Tech Tip: Plan with My Day and Suggestions in Microsoft To Do

To Do is an app in Microsoft Office 365 that helps you to keep your tasks organized and your day focused. My Day and suggestions help you to plan each day and focus on accomplishing your most important tasks. To Do is integrated into Outlook and  accessible as an individual online app in Office 365.

There are three ways to access To Do:

  1. Outlook
    • Desktop on your computer – the clipboard with a check mark in the lower left corner. This is a light version and My Day will not appear here.
    • Outlook 365 via web browser – the check mark in the lower left corner. To Do will open from the online apps with the full functionality.
  2. Office 365 – select the waffle icon in the upper-left corner of Outlook 365, and the To Do app or the Office 365 link to all available online apps.
  3. Mobile app – download from the Applet Store or Google Play Store. My Day and other functions are available.

Add tasks to My Day

When you first open To Do each day, you’ll see a fresh My Day. Here, you can enter the tasks you’d like to focus on for the day. After using To Do for at least one day, you’ll be able to add tasks from suggestions.

To plan your day using suggestions:

  • Select the lightbulb (For Today button) at the top right.
  • Review the most important suggested tasks, and select + to add them to My Day.
  • You can also enter new to-dos directly in to My Day.
  • All of the tasks entered in My Day will also be saved in your Tasks list. Anything you aren’t able to complete today will be saved and suggested to you tomorrow.

Connect with Outlook

  • You can view your Outlook Tasks and manage your flagged email directly in the Microsoft To Do online app.
  • All tasks will appear in both Microsoft To Do and Outlook automatically.
  • Flagged email will appear as tasks in Microsoft To Do.
    • The task’s name will be the subject of the flagged message and will include a preview of the email’s text in its detail view.
    • To open the original email, select the option to Open in Outlook from detail view.
    • Items in the Flagged Email list can be renamed, assigned due dates and reminders, added to My Day and marked as Important.

Exploring and Engaging Equity video series

Equity-Conscious Practices. Equity Conscious Community College Pathways. Support for CC-ALL is provided by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.This is the third week the Campus Climate Team is sharing a video from the Office of Community College Research & Leadership’s Exploring and Engaging Equity Video Vignette Series — a valuable, free and conveniently accessible professional development resource on equity. OCCRL’s videos show topics of critical importance that aim to foster student success and equitable outcomes. This week’s episode focuses on developing critical consciousness for advancing equity. Critical consciousness offers a way for marginalized people to try to make sense of inequitable social and economic conditions around them, and act to change those conditions. Learn about critical consciousness in relation to education and about the acts of reflecting, analyzing and taking steps to change social inequities. If you missed prior weeks’ videos, you can still access and view them: Episode 1: Equity-Conscious Practices and Episode 2: Identifying Equity Consciousness Gaps.

SharePoint tech tip: Sync your files using Files On-Demand

When you sync your OneDrive or group site documents with your computer, the syncing process results in both the cloud storage location and your computer being updated with the most up-to-date files. This means that if you access your files via the internet or your local device, the same data will exist in both locations.

With OneDrive Files On-Demand, you can sync files and folders to your computer without having to download them and use storage space on your computer.

Turn on Files On-Demand in OneDrive

  • Click on the blue OneDrive cloud icon in the Windows notification area (in the Windows 10 toolbar, near the date/time).
  • Select Help & Settings.
  • Select Settings, and click on the Settings tab at the top.
  • Files On-Demand, place a check mark in the Save space, and download files as you use them.
  • Click on OK to save changes.

Work With files in Files On-Demand

When you have synced your files and folders from the cloud and Files On-Demand has been selected, you will see a cloud icon to the right of the file or folder name indicating the sync, but data is not stored on your local device.

A green circled check mark to the right of the file or folder name indicates that the data is stored on your local device and the cloud.

You can now copy or move files from your computer to your department group site or your OneDrive storage right from your file system. Be aware that if you delete files and folders from your local device that are synced with the cloud, you will also remove these from the cloud. You must Stop Sync before doing so if you wish to keep the data on the cloud.

Save Space on Your Device by Making Files Online-Only

These files are only available when you’re connected to the internet, but don’t take up space on your computer.

When you open an online-only file, it downloads to your device and becomes locally available.

You can open a locally available file at any time even without internet access.

To make a file always available, even when you’re offline:

Right-click on the file or folder name and select Always keep on this device.

To change a file back to an online-only file:

Right-click on the file or folder and select Free up space.

Proctorio training sessions July 22 and Aug. 12

LLCC Faculty,

LLCC has licensed Proctorio, a remote proctoring service, to support your online testing needs this academic year. Proctorio is a secure monitoring platform that integrates with Blackboard and Canvas and only works within the Chrome web browser.

Proctorio works within the learning management system to monitor online test takers for suspicious behavior. The system is available to support all online, remote, and flex classes as needed with no additional cost to students.

Faculty members are not required to use Proctorio to deliver online exams, but for those faculty members who would like to have online exams proctored, the system is now available within Blackboard and Canvas (for those faculty who are in the Canvas pilot program).

Proctorio also provides 24/7 support to faculty and students from within the Proctorio system. This support is provided through live support chat or direct access to the Proctorio help and support center.

For specific information on Proctorio at LLCC please visit our LLCC Proctorio page.

AIeL will be hosting two live training sessions with Proctorio representatives prior to the start of the fall 2020 semester. The dates and times for these training sessions are:

  • Wednesday, July 22, 2020 at 3 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020 at 1 p.m.

If you are interested in attending either of these training sessions, please email dawn.townsend@llcc.edu and include which day you would like to attend. You will then be emailed a confirmation with the link to the Zoom meeting.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about Proctorio please feel free to reach out to andy.mitkos@llcc.edu or becky.parton@llcc.edu.

Exploring and Engaging Equity video series

Equity-Conscious Practices. Equity Conscious Community College Pathways. Support for CC-ALL is provided by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.The Campus Climate Team is sharing one video a week from the Office of Community College Research & Leadership’s Exploring and Engaging Equity Video Vignette Series — a valuable, free and conveniently accessible professional development resource on equity. OCCRL’s videos show topics of critical importance that aim to foster student success and equitable outcomes. If you missed last week’s video, you can still access and view Episode 1: Equity-Conscious Practices. The second episode focuses on identifying equity consciousness gaps. Watch the video to learn how to make equity a priority to attain equal outcomes by using data-informed decisions that are grounded in equity consciousness.

SharePoint tech tip: Sync files and folders

Just like with OneDrive, you can sync the files and folders in your department group site to your office computer. When you sync your files and folders, you can access your documents without going to the web, and can be set to always available on your computer, even when you’re offline.

Set-up sync

Access your department group site in SharePoint that you want to sync files from, and select Sync in the menu bar above the files and folders on the Documents section.

Note: If your browser asks for permission to use OneDrive, confirm that it’s OK.

If prompted, sign in to OneDrive with your LLCC email address to start syncing your files and finish OneDrive setup.

Work with your files in your file system

Once synced, your group site files and folders appear in File Explorer under the name of your organization, or if using a Mac, in Finder.

Each group site will appear in a separate folder under the Lincoln Land Community College drop-down in File Explorer or Finder.

Copy or move files from your computer to the group site right from your file system.

To check the status of your files, choose folders to sync/stop sync, or manage other sync settings, select the blue OneDrive cloud icon in the Windows notification area or Finder on a Mac.

Exploring and Engaging Equity video series

Equity-Conscious Practices. Equity Conscious Community College Pathways. Support for CC-ALL is provided by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.The Campus Climate Team would like to share a free and conveniently accessible professional development resource on equity. The Office of Community College Research & Leadership has created the Exploring and Engaging Equity Video Vignette Series. OCCRL’s videos show topics of critical importance that aim to foster student success and equitable outcomes. Over the next five weeks, we will be sharing one video a week from the series’ first module. The first video focuses on equity-conscious practices. It talks about what the term “equity” really means and how educators can actualize equitable outcomes for all students, regardless of their backgrounds and characteristics. Learn how to use strategic solutions through ongoing and sustainable efforts that are grounded in equity.

Summer professional development opportunities

Several organizations have developed remote professional development opportunities this summer. Each of the online conferences and webinars listed below are offering free registration.

ICCB Webinar Series: Helpful Resources and Information for Faculty and Staff

  • Week of July 6: Instructional Design and Strategies for the Transition to Online/Remote Learning
  • Week of July 13: Discipline-Specific Discussions on Instructional Design and Strategies for the Transition to Online/Remote Learning
  • Week of July 20: Remaining Student-Centered in an Online Environment
  • Week of July 27: Discipline-Specific Discussions on Remaining Student-Centered in an Online Environment
  • Week of August 3: Maintaining Mental Health in Times of Uncertainty

Remote: The Connected Faculty Summit

July 13 & 14: Hosted by Arizona State University, this virtual conference will provide a forum and support for all colleagues across higher education to help them design the most effective and engaging experiences for learners. Leading educators with extensive practical online and blended teaching and learning experience drawn from across global universities and colleges will gather to present immediately useful and evidence-backed practices on both subject-specific and general online teaching techniques. More than 70 sessions selected by group of nationally respected higher education experts will be presented at the conference.

Blackboard World 20: Galaxy of Learning

July 21 & 22: Blackboard World will offer two days of live sessions on topics that are top of mind for fall, including new models of teaching and learning, accessibility and inclusivity, student engagement and the impact of COVID-19 on education.

SoftChalk Short Courses

July: If you are a new SoftChalk user, these live, one-hour online training webinars are just what you need to get started! The training typically includes a presentation and examples, as well as an opportunity for you to ask questions and receive assistance from the instructor.

  • Getting Started 1: An Overview of SoftChalk Cloud
  • Getting Started 2: An Overview of SoftChalk Create
  • ToolTips, Images and Hyperlinks
  • Navigation Features and Sidebars
  • Embedded Media
  • Quizzes and SoftChalk ScoreCenter
  • Interactive Presentation Learning Activities
  • Interactive Scoring Learning Activities
  • Using the SoftChalk Create ThemeBuilder
  • Using SoftChalk Create with your LMS

For information on access to SoftChalk, contact Barry Lamb, director, instructional technology services (barry.lamb@llcc.edu) or Gary Bach, instructional technology specialist (gary.bach@llcc.edu).

SharePoint tech tip: Add or remove news posts

With SharePoint and your department group site, you can add news posts and news links. These posts will appear under “News from sites” on the SharePoint homepage for public sites, and on the homepage of your private department group site.

Add a news post

  • From your team site, select New > News post.
  • You can also choose News link, which pulls in news from a different page or website.
  • Select a template and Create post.
  • To create your news post, type in a headline or select Change image to put in a background photo.
  • Go to where your picture is, select it and then select Open.
  • To set the photo’s focus point, select it and then drag up or down to position it.
  • Select the circled plus sign to add a modern web part to a page, to add a section and choose the layout.
  • Select the circled plus sign to add a web part, like text, image or one of the many other options.
  • When you’re done, select Post news to publish it.
  • To see the post on your team site, select Home.
  • To see the post on your SharePoint start page, select SharePoint.

Remove a news post

  • Note: Your admin must give you permission to remove a news post.
  • To remove a news post on your site, select Pages.
  • Choose the post you want to remove.
  • Select Delete, and then select Delete once more to confirm the deletion.

SharePoint Tech Tip: Use filter and update list

With SharePoint and your department group site, you can use filters to keep your team on track and organized.

Filter a list

In the list you want to filter, select Open the filters pane (the funnel icon in the upper right corner).
Select how you want to filter your list from the options available.
After you’ve filtered a list, a funnel icon appears next to a column header to show that the list is currently filtered.

Clear a filter

Select Clear filters Click Clear filters from the filters pane.

Edit a list item

Select Open the details pane Click Open the details pane .
Make changes to your list item (i.e. a team contact for a specific document) and the updates will automatically appear.