Summer offers the perfect time to enrich yourself with some summertime learning. With lyndaCampus, you have access to the leading online learning platform that helps anyone learn business, software, technology and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals. Here are a few suggested tutorials to learn some new skills, grow professionally, or just have some fun.
See What’s New in Office 2016 and Office 365
As we have rolled out Office 2016 to campus, David Rivers walks you through the “Office 2016 and Office 365 New Features.” In about the same amount of time for a stop and shop at Buc-ee’s, you can learn all the new features and enhancements in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Find new ways to unclutter your inbox and group contacts – very helpful if you are going on vacation. Plus, find how to make the new features part of a more productive and efficient Office workflow, and better yet, a more productive you.
Essentials for Using Windows 10
Starting July 1st, new campus computers supporting Windows OS will come preloaded with Windows 10 Enterprise. Get a jump start on your new computer with “Windows 10 Essential Training.” Author Nick Brazzi covers everything you need to know to customize Windows to your liking, start working with files and applications, and how to manage folders. This all day course even covers using Cortana to search and navigate, browse the web with the new Microsoft Edge browser, and work with Mail, Calendars, and People (aka contacts). Lucky for us, this course is broken into manageable 4 to 10-minute sections. Don’t worry; you can even skip half of the Getting Started section since Windows 10 will be installed for you.
Tips and Tricks for El Capitan
For you Mac Users, author Nick Brazzi returns to cover “Mac OS X El Capitan Tips and Tricks.” El Capitan offers some hidden features and productivity-boosting shortcuts that even seasoned Mac professionals can fumble. Learn new tips and tricks for customizing Finder and Spotlight. See how to print to a PDF from just about any application. Take advantage of typing hands-free with voice dictation or learn how to let your Mac read to you with Text to Speech. Nick Brazzi’s tips will help you become a better, more efficient user of Mac OS X El Capitan in faster time than getting to the credits in that summer blockbuster.
Get Up and Running with Canvas
If you are teaching on campus, you know by now that we are using Canvas as our learning management system. If you have been unable to attend our numerous Canvas training sessions, Oliver Schinkten has everything to get you “Up and Running with Canvas 2015” in the same amount of time as your average Major League Baseball game. See how to build your teacher profile, create a class, add assignments and quizzes, and use SpeedGrader to streamline your grading process. Author Oliver Schinkten demonstrates how to reinforce collaboration using the online discussions, enlist co-teachers, and how to hit one out of the park by accessing your class on the go with the Canvas mobile apps.
Deke’s Techniques with Adobe Sketch
If you want to have a little coloring fun, computer graphics guru Deke McClelland introduces you to Adobe Photoshop Sketch in the latest Deke’s Techniques. Paint on your tablet with what he considers to be, the “best of the current crop of Adobe mobile apps” Find how to create new projects, change brushes, and sample colors. You can export your work directly to Photoshop, where you can print it, or continue to edit it, allowing you to get real work done.
Fundamentals for the Traveling Photographer
If you will be traveling this summer, photojournalist and Strobist.com founder David Hobby shows you how to photograph your journey “like a professional” in “The Traveling Photographer: Fundamentals.” In the time it takes you to fly from DFW to JFK, you’ll learn to plan effectively, choose the right gear, interact with the people you meet, take photographs efficiently without losing the magic and wonder of your travel experience.
These are just a small sampling of the videos available at Lynda.com. You can access them day or night from smu.edu/lynda and even have them on the go with the Lynda.com mobile app. Hope you have an enjoyable summertime experience and keep learning.
