We would like to extend a big thank you to all our speakers and participants who attended Aberystwyth University’s first Digital Skills Festival in November 2023.
With 28 different digital events being held over 5 days, it was fantastic to be able to offer a variety of sessions ranging from an introduction to learning how to code to understanding the importance of our digital wellbeing and digital identity.
From our Digital Skills Festival website, you are now able to access all the recordings and resources from the sessions during the week so please take a look if you would like to refresh your knowledge on what you learnt or if you were unable to attend.
We look forward to seeing you all at the next Digital Skills Festival in 2024!
Are you a planner but struggling to be productive? Do you work better with a to-do list, but you want everything in one place? Introducing Microsoft Teams Task by planner!
You can create your own to-do lists, break these down into daily to-do lists and even view tasks that have been assigned to you in Microsoft Teams channels.
To create your To Do List:
Go to the Apps icon on the left-hand side of MS Teams
Search for and install the Tasks by Planner and To Do app
At the bottom of the planner, select‘+ New list or plan’
Enter any task, select the priority and due date
Once completed select the circle and the task will complete itself
To break down your to-do list to more achievable goals you can add tasks from your to-do list to “my day” which will refresh every day.
Watch the video below for a demo on how to use Microsoft Teams Tasks by planner.
Blogpost by Noel Czempik (Student Digital Champion)
Most of us engage with digital devices daily, and just like our physical spaces, they often become home to clutter, affecting our wellbeing and productivity. In this blog post, I will share the most effective strategies for reclaiming my digital spaces.
Preparing For Your Decluttering Journey
Try approaching your clutter with curiosity rather than judgment. This will help you stay positive and better understand your digital habits. Visualise the positive impact decluttering will have on your wellbeing.
Expect this process to take time. Sorting through years of accumulated digital content can be daunting, but sizing up the challenge and allocating the right time and space can make it more manageable.
Start with the quick wins that will make the most immense impact with minimal effort. This will allow you to build up momentum and approach the more difficult tasks with empowerment.
Consider any upcoming longer journeys as opportunities to make progress on your decluttering adventure.
Deciding what to keep and what to delete may be challenging. Ask yourself what would happen if everything were to disappear?
Quick Wins: Small Actions Can Yield Big Results
Each of these 5-10 minute tasks is beneficial alone, but as you progress through the list, their impact compounds for greater effect.
Cleaning your desktop: Delete unnecessary files and find a home for the rest to achieve the bliss of an empty virtual desk.
Decluttering your apps: You might be surprised at the number of apps on your phone or desktop that you no longer notice. Uninstall any apps you don’t use to free up space and minimise distractions.
Customising your home screen: Make apps that you want to use often more accessible and hide ones that are likely to distract you by using folders. Consider adding shortcuts to quickly access lists such as shopping, gift ideas or business ideas lists, preventing you from adding to the clutter with every stroke of genius.
Reviewing your notification settings: Disable unhelpful notifications to avoid overloading your lockscreen.
Customising your taskbar and quick access bars: Delete or unpin features you don’t find useful to implement your organisational systems.
Cleaning your downloads folder: Eliminate unnecessary files and duplicates to free up space.
Decluttering your browser: Remove unused extensions and bookmarks to streamline your browsing experience and pin the tools you’d like to use more often. Consider clearing your cookies and cache to protect your privacy, keeping in mind you might get signed out or remove saved preferences on some sites.
Clearing your screenshots: The screenshot folder is often a catch-all for single-use files.
Do you often find yourself having tired eyes after looking at your device for too long? In DigiTip 16, we will be having a look at how to use a blue light filter setting, to reduce the amount of blue light emitted from your device’s screen.
On Windows devices, follow the system settings below to activate “Night light”:
Select Start on your windows taskbar and type in Settings in the search box
From Settings, then choose System before finding the Display option
Once you have chosen the Display option, select Night light
With “Night light” switched on, warmer colours will be used on your screen to help block out blue light
To personalise when “Night light” will be in use on your device, choose the Schedule night light option where you can either select Sunset to sunrise or select Set hours to choose your own custom times for it to begin and end before closing the window
On MacOS devices, follow the system settings below to activate “Night Shift”:
Go to the Apple menu to open the option System Preferences
Through System Preferences, select the Displays icon
On the top of the window, click on the Night Shift tab
Select the Schedule drop-down list before choosing Custom
To personalise when “Night Shift” will be in use on your device, you can either select Sunset to sunrise or select Custom to choose your own set times for it to begin and end, before clicking Done
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).
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.
Welcome to the start of 2024 and we hope you all had a fantastic Christmas holiday break!
From September 2023, the Digital Skills Team have been publishing short and sweet DigiTips that we think will help you make the most of technology – ranging from taking care of your mental wellbeing with the self-care Finch App to being able to brainstorm new ideas with the whiteboard in MS Teams!
Starting from Tuesday 9th January, we will continue to be posting weekly tips about all things digital and if you want to explore any of our previous DigiTips, you can access them from this webpage.
👨🏽💻 Digital skills collections in LinkedIn Learning for students and staff
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!
Blogpost by Joel Williams (Student Digital Champion)
Welcome to this year’s Winter Break Challenge, created by the Student Digital Champions. We’ve created nine challenges for you to complete while taking a study break over the Christmas holidays.
We’ve also created a LinkedIn Learning collection, which you’re welcome to use for days 3, 5 and 7 of the challenge. Or, please feel free to choose other courses from LinkedIn Learning.
Blogpost by Noel Czempik (Student Digital Champion)
In my journey to digital wellbeing, I found myself at a crossroads, dissatisfied with the evolving relationship between technology and me. Once a source of joy for facilitating connections and enriching experiences, it gradually became a frustrating and anxiety-inducing presence. Attempting various strategies, from greyscale displays to setting reminders, proved futile; my devices continued to dominate my time, now laced with guilt and a sense of personal failure, far from the fascination of my early experiences with technology. What had changed?
Swipe Wars: The Smartphone Menace
In the early days of social media, logging in required a ritual—turning on the family PC, navigating through desktop layers, and patiently awaiting the slow progression of the digital world. That world could disappear at the press of a button at dinnertime or the first signs of an oncoming thunderstorm. Fast forward to today, and our devices are ever-present, always in our pockets, ready for instant engagement. The ease with which we unlock our phones without a clear purpose has turned habitual, a craving for the dopamine reward that digital interaction brings.
Initially confined to finite feeds, social media has evolved into expansive content platforms crafted to hold our attention endlessly. In today’s consumer-centric landscape, our devices are not neutral tools but deliberately designed to encourage frequent and prolonged use. While we seek engaging technology, the allure that captures our interest can sometimes work against our best intentions.
From Whoville to Screensville: How the Smartphone Stole Christmas
While invaluable in connecting us during lockdowns and holidays spent at a distance, our devices have also altered the nature of our in-person interactions. I vividly recall the post-pandemic Christmas spent with family, surrounded by screens, each of us engrossed in our digital worlds. It was a far cry from the planned festivities but a reality shaped by the omnipresence of technology.
My once-positive relationship with technology has now turned toxic, and breaking free from my phone’s grasp requires more than just free will.
