Tech Tips Archives

Word Reads Text Aloud

Did you know that Microsoft Word has a function that will read your document aloud to you? To start, simply click anywhere in the document where you want Word to begin reading and it will read from that point to the document's end. Or you can highlight text to select a specific section to read. Then go to the Review tab, click the Read Aloud button, and choose Play in the controls. This feature can assist users in proofreading, editing, and improving their reading comprehension. It is beneficial for both clients and career professionals with reading difficulties or visual impairments.

Tech Tip submitted by Jaana Kettunen, jaana.h.kettunen@jyu.fi

Paste Text-only Shortcut

You probably copy and paste text multiple times per day, especially when working on a writing project, creating career development exercises or revising job search documents. When copying and pasting text from one source to another, you may run into the issue of unwanted formatting being transferred along with the text. This can be frustrating and time-consuming to fix. However, there is a simple solution to this problem, using the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + V (on Mac: Cmd + Shift + V). This shortcut is especially useful when copying text from a website, where formatting may be different from what you want in your document. (This new feature may not work on older versions of Word.)

Tech Tip submitted by Jaana Kettunen, jaana.h.kettunen@jyu.fi

PowerPoint Tip: Jump to a specific slide quickly  

When you are in the middle of a presentation, you may want to jump to a particular slide quickly, such as when a member of the group asks a question that is best answered when viewing another slide. To make a quick jump, type the slide number and press enter (all while you are in presentation view). So, if you are on slide 4 and you want to jump to slide 12, just type 12 and then press enter and you will be moved ahead 8 slides. Your audience will appreciate your fast response!

Tech Tip submitted by Jaana Kettunen, jaana.h.kettunen@jyu.fi

Reposition Captions on a YouTube Video

When watching YouTube, subtitles/closed captions (the icon with the two lower case cc) are useful, but sometimes they can block important parts of the video. When watching, use your mouse to drag the captions box and move it around the video screen. You can do this with any video that has captions available, not just the ones that you own. Share this with your clients/students who need subtitles to grasp the important message yet don't want any part of the video to be blocked. Try it now at NCDAcareer on YouTube.

Tech Tip submitted by Jaana Kettunen, jaana.h.kettunen@jyu.fi

Teleprompter for Speeches

If you have ever needed to read your speech and wanted a teleprompter on your computer, CuePrompter can help. Just type or copy your speech in the designated space, set the font size, color, margins, background, speed and hit play. You can increase or decrease the speed to match your desired pace. It can work on your computer or smart phone so your presentations sound professional wherever you are.

Tech Tip submitted by Janet Wall, Career Planning Academy, careerfacilitator@janetwall.net


Automatic Background Remover

Do you know how to remove background from picture? Sometimes image backgrounds are not necessarily suitable for the intended project, such as marketing your coaching service, enhancing an informative newsletter or brainstorming careers with clients. Remove.bg is an automatic background remover powered by AI technology. Simply upload an image to remove.bg and AI will remove background from pictures in seconds. The online tool is free and can be used without having to sign up.

Tech Tip submitted by Jaana Kettunen 
jaana.h.kettunen@jyu.fi

LogoCreator Can Impact Your Brand for Free

LogoCreator is a free logo design application built for entrepreneurs, marketers, and nonprofits. The design process only takes a few minutes and it's very intuitive. Private practitioners and job seekers need to think about their personal brand and the impact images can make when networking. Unlike other logo makers, this one is actually 100% free. 

Tech Tip submitted by Faith Woolley, faithwoolley85@hotmail.com

Scribbr – APA Citation Generator

One free tool for generating APA style citations can be found at: https://www.scribbr.com/apa-citation-generator/#/ Effortlessly create your reference list and in-text citation in the most up-to-date APA format using this site.

Beginning with the August 2020 issue of the web magazine, all submissions to Career Convergence are asked to follow the new 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual (2020), especially the citations and references. The editorial team will assist authors in conforming to the new style. There are many other sources of information about the changes to the APA Publication Style following the release of the 7th edition, including the APA site https://apastyle.apa.org/

Tip submitted by Ali Breen abreen@ncda.org

Create Online Graphics and Presentations with Genially

Are you now working remotely with your students and clients due to the impact of COVID-19? Do you need to develop exciting content for your website, social media, or online events? Try Genially for custom, interactive graphics based on your role (i.e., marketing, teaching) and work setting (e.g., higher education, K-12, industry). The free account includes templates for a wide range of products, including infographics, presentations, reports, games, interactive images, and more. These templates and a user-friendly interface allow you to create visually engaging content to connect in new ways and at a distance. Consider the opportunities for online outreach activities, social networking, and training events.  
 
Tip Provided by Melissa A. Venable, PhD, melissa.a.venable@gmail.com

Fix Your Writing with Hemingway's Help

If you want to make your writing more clear and accurate, consider the Hemingway app. Enter your text into the online app and it will highlight lengthy sentences, typical errors, sentences that are too complex and confusing, ways to simplify vocabulary, and other means to make your writing communicate clearly and simply. Polish up and clarify your writing so your clients and colleagues receive your career development message without distractions.

-Tip Provided by Dr. Janet Wall, careerfacilitator@janetwall.net

Confused by Time Differences?

Whether scheduling a meeting with a colleague in a different location or working with a client via distance technology, getting the time zone information incorrect can make a difference. Figuring out the time differences in your head can be challenging. World Time Buddy makes it easy to compare different time zones using a webpage or a mobile app. The free version allows you to save up to four locations or time zones and there are paid versions for more options. Just bookmark the site or download the app for ease of use – anytime!

Tip Provided by Katherine (Kathyy) Battee-Freeman, kathyy@uis.edu

Capture That Perfect Way of Saying It

Make wordsmithing career content a breeze just by talking it through. Voice Notebook is a free online speech recognition tool (in Google's chrome web store) that grants us the magical ability to capture exactly what was said word-for-word with impressive accuracy. Start recording, have your student/client talk about their accomplishments, copy/paste the transcription and draft the perfect content. As a bonus perk, you can also use it to draft those wordier email responses. It's a game changer that was serendipitously designed perfectly for our work as career educators.

Tip Provided by Mark Zammuto, mzammuto@champlain.edu

Use Tweetdeck to Manage Twitter

Take your social media presence to the next level with Tweetdeck, a dashboard style website that allows you to organize, track and schedule all of your tweets, searches and twitter lists. Tweetdeck saves searches so you can keep up with the discussion in real time. Twitter lists allow you to group connections and topics together for an enhanced reading experience. Tweetdeck also allows you to write tweets in advance and schedule when they are tweeted, enabling you to reach more of your students or clients. The dashboard interface allows you to track your personal tweets, mentions, and hashtags and retweets easily on one screen. Find out more best practices.

Tip provided by Elliot Schoenberg, eschoenberg@rabbincialassembly.org and Dan Schoenberg, daniel.f.schoenberg@gmail.com

Twitter 101: Terminology Tips

Twitter has its own language. Learning these commonly used terms will improve your experience. Tweet – 140 character message. Tweep – user on twitter. Follower –A person who sees what you tweet. Timeline – The stream of tweets that you see on your screen. Retweet (RT) – when a user resends someone else's tweet. This is often a sign of respect and admiration. It shows up on both users' timelines. Modified Tweet (MT) – An RT with some minor changes; shows that the shared tweet is not in its original form. Hashtag – the # in front of keyword or phrase that is used to highlight your tweet and categorize it for easy search. Hat tip (HT) – Used when you mention another tweep who provided some inspiration for your tweet.  Review this vocabulary and acronym list http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2012/09/15/a-list-twitters-language/ for more terms.

Tip provided by Elliot Schoenberg, eschoenberg@rabbincialassembly.org  and Dan Schoenberg daniel.f.schoenberg@gmail.com

Developing a LiveBinder for Organizing Career Development and Planning Resources

Need a better way to organize, bookmark, and share online content as a visual portfolio (collection) for career development and planning resources? Then consider developing a LiveBinder -- a digital binder where one can create a central hub full of resources on any topic. Almost everything that is web-based, can be added to a LiveBinder—links to websites, YouTube videos, images, PDF/Microsoft Word/Google documents, and social networking content, to name a few. LiveBinders also allow you to share your binder via Twitter, Facebook, e-mail and in blogs or websites.

Tip Provided by Cindy Miller, cynthia.l.miller@ttu.edu

Multiple Monitors Can Help

Colleagues often ask about my office workstation, which has two monitors: one rotated in portrait (vertical) orientation and a second in landscape (horizontal) orientation. While studies are mixed on the impact multiple monitors have on work productivity, I find my workstation supports a more natural, paper-like work style. The configuration allows easy side-by-side comparison of documents and screens (i.e. resume, job announcement, LinkedIn profile), and decreases scrolling. Most operating systems (e.g., Windows, OS) support multiple monitors if the computer has multiple video outputs or ports. Monitors that “pivot” from landscape to portrait can be purchased new and some preexisting monitors can be modified to fit an after-market stand that allows rotation. Read more about the benefits of multiple monitors and how to set them up.

Tip provided by: Darrin L. Carr,  dlcarr@iupuc.edu

Find Meeting Time Consensus with Doodle

How many emails did you have to send out the last time you needed to schedule a meeting? Finding time for a group to meet can be a challenge. Doodle is a free, online tool that helps identify the best day and time easily. Create an event in Doodle with suggested meeting days/times, then send the link to your attendees. Each participant selects his/her available times from the list you created. The result is a visual table highlighting the best time to meet. Doodle tallys the participant responses, sends you email updates, and allows you to set the time zone. The set-up process is quick and doesn't require account registration. CNET.com provides step-by-step instructions and an example to get you started.

Tip Provided by Dr. Melissa A. Venable, melissa.a.venable@gmail.com

Remember Things with Evernote

Evernote allows you to easily capture notes and other information using whatever device you happen to have available at the time. It syncs your notes between devices. For example, capture something on your smartphone then access it from your tablet, laptop, or desktop. No WiFi access? You can begin working in Evernote while traveling, then sync when you have Internet capability. Once a new "note" is created, you can organize it in a "notebook" and add searchable tags. The Evernote tagline is: "Remember Everything," and they couldn't have said it better. It's a go-to workhorse for personal and professional tasks: create lists; clip web pages; capture images and links; create audio files; scan papers, book pages, receipts, and business cards, and attach documents and PDF files.

Tip Provided by Shirley Rowe, shirleyrowe3930@gmail.com

Using Screenshots to Enhance Your Work

If you want to add pizzazz to your PowerPoint slides or documents, adding a screenshot — a picture of something from a website or on your computer — can be very useful. It’s easy to copy your whole screen, but many times that’s not what you want. Check out JING. Using this free program you can “snip” any portion of your screen that you want, and then add text, highlight different parts of the “picture,” and insert it into your file. This program can also help you record a screencast, or video of your screen and cursor movement.

Tip Provided by Dr. Janet Wall, careerfacilitator@janetwall.net