Category: DigiTips

DigiTip 15 – Learn 3 useful functions in Microsoft Teams 💬

WordPress User [jpl11] DigiTips, Microsoft Support, Microsoft Teams Leave a comment

Follow these steps to pin your priority chats to the top of your list: 

  • On the left-hand side of your Teams window, place your cursor over the chat you would like to pin 
  • Right-click once on the chat and click on Pin 
  • Your priority chat will be pinned to the top of your recent chat list 

Follow these steps to mute notifications from your chosen chat: 

  • On the left-hand side of your Teams window, place your cursor over the chat you would like to mute 
  • Right-click once on the chat and click on Mute 
  • Incoming notifications will be muted for this specific chat 

Watch the video below or follow these instructions for saving messages to access them later: 

  • Open the chat you would like to save a message(s) from 
  • Right-click once on the message and click on Save this message 
  • Place your cursor your Teams icon and click on it 
  • Select the Saved option on the menu 

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 14: Use Microsoft OneNote to organise your work 🗄

Shân Saunders DigiTips, Microsoft OneNote, Microsoft Support 1 Comment

Microsoft OneNote is a great way to store all your notes, organise your work and create lists all in one place.  

You can create different tabs for different areas of work. Within this, you can add new pages to separate and organise your work, all with their own separate headers. You can colour code your sections to help organise and keep track of your work. You can also create check lists, highlight important information and much more using the ‘tag’ function.  

Watch the video below for a demo on using Microsoft OneNote or follow the instructions below.  

  • Click the ‘+’ icon to create a new section. 
  • Right click on the section to change the colour. 
  • Name the page anything you would like. 
  • Hover on the right-hand side pane to insert new pages. 
  • Add checkboxes either by selecting the To Do Tag or by using ctrl+1. 
  • You can make pages, subpages by selecting the page, right clicking, and selecting ‘make subpage’. 

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 13 – Schedule and Delay delivery of your emails in Outlook 📨

WordPress User [jpl11] DigiTips, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Support Leave a comment

Depending on who you would like to communicate with, sometimes it is more convenient to schedule and delay your emails for another time. This gives you more time to re-edit the content of your email again if necessary and you can plan for less stress in the future if you can prepare your emails in advance! 

Watch the video below or follow these instructions: 

  • Open a blank new email message in Outlook 
  • Compose the email and ensure you have included a recipient and a subject line 
  • Click on the File tab that can be found on the top left corner of the email window 
  • Select Properties  
  • Ensure the Do not deliver before option is checked  
  • Select the time and date you would like to schedule the email to send out for 
  • Click Close followed by Send 

It’s worth noting that Outlook must be open for a delayed email to be sent out. Ensure you have chosen a sending time when you know your Outlook will be running. 

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 12 – Getting Microsoft Word to Read Aloud to you 🔊

WordPress User [sil12] Digital proficiency and productivity, DigiTips, Microsoft Support, Microsoft Word 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 11: Introducing the self-care app Finch 🐥

Shân Saunders DigiTips Leave a comment

Finch is a self-care app designed to help you set realistic wellness goals to achieve throughout the day.  

The app includes features such as a focus or meditation timer, reflection diaries, quizzes, and soundscapes.  

Help your Finch avatar grow by earning points through completing your daily goals. The daily goals can be remembering to drink water, taking a walk in nature to taking part in the apps movement section which holds a collection of stretching and yoga movements.  

You can download the Finch app on Apple and Android devices. 

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 💡

WordPress User [sil12] Digital communication, collaboration and participation, DigiTips, Microsoft Support, Microsoft Teams 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!  

DigiTip 9 – Record your screen directly in PowerPoint 🎥

WordPress User [sil12] Digital creation, problem-solving and innovation, Digital proficiency and productivity, DigiTips, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Support 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!  

DigiTip 8: Limit your scrolling time on Instagram 🤳

Shân Saunders DigiTips Leave a comment

Are you struggling to concentrate on your work? Are you procrastinating on social media?  

Do you need to limit your scrolling time? 

Did you know you can now limit your Instagram scrolling time through the Instagram settings.  

Go to: 

  • Settings, 
  • Time spent, 
  • Set daily time limit. 

You can set these limits so that a reminder appears after your chosen time suggesting you take a break.  

To reset the timer simply close down the app and reopen it.  

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 7 – Learn new digital skills for free with our digital skills collections from LinkedIn Learning 💻

WordPress User [jpl11] DigiTips Leave a comment

Do you want to learn or develop your digital skills but not sure where to start? With our LinkedIn Learning digital skills collections, you can now develop your digital skills further with easily digestible courses and videos that are tailored more specifically to what you are looking for. With a variety of content to choose from in LinkedIn Learning, we have developed 30 new collections (15 for students and 15 for staff) to support you all at Aberystwyth University to find the most appropriate content suited for what you want to learn most. Each collection contains 9 resources, and these resources can range from short 3-minute videos to more in-depth courses. 

If you have any questions about these LinkedIn Learning collections, please contact the Digital Skills Team (digi@aber.ac.uk).  

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

WordPress User [sil12] Digital proficiency and productivity, DigiTips, Microsoft Support, Microsoft Teams 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!