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

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!

DigiTip 9 – Record your screen directly in PowerPoint 🎥

31 October 202330 October 2023 Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] Digital creation, problem-solving and innovation, Digital proficiency and productivity, DigiTips Leave a comment

If you need to include a screen-recording in your PowerPoint presentation, you can do this directly in PowerPoint without having to use any other software! Open PowerPoint and then watch the video below or follow these instructions:

Select Record
Select Screen Recording
Open the page that you want to record
Click on Select Area and choose the exact part of the screen that you want to record
Select Audio if you want to record audio with your video
Select Record (you should see a countdown before your recording starts) and complete your recording
Once you’ve finished your recording, hover your mouse over the top of the screen and select Stop
Your screen-recording will be automatically pasted into your PowerPoint presentation
You can edit your recording by clicking on your recording and selecting 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!

Learn to code for free with CoderPad in LinkedIn Learning

24 October 202324 October 2023 Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] Digital learning and development, LinkedIn Learning Leave a comment

There may be many different reasons why you want to learn to code. It may be a skill that you want to practice for your degree; it could be a hobby of yours; or your may be interested in developing this skill to enhance your employability.

Knowing how to code is an incredibly valuable skill, but it if you’re new to coding, it may be difficult to know how to make a start. Luckily, LinkedIn Learning, an online learning platform which all students and staff at AU have free access to (learn how to get started), have launched a new partnership with CoderPad.

They have launched an array of new Code Challenge courses on Python, Java, SQL, JavaScript, C#, and Go, designed to help beginner to advanced learners develop their coding skills through interactive exercises and real-time feedback.

Take a look at the video below to learn more about these challenges:

There are currently 33 Code Challenges (but this is continually increasing), and you can also learn how to code and practice your skills with additional GitHub programming courses in LinkedIn Learnings.

Here are a couple of Code Challenge courses for you to get started with!

Beginner Code Challenges

SQL Practice: Basic Queries (17m)
Python Practice: Operations (17m)
Go Practice: Functions (38m)
SQL Essential Training (4h 26m)

Advanced Code Challenges

Advanced Go Programming: Data Structures, Code, Architecture, and Testing (1h 9m)
Advanced Java: Hands-on with Streams, Lambda Expressions, Collections, Generics and More (50m)
Hands-On Advanced Python: Data Exploration and Manipulation (1h 56m)
JavaScript: Five Advanced Challenges and Concepts (1h 51m)

If you have any queries about any of the content mentioned in this blogpost, or if you have any general queries about LinkedIn Learning, please contact the Digital Skills Team (digi@aber.ac.uk).

Introducing our new ‘AU Graduates Digital Skills Profile Series’!

23 October 202323 October 2023 Laurie Stevenson [las60] Digital Capabilities Framework, Graduate Digital Skills Profile Series Leave a comment

Blogpost by Laurie Stevenson (Student Digital Champion)

As part of a project organised by the Student Digital Champions, we will be publishing a weekly series of interviews with graduates of Aberystwyth University about their use of digital skills in their lives since graduating, whether that is in their current job, Postgraduate studies, or career pathway. We’ll also hear about the skills they wish they had developed further before they left Aberystwyth University.

We will be releasing four profiles this semester, one a week on Thursdays, and the other half will be released in Semester 2. The first profile will be published this Thursday and will be available from this page on the Digital Skills Blog, but in the meantime take a look at the JISC Digital Capabilities Framework, the framework we follow here at AU, to learn what digital skills are and why they matter to you.

Keeps your eyes peeled on Thursday for our first profile!

DigiTip 6: Set your status for a set time in MS Teams to show that you’re busy 🔕

10 October 20236 October 2023 Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] Digital proficiency and productivity, DigiTips Leave a comment

Sometimes, you may need to set some time aside to concentrate on a particular piece of work, but how can you show other people who are also online that you’re busy? Microsoft Teams allows you to set your status to Do not disturb, meaning that you won’t be interrupted by Teams notifications or calls (unless you choose to receive these from specific people), but it can be too easy to forget to turn this status off once you’re finished.

Luckily, Teams allows you to set your status for a set duration. Take a look at the video below or follow these instructions:

Open MS Teams and click on your profile picture
Click on your current status
Select Duration
Choose Do not Disturb (or whichever status you want to appear)
Choose for how long you want this status to appear
Click Done

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 2 – Check your Welsh text using the Cysill app 📝

12 September 20232 November 2023 Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] Digital proficiency and productivity, DigiTips Leave a comment

Cysill is part of a language software package called Cysgliad that you can download on your PC, and Cysill will be able to identify and correct Welsh-language errors in your text. You can use the online version of Cysill, but you can check your text much easier if you download the app (how do I do that?).

Once you’ve downloaded the Cysill app, take a look at the video below or follow these instructions:

Open the Cysill app and your Word document (or wherever your Welsh-language text is located)
Highlight the text you want Cysill to check
Type Ctrl+Alt+W on your keyboard (this will copy and paste your text directly into Cysill)
Check all the errors that the app suggests need changing
Click Cywiro (Correct) if you’re happy with a correction that the app suggests
Once you’ve worked through all the suggestions, the app will automatically copy and paste the corrected text back into your Word document

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!

Microsoft PowerPoint Tips and Tricks 💡

19 June 202319 June 2023 Sioned Llywelyn [sil12] Digital communication, collaboration and participation, Student Digital Champions, Students Leave a comment

Blogpost by Jeffrey Clark (Student Digital Champion)

Like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint is another Microsoft application you’ve probably used before. Planning for delivering a presentation can be daunting and even a frightening task for some, as not only do you have to speak in front of your fellow students, but your PowerPoint presentation will also be on full display. But, have no fear as this blogpost will give you some valuable tips and tricks to help turn a good presentation into a GREAT presentation!

Tip 1: Inserting Excel data into PowerPoint

If your presentation requires you to show data from an existing Microsoft Excel document, there is an easy way to display it within PowerPoint.

On the slide you want your data to appear on, go to Insert > Object
From the Insert Object window, select Create from file > Browse > then select the Microsoft Excel file where the chart you want to include is located > OK
This will automatically insert both the data and chart from your Microsoft Excel document
You can edit this data directly within your PowerPoint document by double-clicking on the chart on your slide
Click outside of the chart when you are finished, and PowerPoint will produce a chart with your Excel data!

Tip 2: Inserting a YouTube video in PowerPoint

Microsoft Excel Tips and Tricks (Part 2)💡

24 May 202324 May 2023 Laurie Stevenson [las60] Digital proficiency and productivity, Information, data and media literacies, LinkedIn Learning, Student Digital Champions, Students Leave a comment

Blogpost by Laurie Stevenson (Student Digital Champion)

I published Part 1 of this blogpost earlier this week, where I introduced you to 5 tips and tricks to help you make the most of Excel, and this blogpost contains 5 further tips! If you want to learn more about Excel, please visit my new Excel LinkedIn Learning collection.

Tip 6: Adding in multiple rows or columns at once

If you want to add more than one row or column in one go, this tip will save you the time of having to do this one row at a time.

Highlight the number of rows or columns you want
Right-click on the highlighted rows or columns
Choose Insert from the drop-down menu that appears

Tip 7: Adding bullet points

Finding the button to add these is not as easy as on Microsoft Word but luckily there are a couple of different ways to do this.

Microsoft Excel Tips and Tricks (Part 1)💡

22 May 202324 May 2023 Laurie Stevenson [las60] Digital proficiency and productivity, Information, data and media literacies, Student Digital Champions, Students Leave a comment

Blogpost by Laurie Stevenson (Student Digital Champion)

Feel a sense of dread whenever you have to use Excel for your degree? Well, we’re here to help! Many degrees will require the use of Excel at some point for data analysis, maths calculations, graph or chart creation, project management and much more.

Excel can seem complicated and daunting to some, particularly if you are relatively new to it, so I’ve put together a list of tips and tricks as well as a new Excel LinkedIn Learning collection to help you out.

Keep an eye out on our blog later on this week as I’ll be publishing the second part of this blogpost, which will include 5 more tips and tricks on using Excel!

Tip 1: Useful keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts involve pressing more than one key simultaneously and if memorised can save you a great deal of time. For example, use CTRL+A to select all the cells in a spreadsheet. Take a look at the following list of good ones to learn:

Ctrl + N	Create a new workbook
Ctrl + O	Open an existing workbook
Ctrl + S	Save the active workbook
F12	Save the active workbook under a new name, displays the save as dialog box
Ctrl + W	Close the active workbook
Ctrl + C	Copy the contents of the selected cells to the Clipboard
Ctrl + X	Cut the contents of the selected cells to the Clipboard
Ctrl + V	Paste/insert the content of the Clipboard into the selected cells(s)
Ctrl + Z	Undo your last action
Ctrl + P	Open the Print dialog
Alt + H	Open the home tab
Alt + N	Open the Insert tab
Alt + P	Open the page layout tab
Ctrl + S	Save a workbook
Ctrl + 9	Hide the selected row(s)
Ctrl + 0	Hide the selected column(s)

Online Scams: Identifying Scam Emails and Texts

2 May 20235 September 2023 WordPress User [jec68] Digital Identity and Wellbeing, Digital proficiency and productivity, LinkedIn Learning, Student Digital Champions, Students Leave a comment

Blogpost by Jeffrey Clark (Student Digital Champion)

The Internet is a great place to connect with friends, work on projects, and even make money. However, there are some who will use the Internet to try and make money from YOU! Unfortunately, scams are becoming more and more advanced but thankfully I’ve got you covered! In this blogpost I’ll go over scam emails, what they are, how to identify them and what to do when you find them.

Make sure to read the Aberystwyth University page on spam emails before reading this blog post.

What is a phishing email?

A phishing email is an email that is designed to obtain sensitive personal data from you. This data may come in the form of your address, credit card information, or even your bank details! Phishing emails are usually disguised as legitimate business emails like the example below.

Screenshot of a Phishing Email from TustedBank — *Image from Wikimedia Commons*

It’s easy to see how one might fall for a phishing email like this. Firstly, the email notifies the victim that their bank account may have been compromised which prompts them to act urgently. Secondly, there is nothing suspicious about the link at first glance. So how can you tell the difference between a legitimate email and a phishing email?