16:00) as part of the Digital Skills Festival! You can join this session directly from the festival programme.

To follow our DigiTips, subscribe to our Digital Skills Blog. Or alternatively, you can bookmark this webpage, where a new DigiTip will be added each week!  

Join us next week for the Digital Skills Festival! 🎆

Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] Digital Skills Festival, Students, Training Leave a comment

Aberystwyth University’s first Digital Skills Festival for students will take place next week from 6 to 10 November 2023!  

Throughout the week, there will be 28 events covering an array of topical digital areas. Events will include presentations on Artificial Intelligence, online safety, digital wellbeing, managing your digital footprint, and using Welsh on your computer. Additionally, external speakers from companies like Barclays and Clicky Media will discuss the digital skills necessary to excel in their own and similar companies. Finally, there will also be several interactive workshops on topics such as using software such as Microsoft Excel and mastering group work with an array of online tools.  

All students who attend three online sessions will be entered into a raffle where they will have the opportunity of winning one of two £50 vouchers.

You can view each session and book through the Digital Skills Festival programme, or take a look at the images below to find out what’s on each day of the week!  

Festival Programme