Tag: Windows 10

Screen capture in Windows and Mac OS

There are lots of reasons why you might want to grab a clipping of the whole or part of your screen.  Whether you are writing instructions for a handbook or a procedure, or just trying to capture an error message to pass on to your local support person.

 

Both Windows and Mac operating systems have built in screen clipping functionality.

 

Windows

To invoke screen clipping on a Windows 10 or 11 system press the Windows, Shift and S keys at the same time.  You will be presented with a floating bar which allows you to choose to clip the whole screen, or you can click and hold the left mouse button while selectig the area to “clip”.

 

Once clipped you can choose to open the clipping in an editor where you can add ink and highlighter marks, and you can save your clipping as a picture file for later use.  You can also copy your edited clip including inking and paste that into a document or email.

 

Find out more about Windows screen clipping on Microsoft’s support pages.

 

Mac OS

You can grab the whole screen by using the Command, Shift and 3 keys at the same time.

 

If you just want to select part of a screen then press Command, Shift and 4 at the same time, then use the mouse cursor to select the area that you wish to clip.

 

Find out more about Screen clipping for Mac OS at Apple’s support pages.

Microsoft Whiteboard Enhancements – September and October 2021

During September ’21, Microsoft will be releasing a number of enhancements for the Whiteboard product.  Ultimately the goal is to provide a unified experience across all versions whether on Surface Hubs, Windows 10, Android, Teams Web or iOS.

 

Some features have already started to roll out for the web and Teams versions of Whiteboard with more coming during September.  The native clients (Windows 10, Surface Hub, Android and iOS) will roll out during late September and October ’21 and will be completed by the end of October ’21.

 

The following features are already available in the Web and Teams versions

 

  • Sticky note colours: 10 colourful sticky note shades to choose from.
  • Note grids – insert a grid of sticky notes in one of 12 available colours to help in workshops and ideation sessions.
  • View objects created in native apps – Objects such as lists & templates inserted on native apps can be viewed on web and Teams as well.
  • Ink pen colours: 15 new ink pen colour options with a range of thicknesses to help visualize your content and bring your text to life.
  • Highlighter colours: – 15 new highlighter colour options enable users to emphasize content on the board.
  • Ink shape recognition: – draw shapes with ink and then watch them straighten automatically.
  • Improved mouse inking: – create smoother ink lines, making your strokes easier and cleaner when drawing with a mouse or trackpad.
  • Read only mode for education accounts: – as a meeting facilitator or an educator, determine when and how students participate and collaborate by enabling or disabling their editing capabilities.

Further updates coming soon include

Modern look and feel:

  • Streamlined user experience: an unobtrusive app UI maximizes your canvas space.
  • Creation gallery: a highly discoverable, simple way of finding and using objects and features in the application.

Collaboration features:

  • Collaboration roster: see who is on the board and collaborating with you.
  • Collaborative cursors: see where other people are on the canvas and what they are editing.
  • Laser pointer: get other people’s attention as you share your best ideas.
  • Improved performance: quickly open boards, pan and zoom, create content, and collaborate in real time with numerous editors at once during large working sessions.

Interactive content features:

  • More than 30 customizable templates: get started quickly and collaborate, brainstorm, and ideate with brand new templates.
  • Stickers: provide lightweight, contextual feedback with a set of fun stickers.
  • Images: add images from your local drive to the canvas and annotate them to build visual interest on your boards.

Facilitation features:

  • Copy/paste: copy and paste content and text within the same whiteboard.
  • Object alignment: use alignment lines and object snapping to precisely organize content spatially.
  • Format background: personalize your whiteboard by changing the background colour and pattern .

Inking features:

  • Ink arrows: smoothly draw single and double-sided arrows using ink to better facilitate diagramming.
  • Ink effect pens: express yourself in a creative way using rainbow and galaxy ink.

 

Features coming to Native Applications

  • Ruler: for straight lines, users can now insert lines from the shapes menu or hold down shift when inking.
  • Erase entire ink strokes: for faster erasing, users can now erase the entire ink stroke instead of a portion of it.
  • Lock image: the ability to lock images and other canvas content will be available shortly after the update.
  • Insert document: the ability to insert documents from local storage along with OneDrive and SharePoint will be available shortly after update.
  • Like/unlike sticky notes: users can use stickers instead as a workaround for lightweight voting and liking. We will be releasing more enhanced voting capabilities in a future update.
  • Sorting: the ability to organize and sort lists and note grids are being rebuilt and will be included in a future update.
  • Export template to CSV and email summary: these features are being rebuilt and will be included in a future update, including different ways to export content from the board.
  • Ink grab, Ink to table and Ink to text: these features are being rebuilt and will be included in a future update.
  • Accessibility checker and alt text: these features are being rebuilt and will be included in a future update.
  • Bing image search: users can download and insert images onto the canvas with the insert image feature.
  • Easy share on Surface Hub: this feature is being rebuilt and will be included in a future update.

 

You can find out more about Whiteboard and the features available by clicking here.

Internet Explorer 11 – No Longer Supported

As of 17th August 2021, Internet Explorer 11 is no longer supported as a valid browser for accessing Microsoft 365 apps.

 

If you are still running Windows 7 and Internet Explorer you should, in the first instance, contact the ICT Service Desk to enquire about an upgrade to Windows 10.  ICT can advise appropriately on use of Windows 7 as an operating system where there is an operationally insurmountable reason for continuing to run Windows 7.

 

Unless there is an absolute reason for running Windows 7 (lab equipment / microscope / imaging applications that cannot be upgraded), all systems should be upgraded to Windows 10.

 

If you need to access Microsoft 365 applications from a machine where you were using Internet Explorer 11, please install the latest version of Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge and use those instead.