Printing Alternatives When Working or Learning Remotely

Students may be missing one common function that was always at the ready--printing.  Now that we are all working and learning remotely, there are a few things that can bring up moments of worry including 1) Not being able to submit the assignment in the preferred format, 2) not being able to collaborate or proof a hardcopy of a document or 3) the document vanishing from digital existence on your computer before you can print a backup copy. (that never happens!)

Here are a few tips that you can do as printing alternatives when you may not be able to have a physical copy. With ESU already providing Google services to students as well as Office 365 for all ESU students and employees to download, there are multiple options available.

The Universality of the PDF

Documents can be sent as PDF files--PDF standing for portable document format. So just as it says, the document can be on different platforms while staying the same for each user receiving the document. To save as a PDF in Google Docs, you would go to File>Download>Download as PDF.  In other applications, you can simply choose to print the document as you would to a physical printer, but instead of choosing your printer you should have an option for "Print to PDF" or something similar.  In MacOS, there is a "PDF" button on the print dialogue.

Google

PDF's are also very good when it comes to storing the documents, especially for archival purposes. ESU students can store your documents in Google Drive, which means you won't have to worry if your documents are safe and secure.  Google Drive is available from Windows, Mac, web browsers and mobile devices, giving you quick access wherever and whenever you need it.  The ability to share from Google Drive also means you don't have to print out and distribute copies of documents--the most current version is always available to you and those you are collaborating with.



Google has an online saving that makes your documents easy to keep track of. Google Drive saves your work as you continue to make progress on it, guaranteeing that your documents will be as up to speed as possible. Google also offers Offline Editing which allows you to work without wifi or internet access, this is very helpful for those who might not have home internet! This is also beneficial because it gives you access wherever you go by being able to login to your account wherever there is a computer or mobile device.

Office 365

Office 365 offers many of the same features provided by Google services, but also has the added value of desktop and mobile versions of software. Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the other long-trusted suite for software integrates with your OneDrive personal storage (offered to all ESU students and employees), as well as employee's departmental SharePoint Drives.  With the current realities of working remotely, having a secure "cloud" environment to share, work, and collaborate has greatly improved the productivity and capabilities of our Office 365 users.

Do it LIVE!

We previously mentioned the sharing capabilities of Google, which is also true for Offie 365.  Along with that feature is the ability to edit a document right alongside your group members.  Using Google Docs or Microsoft Word you can each be making and discussing changes live--and seeing them as they happen.  There is no special setup--these are built-in features and they extend to spreadsheets, presentations and other document formats.  If you can create, proof and finalize a document live, there's no need to print it out and markup multiple versions!

Digital Ink

While these apps are great to use, you may choose a hardware solution that can make it seem like you're righting with a pen on paper, too.  Having an Apple Pencil with your iPad or Surface Pen with your Microsoft Surface makes taking notes and editing a document much easier--and completely natural if you're used to doing it on a printed copy. Using Microsoft Office's digital inking capabilities or any variety of mobile apps that support inking, allows you to write on the screen as if the document were actually in front of you as a printed piece of paper.

E-Fax

For ESU departments, E-Fax is a service that allows you to send and receive the document as if they were on an actual fax machine, but on your device. Users can fax from anywhere using your smart device or computer. This makes it a lot easier when sending documents that require printing (when you get back to the office) or are of a nature that require enhanced security.

These are just a few of the awesome applications that are available to use for your benefit! Hopefully, this gave you some knowledge that you can apply when learning or working remotely. Questions and concerns can be answered by contacting the IT Help Desk.
Stay Healthy Hornets!


Dakota Taylor
Social Media Student Assistant
Web & Digital Strategies

Keep on track with these great apps

As classes begin to move online it can be difficult to keep on schedule and not miss things like scheduled Zoom meetings or collaborative projects. To help aid students, staff and employees with their progression over to an online format, we at IT have come up with a short list of what we think are the best two time management apps to keep you on track for the rest of this semester.

Google Calendar
The first app we recommend is Google Calendar. As the name implies, Google Calendar is a calendar-based application that allows users to create and edit events. Although it isn't known to be as feature-packed as some of its rivals, Google Calendar has a very simple layout that makes using it a breeze. This is a major benefit, especially for students who do not need some of the more advanced features found in applications such as Microsoft Outlook.

Where Google Calendar shines is in its easy to use interface. Clicking on an empty time slot will automatically give you the option to create an event for that time. Rescheduling and expanding events is easy and can be done by clicking and dragging on any event. Google Calendar also has Gmail integration allowing users to create reminders straight from an email. Overall, Google Calendar is simple, straightforward and is free to use, so for basic tasks, it's hard to go wrong with.
Microsoft ToDo
Unlike Google Calendar, Microsoft ToDo does not follow a calendar format but instead displays a list of tasks that can be added, removed and sorted by importance. ToDo also has a very simple layout and is very user friendly and intuitive. Adding and removing tasks are a breeze within ToDo and performing more complex operations such as sharing lists with others can also be done with relative ease.

The main features of ToDo include task prioritization and scheduling, document storage and file sharing. Overall ToDo is a great application and is best for users looking for a simple way to increase their productivity and keep track of their day to day tasks. Better yet ToDo is available for free with your ESU account! What's not to love?

Microsoft Planner

Microsoft Planner is a task management tool that is useful for both individuals and teams but is focused towards collaboration between larger groups of people. Planner allows users to easily create and assign plans which are displayed in a kanban-board style work space. From there separate tasks can be added to each plan, this allows tasks to be easily categorized by project or department etc. Each task can have plenty of details, including the people assigned to the task, start/due date, description, photos, links, team discussions and more. Planner makes it especially easy to view the people assigned to each task and will notify users via email when a task has reached its due date.

Overall, Microsoft Planner is a great tool, especially for larger groups. Planner allows users to get organized and see a visual representation of the progress of each task, helping team members can stay on the same page. Unlike Google Calendar and Microsoft ToDo, Planner requires a business grade Office 365 account. Unfortunately, this means Planner is only available to ESU staff and employees. For employees to create their own plan in Planner, contact the IT Help Desk.


Taylor Nelson
Student Web Developer
Web and Digital Strategies