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Tech’ top tips – #59. Help to stay safe and healthy
This tip is provided by the Centre for Enhancing Learning through Technology (CELT). The images in this post will expand when clicked.
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Working safely on computer equipment is a good habit to get into. Frequent breaks and knowing how to exercise in-between stints at the keyboard and mouse can help to prevent Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) and other ailments associated with using a computer.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides guidance on how to check that your workstation and the associated Display Screen Equipment is set up for you. It is especially important to check this when moving between public or shared computers to ensure you minimize the risks to you. http://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/dse/
The NHS also offers guidance on exercises that can help to prevent RSI in the wrists – click the link below and search for ‘Advanced Wrist Exercises’ to download a .pdf from Oxford University Hospitals. https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/patient-guide/leaflets/
Tech’ top tips – #58. Get a handle on those emails
This tip is provided by the Centre for Enhancing Learning through Technology (CELT). The images in this post will expand when clicked.
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Don’t let your office 365 email inbox weigh you down, if you haven’t done so already there are ways to organise your inbox to make sure that you can view and locate those important emails so they don’t get easily missed.
Your Office 365 email is your official DMU email account which all your emails can be accessed from, these can be emails from your lecturers, any course or module related emails, DMU student union and DMU internal communications etc. As a result your email inbox can and will grow, it’s a good idea to be able to manage your emails, and organise incoming email so you locate those emails that require your attention.
One such way of organising your email is by using inbox folders and creating simple rules which automatically move emails into these inbox folders. To set this up it really does not take long, in fact these can be very easily done. Watch this short video to show you how.
Tech’ top tips – #57. Go home – Blackboard Home!
This tip is provided by the Centre for Enhancing Learning through Technology (CELT). The images in this post will expand when clicked.
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The Blackboard Home page provides links to services and help for students and staff at DMU. As well as the Module shells that we are enrolled on we can use the Add Resource button to add and remove widgets from this page. For example, the Organisation Catalogue widget enables us to find open shells that cover topics we may be interested in.
Along the top of the page, the StaffGuide and UserGuide links provide access to staff and student help for using the learning technologies that are provided by the university and the Information panel includes quick links to popular help guides.
Beneath the information panel, the My Communities panel is where we access shells that we have found in the Organisation Catalogue.
Tech’ top tips – #56. Tailoring Windows to work for you
This tip is provided by the Centre for Enhancing Learning through Technology (CELT). The images in this post will expand when clicked.
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Whether on campus or when using Windows 10 at home, a number of accessibility options are available for colleagues and students to tailor the PC for specific needs.
To open the Windows 10 Ease of Access centre click on the Start button and type ‘Ease’ or use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut and click on Ease of Access. In here you will find a number of options that relate to the PC reading screen content, a built in magnifier and the option to select one of the pre-set high contrast settings.
To complement these functions DMU expects, through policy, all written learning materials and content that is accessible through Blackboard to be available in a downloadable and modifiable format. This helps to ensure that the Ease of Access tools work as effectively as possible for students and colleagues who need them.
If you need help with enabling the Ease of Access tools or with any of the other Assistive Technology available at DMU, please pop in to the Kimberlin Library or check out the Assistive Technology Library Guide here https://libguides.library.dmu.ac.uk/at
Tech’ top tips – #55. 365 day access to your files and content
This tip is provided by the Centre for Enhancing Learning through Technology (CELT). The images in this post will expand when clicked.
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While enrolled at DMU, students have access to Microsoft Office 365. Office 365 provides access to 1tb of storage for each student and the ability to edit and create content using online versions of Microsoft Office.
Students also have the option to download Office applications on up to five devices. Office 365 can be accessed via MyDMU at https://my.dmu.ac.uk and clicking on the Office 365 tile.
Tech’ top tips – #54. Imagine yourself enhancing your Digital Capabilities
This tip is provided by the Centre for Enhancing Learning through Technology (CELT). The images in this post will expand when clicked.
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All DMU colleagues and students are eligible to complete IT Training with the Microsoft Imagine Academy. Whether it be brushing up on your word processing skills to learning about servers, databases and networking; the Microsoft Imagine Academy offers around 1,300 courses that are available in a number of languages.
Students and colleagues can enrol on up to three Microsoft courses simultaneously, further details and the full catalogue can be viewed here https://library.dmu.ac.uk/celt/home
Upon completion, a Microsoft certification will be issued and this is a great way to complement your DMU degree course (students) or add to you Continued Professional Development portfolio (staff).
Tech’ top tips – #53. TurnItIn receipts – your proof of submission
This tip is provided by the Centre for Enhancing Learning through Technology (CELT). The images in this post will expand when clicked.
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When submitting coursework to TurnItIn it is imperative that the digital receipt is obtained before closing the web browser.
It can appear that submissions are complete once the file has been uploaded but there is a ‘Confirm’ button that finalises the submission and generates the digital receipt.
The digital receipt will be displayed on screen and emailed to the student DMU email address – if the digital receipt is not delivered once the submission is confirmed please contact ITMS at itmsservicedesk@dmu.ac.uk
Students who are unable to provide a digital receipt risk being marked as a late submission as the digital receipt is the only proof of submission when TurnItIn is used to submit coursework.